

# Jenny In Space

The Snake Riders of Spacemark Four

Michael Coles

# .

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Michael Coles

License Notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Table of Contents

Chapter One: The perilous Kuiper belt

Chapter Two: Connection through space

Chapter Three: Spacemark Four

Chapter Four: Unexpected Visitors

Chapter Five: The Chase

Chapter Six: A Village Underground and a Ransom Demand

Chapter Seven: The Prophecy

Chapter Eight: Snake Charming

Chapter Nine: Search and Recovery

Chapter Ten: Rachar Revenge

Chapter Eleven: Homecoming

Chapter Twelve: The Water Seeking Expedition

Chapter Thirteen: One Last Dip

Chapter Fourteen: Triumphant Return

Chapter Fifteen: Training for The Majak

Chapter Sixteen: The Majak Match

Chapter Seventeen: The Old Mystic Breaks Her Silence

Chapter Eighteen: Return to the Surface

#

Chapter One: The perilous Kuiper belt

"My second trip into space, just as Relli predicted. I'm excited and a little nervous, but nothing like the first time we came up, when we moved the comet off course," Jenny Thompson said to her new alien acquaintance, Born. "I guess I'm the only thirteen-year-old Earth girl to ever go into space," she realized.

"What are you anxious about? This isn't a dangerous journey, like the first one was," Born said.

Jenny tightened the light blue elastic that held her sun streaked golden hair in a ponytail. "I guess I'm just concerned about Relli's prediction. Her psychic ability is amazing."

Born scowled slightly as he turned his large, hairless head. "I wouldn't have too much faith in forecasts for the future. She got a little lucky with the comet, nothing more."

"No, it was way too accurate. I mean, she's had visions about this stuff for over twenty years. I know she was guided to become our housekeeper for a reason. And the reason was, to steer me in the right direction," Jenny said with conviction.

Born shook his head. "Okay, you believe whatever you want. I just think it's silly to worry about someone's vague predictions about your future. Especially, if it causes you to be anxious."

"Hey, you promised we could do some local sightseeing if we ever got the chance," Jenny reminded.

"I said, if we have time, which we don't. I have to get the water on board the Traveler back to my home planet of Soilanglobe. And, we still have to make a stop at Spacemark Four to trade some water for Zorbite and to get some repairs on the ship. Remember the damage we sustained moving the comet off course?"

"How could I forget when you keep reminding me of it."

"I'll tell you what. If there are any planets within your solar system that aren't too far out of our way, we can momentarily detour to take a closer look at them," Born conceded.

A bright white smile lit up Jenny's tanned face, and she bobbed up and down in enthusiasm. "Cool, thanks, Born."

"Obos? Are we going to be passing close to any orbiting planets on our way out of this solar system?" Born asked the ship's computer.

Obos, the Traveler's "On Board Operating System," responded immediately. "We'll be within range of Saturn and Pluto as we travel through the densely populated Kuiper belt. Although, I believe Pluto has recently been re-designated as a dwarf planet."

Jenny had been interested in outer space ever since her father first let her look through his powerful telescope at the Lester B. Pearson observatory, where he worked as an astronomer.

"Yep, you're right, it's been demoted," Jenny confirmed. "Wow, I'd love to see Saturn up close, and Pluto, too. Can we, Born?"

"Yes, but only briefly."

"Cool, I can't wait!" Jenny said, as she peered out of the Traveler's panoramic windows at the endless expanse of stars.

* * *

Mr. Thompson, Relli and Martin gazed upwards into the early morning sky and watched the spaceship speed away. It wasn't long before it disappeared into the vast blue expanse, which was Earth's gateway to outer space.

Jenny's father wiped a tear from his cheek and a thin lock of sandy brown hair from the forehead of his angular face. "Well, that's that," he said.

Relli comforted him with a pat on the back and he forced a tight-lipped smile in response.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it," Martin said, still gazing skyward and shaking his shaggy blonde head. "And I'm not even sure if I believe it now. I think I'll wake up, and all this will have been a dream. The only thing is, I could never have imagined anything like this. So it's got to be real, right?" Jenny's brother asked, looking for reassurance.

"Oh, it's real all right," his father confirmed. "Come on, let's go home," he said with a sigh.

"We'll have to come up with some sort of explanation for Jenny's absence for a year, and I'll need both of you to back me up on this. It could be tricky. We certainly don't want any kind of investigation into her disappearance," Mr. Thompson mentioned.

"Let's just tell everyone the truth. That shouldn't cause too much controversy," Martin said with a mischievous smirk.

Both Relli and Mr. Thompson laughed at the idea.

Martin walked off ahead, while Mr. Thompson and Relli took a more leisurely pace. The tall grass was bowed over from the extra weight of the glistening dew. Droplets fell on the shoes and pant-legs of the trio as they trampled through it.

Relli looked down. "My shoes are getting soaked."

"Hmph," Mr. Thompson absently acknowledged.

The wind picked up a bit, so Relli tightened the familiar kerchief, adorned with stars and crescent moons, around her black hair. Her round face was still flushed with emotion, and the sun radiated off her rosy cheeks.

"The conversation you had with Jenny before she boarded the Traveler was a little troubling," Mr. Thompson said to Relli.

Relli smiled and looked up at him as they strolled. "I thought you said you didn't want to know what we were talking about?" she teased.

Mr. Thompson looked over and down to meet her gaze, and half frowned, half smiled. "What I said moments before, has no bearing on what I say moments later...especially, in a situation like this," Roy Thompson defended himself.

"You seem to know more about my daughter's future than I do. Which is no surprise. But could you please enlighten me?"

Relli's smile was replaced with a more solemn look. "I do know more than I've disclosed to you, or even to Jenny. I didn't want to concern her. As I said to her, 'sometimes knowing what's coming, causes more worry than the events themselves.' And these events must, and will take place, for the greater good."

"For the greater good of who?" Mr. Thompson asked.

Relli stopped and turned to look deep into Mr. Thompson's blue eyes.

"Jenny's future was mapped out for her, long before she was even born. I know it's a difficult concept to grasp, but she's been chosen because of her gifts, to champion causes and help many people in the process," Relli explained.

"What people? She's already helped the people of Earth."

"Yes, that was her first task, and she performed admirably, as expected. However, she has many more tasks and challenges ahead of her."

A look of concern and worry came across the face of Jenny's Dad. "Many more tasks? How many? Are they dangerous? And how do you know all of this?"

"As the days progress, I'm being flooded by images and feelings, more than ever before in my life. I'm tied to this in some way that I don't fully understand yet, but this is a very exciting time of revelation and discovery for both Jenny and I." Relli paused for a moment before she responded further. "I won't lie to you. I respect you too much and feel you deserve the truth. Yes, there are dangers involved in the challenges that lie ahead for Jenny. How many tasks? I can't say for sure. Definitely more than this one coming, and I feel several beyond that. But please find some comfort in the realization that Jenny was selected for these tasks by forces beyond our comprehension. She's perfectly suited to handle all of the dangers that will confront her. She was born for this!"

Mr. Thompson gave his head a shake. "This is all too much for me to absorb and comprehend. You say that Jenny was born for this, and chosen because of her qualities. I know she's a special kid, but I'm sure every father feels that way about his daughter. She's just a normal kid!"

"Yes, outwardly she does appear that way, but her gifts lie on the inside. They're dormant most of the time. Sure, we get a glimpse of them from time to time, but it takes extraordinary circumstances to bring them to the surface for all to see. And when we do witness them, we're filled with pride and admiration. Look at the way she handled the crisis of the killer comet coming to destroy all life on her planet," Relli let the thought sink in for a moment.

"And this was just her first challenge. As she matures and becomes more confident, she'll be a force to be reckoned with."

"These gifts you keep talking about are just a part of who Jenny is - it's her personality," Mr. Thompson said.

"Exactly! These naturally acquired endowments have been passed on from you - her father - also from her mother, and from her grandparents and great-grandparents. We're all a product of our heredity and environment. Jenny's natural gifts are a mixture of all of her ancestors' admirable qualities, blended and molded together to create a person perfectly suited for the challenges that await her. When I explain it like this, it sounds like I'm describing a super-human being with amazing powers, but then we're brought back to reality with the comforting knowledge, that it's just our little Jenny," Relli explained.

"Yes, just our little Jenny, off to encounter dangerous experiences far beyond our comprehension. I wish she wasn't the chosen one, as you seem to think she is," Jenny's dad shook his head in frustration, and resumed the walk home.

"How long before she begins her first task?"

"Very soon. She has an issue that will confront her at her first planetary stop, Spacemark Four."

"That's where Born said they had to stop for repairs on the spaceship, right?" Mr. Thompson asked.

"Yes."

"You mean she'll have a mission to perform even before they reach Born's home planet of Soilanglobe?"

"Yes. One of great significance."

"Please, don't reveal any of the details to me. I don't want to know," Mr. Thompson requested.

"At least for now, right?" Relli affectionately kidded.

Roy Thompson warmly returned the smile, closed his eyes momentarily, and gently shook his head, "Yes, at least for the moment," he replied with a sigh.

Martin beat them to the house by a few minutes and turned to see where his Dad and Relli were.

"Slowpokes," he muttered, before he entered the home.

Relli and Roy Thompson were silent the remainder of the walk home.

* * *

Jenny peered through the panoramic windows of the Traveler.

"Wow, what an awesome sight!" Jenny exclaimed as they rapidly closed in on Saturn. "The rings are so beautiful. Obos, are you going to play tour guide for me?"

"I can do that if you wish. First, we can view some of Saturn's moons."

"Sounds good. There are over sixty, aren't there?" Jenny asked.

"It depends how you designate them. If you count all of the icy material within the rings of Saturn, there are thousands of moons. And then it depends on where you draw the line as far as size," Obos answered.

"Hmm, I guess you're right. All of the stuff trapped in Saturn's rings, orbits the planet too, so technically, they're all moons," Jenny realized.

"We're now approaching Titan, Saturn's largest moon," Obos mentioned.

"It has its own atmosphere, doesn't it, Obos?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, you are correct. And Titan is actually larger than Mercury and Pluto."

Visibility was momentarily completely obscured as Obos penetrated the thick layer of Titan's atmosphere.

"Whoa, I can't see a thing now," Jenny commented.

Then suddenly the Traveler burst through, revealing the surface of the massive moon. Obos activated the ship's powerful external light so that Jenny would be able to see.

"Wow!" Jenny exclaimed.

The spaceship raced over the frozen landscape.

"It looks like the arctic back home, only more rugged looking. This is amazing!" Jenny marveled at what no other human being had ever seen.

Obos flew down low and wound the Traveler through wide mountain passes. Jenny felt exhilarated as they rocketed past glistening peaks. A mountain loomed in front of them and Obos ascended rapidly in order to clear its summit. On the far side of the pinnacle, as far as Jenny could see, stretched a wide-open flat expanse.

"Wow! What a sudden change. Is that a lake down there?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, it is. A lake larger than your Lake Superior in Canada."

"Man, what a sight. Thanks for letting us come here, Born."

"You're welcome, but we'd better continue on to Saturn. Remember this is supposed to be a quick visit." Born reminded.

Obos took off away from Titan and accelerated towards Saturn.

"It's hard to believe that wasn't the main planet. But I know Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system and absolutely dwarfs, Titan," Jenny marveled.

"Coming towards us are two of Saturn's smallest satellites; Janus and Epimetheus. Janus is about 178 kilometers in diameter, and Epimetheus, 115 kilometers," Obos said.

Jenny looked out of the window and viewed two irregular shaped pieces of space debris orbiting through space side by side. They appeared to be on a collision course with the Traveler.

"They're so close together - it looks like they're going to crash into each other," Jenny commented.

"This is a lucky coincidence," Obos began. "The orbit of these two moons is only 50 kilometers apart, and every 4 years or so, the faster one passes the other. When this occurs they switch places, and the faster one transfers some of its velocity to the other one. We're very fortunate to be able to view this phenomenon."

"Wow, that is so cool!" Jenny exclaimed.

The two moons crossed paths so close it looked as if they'd collide. Obos sped towards them and Jenny could see the two small moons rapidly increasing in size as they got closer, until they filled the Traveler's viewing window. It appeared to Jenny like they were going to crash into them.

"Eeeiikes!" she shrieked as she covered her eyes, but still peeked through her fingers.

Obos flew right between the pair. The Traveler momentarily dwarfed in size by the two pieces of space rubble.

Uncovering her eyes, Jenny ran to the back of the space ship and watched the two moons retreating into the vastness of space.

"Obos, that was a dirty trick...but I loved it," Jenny scolded.

She looked over at Born with a stimulated expression of delight on her face. Born, however, was unfazed by the event. He shook his head lazily, and said, "Can we please get on with this."

Obos continued their journey towards Saturn.

"The rings are disappearing," Jenny commented.

"Yes, we're now traveling through the rings. They're sparsely populated with pieces of icy debris," Obos explained.

He demonstrated by slowing down and viewing various fragments. Some of them were very small, others as big as small cars and a few about a kilometer across.

"Saturn's rings are similar in nature to the Kuiper belt at the edge of your solar system; only on a much smaller scale. We'll have to travel through the Kuiper belt in order to exit the solar system, but it's more hazardous compared to this belt of debris. The debris in the Kuiper belt is much more dense and the pieces are much larger. Pluto is actually part of that belt, and there are a few pieces similar in size to Pluto," Obos explained, as he accelerated through the rings.

"If the Kuiper belt is that risky, why don't we just go around it?"

"Going through the comet belt saves a lot of time," Obos answered. "And we're more than capable of making it across without incident. A Soilan vessel has never had a mishap within the Kuiper belt."

"That's reassuring."

"We don't even seem to be avoiding these chunks of ice," Jenny observed.

"Most of these pieces are so small, we don't need to evade them," Obos said, as they flew across the first ring and simply ploughed through the pieces of ice, utilizing the ship's force-field wedge. "Now to Saturn itself, a huge gas giant."

"Finally," Born muttered to himself.

The traveler disappeared into the planet's thick gas cloud layer.

"There's not much to see in here," Obos said. "The gas is too dense. The winds on the planet, average 1,800 kilometers per hour."

"The planet seems much more beautiful from a distance," Jenny said.

"Good, so we're done here then," Born blurted out.

"Yeah, I guess so. On to Pluto and the Kuiper belt, Obos," Jenny said.

Obos sped away from Saturn and on to the outermost reaches of the solar system.

.

After trekking through space for a few hours, Obos calmly mentioned, "I'm sensing a problem with the main thrusters, Born. There may be a power source malfunction in section G, close to where we sustained damage to the hull of the ship when the comet exploded in front of us."

Born was jolted out of his relaxed position. "That's not very good news, especially at this point of our trip. Aren't we nearing the Kuiper belt?"

"Yes, we've passed the orbit of Neptune and are approaching the outer edges of the comet belt," Obos explained. "Of course, we'll need full power to be able to maneuver through this complicated region."

Only a few moments passed before Obos calmly announced, "We've just lost all power to the particle accelerator compressors due to a Zorbite power malfunction. All nuclear reaction has been interrupted in the star-fire engines. We do still have power to the secondary thrusters though."

Jenny sat upright in her chair. She'd been dozing lazily. Her half closed, heavy eyelids, were now wide open.

"Fire the reverse thrusters so we don't drift into the Kuiper belt!" Born shouted.

"It's too late to stop our momentum, and we'll need the speed we have to be able to navigate through the dense debris field," Obos explained.

"Can we make it through?" asked a panicky Born.

"I can't say for sure. There are too many unknown variables. What I can say, though, is that we're going to drift into a very populated region of the Kuiper belt and Pluto will be the largest mass we'll have to avoid. I advise you to get to the site of the malfunction right away and try to correct the problem," Obos counseled.

Born took off like a shot, wound his way down a staircase and through narrow corridors towards the possible origin of the problem.

Jenny got up from her chair and walked closer to the front viewing window. In the distance she could make out objects of various sizes.

"What are all of those things, Obos?" she asked.

"They're all frozen chunks of matter, very much like the comet we encountered closer to Earth, but some of these are massive in comparison. If you look out of the side window, you can just make out Pluto."

Jenny looked out the window, and sure enough, an object bigger than the rest could be seen looming in the distance.

"It looks so far away, won't we be through before it reaches us?" Jenny asked.

"We're going to have to weave our way through this ice field, so the back and forth path we'll have to take will lengthen the time required to pass. And, we're losing speed by the moment. There may be collisions. I suggest you sit down and strap yourself in, Jenny. This may get bumpy," Obos warned.

Jenny did as she was told. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest as the first wave of frozen space rubble approached.

Obos took evasive action in order to avoid collisions with the larger chunks of ice-covered debris.

Jenny cringed in her seat as huge pieces narrowly missed them. Some of the pieces were so big, they completely filled up her viewing window, and took minutes to drift by.

"Pluto is getting bigger!" Jenny pointed out.

"Yes, we need full power or it's going to crush us," Obos stated in its usual composed voice.

"Come on, Born," Jenny muttered.

Down in section G, Born worked feverishly to repair the damaged circuitry. He'd quickly found the source of the problem, but he required time to be able to repair it.

"How does it look up there, Obos?"

Jenny could hear Born's voice come over the intercom system.

"Not good," Obos responded. "We'll experience a few collisions that I just won't be able to avoid. We will survive them, but Pluto is quickly bearing down on us, and without full power to the star fire engines, I'm afraid we'll perish in a collision with the dwarf planet."

"Okay, I found the problem and I'm repairing it, but I don't know if I can finish in time. How much time do we have?"

"Approximately 22 minutes," the computer answered.

"Come on, Born, you can do it!" Jenny yelled, as she watched Pluto close in on them.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Born shouted back.

"I wanted to see Pluto up close, but not this close!" Jenny said.

Obos avoided a large piece of icy material, when another smaller chunk, slammed into the Traveler's force field. The ship was jolted and Jenny rocked violently in her chair.

"The force field will absorb some of the energy of the collisions and the internal stabilizers will also take some of the impact shock," Obos explained.

Shards of ice exploded outward from the force of the collision.

Born was buffeted about in his small working area.

"Obos, I can't work if you keep hitting things!" he yelled.

"I'm sorry, but the crashes are unavoidable."

Jenny had her eyes glued to the window. Pluto had completely engulfed the view and there were many smaller pieces in front of it as well.

"Come on, Born," Jenny nervously urged.

"There, I think I've got it!" Born yelled.

Obos immediately activated the nuclear particle accelerator compressors and pumped hydrogen into the star-fire engines. "Yes, we have power, but the engines need to heat up before they will be effective. I don't know if we'll make it."

"Start them now!" Born ordered.

"That would be inadvisable. We'd lose precious heat prematurely. We must be patient in order to have any chance to escape," Obos advised.

"Be patient? Are you crazy?" Born said, as he rushed back to the control center.

He burst in, and stopped in his tracks at the sight.

"Oh, my, goodness. This is it," he said, preparing for their fate.

"No, we still have time. I know it looks very close, but we still have a few minutes before impact," Obos said.

"Obos, start the engines!" Born again ordered.

Obos would soon have to obey the direct command, even though it knew the disastrous consequences.

Jenny recognized the dilemma and spoke up. "Born, you know that Obos knows best. Please trust his judgment. We'll get out of this if you do, otherwise we'll be crushed. You must allow him to do what's best."

Born didn't say a word after that.

Every second seemed like an eternity, as Obos dodged smaller pieces of icy material, and waited for the energy to build in the main engines. Jenny could see details on the surface of the frozen planet. It was covered with impact craters from collisions with smaller objects. Jenny couldn't help but think that they'd be the next crater on the planet's surface. Pluto was upon them, and impact was imminent.

"O-bo-s," Jenny mumbled, as she tensed up in her seat, and anticipated the massive collision.

Just then, Obos released the pent-up energy in the eight star-fire engines. A burst of intense tachyon-heat was released, and the Traveler surged forward. The ship sped to a pace almost equal to that of Pluto, but it was still closing in on them. Obos continued to avoid smaller pieces of debris as it angled their path away from Pluto's course. Obos' strategy had been correct. The heat continued to build in the engines, and the Traveler's velocity increased. Soon they were out-distancing the planet.

Jenny could see Pluto decreasing in size as they sped away from it, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew, that was a close one."

"Yes, we should be safe now. Even if the engine power is interrupted again, we'll have enough momentum to clear the Kuiper belt," Obos informed.

Jenny slumped in her chair, exhausted by the terror of the episode.

Born folded like a rag doll in his chair. "Good job, Obos," he said.

"Yeah, amazing maneuvering, Obos. You saved our butts," Jenny said.

"Just providing the service I was designed for," the computer replied, as it sped them out of the perilous Kuiper belt.

#

Chapter Two: Connection through space

"I need to clean up in the kitchen, and then I'm going to meditate for a couple of hours, if that's okay?" Relli asked, as they walked through the front door of the Thompson home.

"Umm, yes, of course, that's fine. I think I'll drive into work and spend some time cleaning up some backlogged paperwork. Also, it'll comfort me to look through the telescope. I guess we both have our ways of glimpsing far away objects. Although, I'm slowly coming to the realization that your way is far more effective. At least for you," Mr. Thompson said.

He collected his keys and headed out the door. "I'll call to let you know when to expect me home. See ya later."

Relli quickly completed her chores. Visions and premonitions were now flooding her conscious mind, and she wanted to get into a state of meditation so she could focus on the information now being made available to her. Relli went to her room and closed the dark curtains, which effectively blocked the sunshine streaming into the room. She sat in a comfortable chair and took a deep breath to calm and relax her. The familiar dream that had been a part of her life since she was Jenny's age again filled her mind. - But this time there was more detail and the vision was more vivid. Relli could make out Jenny clearly now as the young girl in the dream. People within a huge underground cavern looked to Jenny for help. It appeared as if they had been waiting for Jenny for a long time, and the excitement within the group was obvious. Many of the people were sick and malnourished. There were flashes of images bombarding Relli's super-conscious mind now, some very disturbing. Creatures and beings that were beyond her imagination revealed themselves to her. However, Relli felt a connection and a familiarity with them all. It was the same peculiar sensation she'd experienced when she'd first met Born, but the feeling was much stronger now. Relli could sense a coincidental chain of circumstances, leading to an amazing adventure for Jenny and Born. They'd be thrust into an experience that if dealt with properly would result in the saving of a race of people from extinction. Jenny's image continuously popped into Relli's mind as the person who had been selected to champion this difficult and dangerous task. Various expressions of Jenny's lovely face flashed through Relli's mind now. First, her beautiful smiling face, with the light shimmering in her golden hair and her blue eyes glinting with enthusiasm, followed by a grim expression of determination, and then on to the disturbing image of a haggard and scared Jenny, fighting for her life. This last vision of Jenny gave Relli a feeling of dread, and she felt the sudden need to comfort herself by somehow connecting with Jenny. Relli felt her mind leave the region it was now concentrated on and rush through the vastness of space. Faster than any spaceship could travel, her cerebral energy hunted and probed the cosmos for the focal point of her search.

.

"Wow! What was that?" Jenny blurted.

It was as if an impulse of electricity had jolted her and raised her level of consciousness.

"It feels like I just had a sudden burst of energy," Jenny revealed to Born.

Born turned and looked over at her quizzically.

"I've been feeling a little homesick already, but this sudden sensation that just hit me, is making me feel more comfortable and confident about what's to come," Jenny paused for a moment, and absorbed this unique feeling.

"Relli?" Jenny whispered.

"What did you say, Jenny?" Born asked.

"Oh, nothing. Born is it okay if I go into the next room for a few minutes? I just need to be alone for awhile," Jenny asked.

Born squinted his dark eyes and pursed his thin lips. This was a facial expression Jenny was beginning to recognize as Born's way of showing concern.

"Yes, that's fine. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I just need some time alone, to work something out in my head," she answered truthfully.

Jenny walked a short distance to the kitchen, and sat down in one of the padded chairs bolted to the floor. Closing her eyes, Jenny experienced a sensation like no other she'd ever felt.

Her mind felt light and airy, like it was floating away from her body.

" _Hello, Jenny,"_ came a faint far away voice.

" _Relli? Is that you?"_ Jenny asked, but no words were spoken.

" _Good girl, I knew you could do it,"_ Relli congratulated, and her voice sounded a little closer now.

" _Do it! Do what? How're we doing this?"_ Jenny asked.

Jenny heard an amused chuckle, _"We're connected through space by our mental energy. Well, mostly it's me initiating the phenomenon, but without your input it wouldn't be possible. Well done."_

" _Uhh, thanks, I guess. - But I don't have a clue how I'm doing this, although it is kind of cool. I didn't know I was capable of such a thing,"_ Jenny said.

" _Neither did I, until now. I'm meditating and felt the need to find you, just to comfort myself. I had no idea you had this ability. You continue to amaze me,"_ Relli said. Her voice inside Jenny's mind was now loud and clear.

" _And, myself,"_ Jenny replied, still getting used to the idea of mental telepathy.

" _It was so weird. I was feeling homesick, and then bam, you're in my head, and I get this sudden feeling of comfort and well-being. I like it."_

" _Now I can reach you if I ever need to,"_ Relli said.

" _And I can reach you, through Obos if I ever need to,"_ Jenny added, feeling a little more comfortable now that she had two means of connecting with home. _"I wonder if I can reach you, telepathically, if I ever need to?"_

" _I don't see why not. I'll just keep my senses alert for any kind of faint signal from you. I can strengthen the telekinetic bond once I'm aware of it."_

" _That sounds exhausting,"_ Jenny commented.

" _It will be a challenge, I'm sure, but well worth the vigilance, if I can be here for you, when you need me."_

" _Thanks, Relli."_

" _So, how's outer space this time around?"_ Relli asked.

" _You wouldn't believe what we just went through, Relli. Well, maybe you already know. Do you?"_

" _Only a vague vision of the spaceship being pummeled by many large pieces of ice. But I knew you'd come out of it alright."_

" _I wish you'd told me. That was terrifying; Pluto almost crushed us. And I'm not talking about Mickey Mouse's pet dog,"_ Jenny said.

" _Sorry about that, but I didn't receive the vision until recently."_

" _Oh well, we're safe now, but, that was really scary. Hopefully, it's clear sailing now, all the way to Spacemark Four. I'm really excited, and anxious to get to there. Born says the people there are over twenty feet tall. Maybe I can bring some of them home and start my own basketball team,"_ Jenny joked.

Relli laughed. _"It's such a comfort to be able to talk to you, Jenny."_

" _Tell me about it. This is so weird! It's like having a cell phone right in my head. Hey, you're not willing to divulge any more information about what's going to happen on Spacemark Four, are you? And don't say that worlds of adventure await me, 'cause that's getting old,"_ Jenny said.

" _Okay, I won't, although, you know they are."_

" _Arrgh! Details, I need details! Even tiny, little details - I'll take anything!"_

Relli laughed. _"Don't worry, you'll get your details soon enough. And besides, I only have little snippets of information. If I revealed them to you, they would only cause you more worry and possibly influence your decision making process. I sense that it's best to let things take their expected course, and let you react naturally to the circumstances. You'll make the right decisions when the time comes, I promise,"_ Relli re-assured.

" _I wish I had the faith you have. I'm really scared,"_ Jenny confided.

" _I know, honey. Just be brave. You'll discover strengths you didn't know you possessed. There are a lot of lives depending on you, just like there were here on Earth."_

" _Don't, say that! I can't take the pressure,"_ Jenny said.

" _Don't worry, you'll handle it just fine. Remember when you had to meet Born for the first time, and convinced him to move the comet off course? You were terrified then, too. And now, you're best friends and traveling companions. Things will work out for you if you just follow your heart. Just try to relax,"_ Relli advised.

" _Okay, I'll try, but it isn't easy. I'd better go. Born will be wondering what I'm up to."_

" _Okay, I'll try to keep in touch, and you try to do the same. Remember, I'm here for you anytime."_

" _Oh, I'll remember, you can count on that. Say hi to Dad and Martin for me. I wish I could see their faces when you tell him I can do mental telepathy,"_ Jenny said, and a smile returned to her face.

Relli smiled too. _"I'll tell them. Yes, they will be very surprised. Bye for now, dear."_

" _Bye, Relli,"_ Jenny concluded, and the mental bond that had traversed the cosmos, dissolved.

That evening during supper, Relli brought up the matter.

"Oh, by the way, Jenny sends her love," Relli mentioned out of the blue.

Both Mr. Thompson and Martin looked up from their meals.

Mr. Thompson's eyes narrowed, and his eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean? When did she call?"

"Earlier today," Relli answered, as she busied herself tidying up.

"Earlier today? Was I home at the time?"

"Oh yes," Relli purposely answered absently.

"Why didn't you call me?" Mr. Thompson said, sounding rather perturbed.

"Well, it's not exactly something that I can just pass to you," Relli said, as she purposely drew out the situation.

"Huh? What're you talking about?"

Relli smiled a mischievous grin and turned around to face them.

"Well, as it turns out, Jenny can perform telepathy," Relli's smile turned to a smirk, as she studied their faces.

"Pardon me?" Mr. Thompson said, and Martin's chewing slowed right down to a near halt.

Relli was obviously amused by their predictable reaction. "Yes, it's true. Granted, without me, she wouldn't be able to do it, but the point is, she can. And if she ever needs me for advice, or just for comfort, I can be there for her. We discovered this new talent purely by accident. I was meditating earlier today and felt a strong urge to find Jenny, just to comfort myself. I was shocked to not only find her, but to actually have mental contact with her. She continues to amaze me."

"You know what? Normally, I'd scoff at this, but with all that has happened, and is still happening, I find it pretty easy to accept...kind of," Mr. Thompson said, shaking his head.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"Yes, she's fine. She's already homesick, but is looking forward to the trip."

"Well, I suppose it's a blessing. Now we can keep in touch, even without the Soilan technology," Mr. Thompson mentioned. "You know, it's funny. My mom has always claimed to have some sort of psychic ability, which I always disregarded, even though she always seemed to know if I was up to mischief when I was growing up. But I always put it down to a mother's intuition, based on my questionable behavior, and my inability to lie to her. But, maybe she passed on her abilities to her granddaughter, because it certainly skipped a generation past me. How about you, Martin? Do you ever get premonitions, or any other psychic feelings?"

"Are you kidding? I'm lucky to remember to put my pants on in the morning, let alone predicting the future, or reading minds."

Relli laughed, "Well, Jenny can't exactly read minds, at least not yet, although nothing would surprise me with that girl."

#

Chapter Three: Spacemark Four

"Are you feeling better?" Born asked, as Jenny walked back into the control room.

"Yep, much better," Jenny answered, and she beamed a smile his way.

"I'm telepathic," Jenny said, matter-of-factly.

Born turned his head quickly. "You're what?"

"Telepathic. You know, able to communicate with another person with my mind," Jenny said proudly.

Born looked at her skeptically.

"Well, okay, Relli's the expert. Without her, I probably can't do it. But with her I can."

"Hmm, that's very interesting. The mind does generate a minute pulse of energy. We've long been aware of that fact. That's why we developed the sensitive brain wave sensor panels, on doors and switches and things, so that we may manipulate them without doing it manually," Born said, and he demonstrated, by projecting a thought impulse towards the chair Jenny was proceeding to. The sensor on the chair picked up Born's command, and swiveled to face Jenny.

"Showoff," Jenny said, as she sat in the chair, while Born smirked.

"How long 'till we get there?" Jenny asked Born.

"Ask, Obos."

"Obos? How long 'till we get to Spacemark Four?" Jenny asked the computer.

"Sixteen days," Obos answered.

"How can there be a planet this close to Earth, and we didn't detect its star? Don't all planets orbit around a star?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, you're correct, but the star this planet is orbiting, is now at the end of its lifespan. It's no longer radiating very much heat or light, and so, is invisible to your instruments on Earth," Obos explained.

"Oh, it's like a white dwarf?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, that's correct. It's currently at the end of its white dwarf phase and staging into a black dwarf," Obos explained.

"How does the planet survive, without any heat from its star?" Jenny asked.

"The inhabitants of Spacemark Four had to adapt to survive when they realized their star was burning out. So the industrious and intelligent beings built massive protective domes, in which they built their cities. The environment on the planet surface is now too inhospitable to support life. Another race of beings took to the underground to find shelter, they're a tunneling race, called the Treech," Obos explained.

"Our dealings will only be with the surface dwelling giants though," Born added. "The planet is huge, and the gravity is immense, so we'll need to use the gravity displacement suits to be able to function. Because of the strong gravitational force on the planet, all of the life forms had to evolve a very strong muscular skeletal system. The giants are a moderately advanced race, but never venture off of their planet. Because of their immense proportions, and the size of their equipment, the giants are perfectly suited to perform repairs on our spaceships. And we're definitely in need of repairs after our conflict with the comet. I was already scheduled to come here to trade for Zorbite, so now we can fulfill two requirements."

"What's Zorbite again?" Jenny asked.

"Zorbite is an element that's capable of absorbing any energy it's subjected to, and holding the accumulated power within itself. Some of it has collected energy for billions of years. It's very rare in the galaxy, but Spacemark Four is rich with it. We refine it, and use it for power cells."

"How do you pay for the Zorbite, and for the service on the Traveler?" Jenny asked.

"With water. Like my home planet, Spacemark Four has had a water shortage for thousands of years. It's more valuable than any other commodity, because it's not just a luxury, but also a necessity for life. Spacemark Four experienced a succession of natural disasters over a span of three thousand years, and all of their surface water evaporated. The only water left within the planet is trapped in underground caverns, which the inhabitants must mine for. - But they're very difficult to discover on the huge planet," Born explained.

"What're we going to do for the sixteen days, 'till we get there?" Jenny asked.

"Why don't you do some studying with Obos, to help you pass the time?" Born suggested.

"Homework, already? I was hoping this was going to be a vacation," Jenny complained.

"I promised your father you wouldn't get behind in your studies, and I intend to keep my word. Besides, Obos can make academics fun and easy."

"Math, fun and easy? Impossible. Obos, can you help me with my schoolwork?"

"It would be my honor, Jenny Thompson."

"Of course, the best way to pass time while space traveling is sleep mode," Born mentioned.

"Sleep mode, what's that?" Jenny asked.

"It's a personal sleeping chamber, monitored by Obos. It allows one to go into an unconscious state for a period of time."

"But what about my school work? How can I study if I'm asleep?" Jenny asked.

"Obos can instruct you while you're sleeping. Your subconscious mind is still active even when asleep. You'll awaken with more knowledge than when you went to bed."

"What a great way to study! But honestly, it's hard to believe."

Born instructed Obos when to awaken them, and a few hours later they headed to the sleep chambers. Born projected a thought towards a sensor panel beside one of the doors and it slid open, revealing two sleeping pods.

"Take your pick, and lie down," Born instructed.

Jenny selected a bed and stretched out on it.

"Just relax and I'll see you in a couple of weeks," Born said, as he lay down in a separate bed across from Jenny. As soon as they were settled, a transparent bubble descended from the ceiling, and totally enclosed Jenny and the bed. She experienced a tired tingling sensation throughout her body.

.

Jenny awakened sixteen days later. The transparent enclosure lifted to the ceiling and Jenny turned to look for Born. He was turning his head at the same time.

"Hello, Jenny. I trust you had a good sleep?" Born asked.

Jenny yawned and stretched, "Yeah, I guess so. You mean we've been asleep for two weeks?" she asked, and Born nodded.

"It feels like I just laid down a couple of minutes ago."

"Just lie there for a couple of minutes before you attempt to get up. When you do get up, do it slowly. Take your time, and let your body get used to moving around again," Born instructed.

Jenny felt dopey and sluggish. It took over an hour before she began to feel back to normal. The next thing she thought of, was her stomach.

"Are you hungry, Born? I'm starved," she said, and her stomach backed her up with a loud rumble.

"That always happens upon wakening from prolonged sleep mode. We're nourished while we sleep through the air we breath, but our stomachs have been empty," Born said.

"How do you manage to feed us, just from breathing?"

"Soilans have the capability to attach molecules of life's essential nutritional elements to oxygen molecules, so the nourishment is breathed in, and travels through our blood stream along with the oxygen," Born explained.

"Wow, that's amazing...now can we eat for real?" Jenny asked eagerly.

"Of course, come," Born instructed, and he led the way to the small kitchen.

They sat and ate processed foods suitable for space travel, some of which Jenny liked, and some she didn't. She felt ravenous, as if she could eat forever and could never possibly be filled up...until she was.

She pushed herself away from the table. "I'm stuffed, Born. I don't think I'll ever eat again."

"We'll see about that, especially after the next time you go into sleep mode," Born challenged.

"How much longer before we reach Spacemark Four?" Jenny asked, as she stretched out on the chair with both hands on her round and protruding tummy.

Obos answered with his usual efficiency.

"Four hours, twenty-nine minutes,"

"Obos, can I go over some school work with you?" Jenny asked the computer. "I feel like I've lost a lot of time sleeping."

"Yes, you may."

Jenny was amazed that she had more knowledge now than before she went into sleep mode.

"Wow, this is great! It's like magic! I sleep for a couple of weeks, and I wake up smarter than when I went to bed! Test me on something, Obos."

"Who was the first president of modern Solilan civilization, and what year were they proclaimed so?" Obos asked.

Jenny's first reaction was to laugh at the absurd question, "How do you expect me to know that, Obos?" But then she realized, she knew the answer to the question.

"Alife, the first, in AL 980 tec.," she answered confidently.

"Now, how the heck did I know that?"

"What is the mass, mean density and surface gravity of Spacemark Four?" Obos immediately asked.

"Huh? Oh! Spacemark Four's mass is 325.0 Earth units, its mean density is 1.5 g/cm3 and its surface gravity is 2.75 Earth units. Wow, that's amazing! You mean I learned all of that while I was sleeping?"

Born looked amused. "See, I told you Obos could make learning fun and easy."

"Yeah, but I never imagined."

"Wow, you're right, Spacemark Four is big, its even bigger than Jupiter," Jenny commented, after thinking about her answer.

.

Obos had begun to slow the Traveler down hours ago.

Jenny peered out the window of the Traveler. "I can't see a thing."

"If you wish, I can project the image on the video screen," Obos offered.

"Oh, yes please, Obos. I forgot you could do that," Jenny said.

Obos shot out thousands of sensor beams, bounced them off of the planet surface, and processed every beam upon its return. A computer re-created image then appeared on the long video screen just above the viewing window, down to the finest detail.

Jenny stepped back from the window in order to view the video screen.

The sphere got larger and larger as they approached, and soon, the massiveness of the planet became evident. The planet looked barren and lifeless.

Obos piloted the Traveler close to the planet surface. They descended into a violent dust storm, with winds whipping at over five hundred kilometers an hour.

"Please strap yourselves into the torsion chairs - things may get bumpy," Obos requested.

Huge funnels of dust twisted violently around the ship, and the Traveler's stabilizer thrusters fired constantly in order to keep it steady. The video image provided by Obos eliminated the obscuring dust cloud, so the view of the planet was perfect.

"We're approaching the domed city of Cheshneer. We'll dock in approximately five minutes," Obos informed.

A gray, domed shape appeared on the screen, standing out from the brown background of the planet. The dome steadily increased in size, until it totally filled the screen.

"Wow! How big is it?" Jenny asked.

"Approximately five-thousand kilometers in diameter at the base," Obos informed.

"Wow, that's as big as some countries!" Jenny marveled.

The dome was a dull gray color and completely smooth and even, with no blemishes or seams visible on its surface, except for one. There was one speck or flaw on its exterior, which increased in size and clarity as they approached. It was rectangular in shape, and they seemed to be heading directly for it.

It stood out against the monotonous background, and continued to increase in size as they approached. A dull glow of light seemed to be emanating from within.

"What's the rectangular shape on the side of the domed city?" Jenny asked.

"It's a space port, and entrance into the domed city of Cheshneer. When translated, Cheshneer means, 'Shield of Shelter'," Obos answered.

The space bay soon dwarfed the Traveler, and the video screen was filled with it.

"Whoa! It's gigantic!" Jenny marveled.

The roughness of the ride subsided, and Jenny asked, "Can we leave our seats now, Obos?"

"Yes, the turbulence has now passed."

They were flying into the immense space dock, which was for the most part empty, except for some objects on the floor. It became apparent as they slowly drifted downwards, that they were huge machines. Jenny noticed nuts and bolts bigger than she, on the massive metal structures. Obos came to a hovering halt over the round landing pad. The massive space bay doors slid closed, shutting out the raging storm outside. Obos opened the door of the Traveler, and lowered the stairs to the floor of the space dock.

"Which gravity displacement suit do you want to wear?" Born asked Jenny, as he pulled them from the closet.

"Mine, of course," Jenny answered, referring to the sweat-suit style of suit, with running shoes and baseball cap attached.

Born wrinkled his forehead. "Yours?"

Jenny smiled, "Well officially it's yours, but in my heart, it'll always be mine."

"I don't particularly care for either of them. But if I had to choose which one I like the least, it would definitely be this one," Born admitted with a look of distaste, and held up the colorful model, complete with streamers, tassels and dangling decorative balls on the hood. Born reluctantly permitted Jenny to wear the anti-gravity suit fashioned after Earth clothing. It was a black sweat suit, with white lace-less running shoes and a black baseball cap. Two thin transparent cords attached all of the separate articles of the suit. They slipped into their suits and detached the control module from the pockets.

Jenny giggled at Born once he had his suit on. "The planet that wears that style of clothing must be a funny sight on a busy street," Jenny pictured the scene in her mind.

"Here is a language converter for you to use," Born said as he attached the audio sensor/transmitter onto the collar of her suit, inserted the tiny ear-pieces, and passed her the small computer control module which fit in the palm of her hand.

"It's already set to the language of the giants. Now you can speak freely if you like, and, you'll be able to understand," Born informed.

"Wow, I can't even feel the ear-pieces, they're so light," Jenny marveled.

"This program, from Spacemark Four to English, has just been created, so there may be some translation errors. Similar to the ones experienced back on Earth, when you and Born first met, Jenny," Obos advised. "I'll monitor the conversations and adjust when needed. Just let me know when you experience difficulty understanding a translation, and I will try to help."

"Let's try it out," Jenny said as she switched it on and spoke an English greeting.

"Hey Born, how's it going?"

Jenny didn't hear her English words, because the sound energy of her voice was absolutely absorbed by her sound sensor, and instantly converted in the computer module to the language of the giants. The sound was then projected out of the transmitter in Jenny's own voice pattern.

"Jagtash karshkin kilk pash," Jenny's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Saptkar, slieq pel le quar," she said, which translated into English means, _"Whoa, that was weird!"_ and she giggled.

Born's sound sensor absorbed all of the sound energy created by Jenny's translated voice, and converted it to his language.

Born smiled at Jenny's reaction. "It's working well."

"That is so cool. I didn't even hear your Soilan words, or the translation into Spacemark Four! All I hear is the English words."

"That's because of the one way Zorbite qualities built into the device. This avoids the confusion of hearing different languages, a split second before you hear the only one you understand. Understand?"

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks, Born. This will definitely come in handy."

"Now, adjust your gravity displacement suit to zero gravity and follow my instructions. It's a little tricky making the transition from the gravity level maintained inside of the Traveler, to the huge gravitational pull of Spacemark Four."

Jenny followed Born's directions, and soon they were both floating freely, without the constraints of gravity.

"Now provide yourself with just a bit of gravity, so you can move towards the door."

Jenny did as she was instructed and slowly descended to the floor.

"As soon as we cross the threshold of the Traveler's door, we'll be under the influence of Spacemark Four's intense gravitational pull, and when that happens, we must immediately adjust our suits to compensate for the increased gravitational force imposed on our bodies. Ready?" Born asked.

"Ready," Jenny confirmed.

They stepped outside of the Traveler and Born instantly adjusted his suit to a comfortable level of gravity for himself. Jenny on the other hand, was curious as to how strong Spacemark Four's gravity was compared to Earth's, so, disobeying Born's orders, she switched her suit off. As soon as she stepped outside of the ship, she almost collapsed from the weight of her body. Her legs shook, and she struggled to make the required adjustment on her control module. Born recognized her distress and quickly turned the dial on Jenny's control.

"Whoa, that's better. Thanks, Born," she said with relief.

Born shook his head. "I told you!"

"Now I know how you felt on Earth without a gravity displacement suit."

"It's not a very nice feeling is it?"

"No. It was like wearing a 500 pound suit all of a sudden," Jenny declared.

She looked around the enormous hangar, gleaming like stainless steel. "Wow! You could fit a twenty story apartment building in here, and then some!"

At the far end of the huge space dock a large door swung open wide, and Jenny gasped.

Born looked over at her and smiled, "I told you they were big."

Jenny and Born walked down the stairs of the Traveler, and the Spacemark Four beings advanced towards them. Their long powerful bodies looked like they were moving in slow motion, but they covered a lot of territory with each long stride. Their immense proportions became more evident as Jenny and Born got closer to them.

"Oh, my, goodness!" Jenny muttered, as she stared directly ahead at their kneecaps.

She glanced down at their huge feet, and pictured herself in one of their shoes, kayaking down a river. Her gaze traveled up two powerful legs, and paused at their strong five fingered hands. They had biologically evolved very much like humans \- their outer appearance at least.

They all wore work overalls, and were bald as a bowling ball. The giants wore odd-looking pieces of jewelry of varying size and radiance. Some wore necklaces or pendants, and some wore bracelets or rings, but all glowed with a blue iridescence. The focal point of the jewelry was always a glowing object, shaped like a sharp tooth. Born spoke a greeting through his translator, and the strange Spacemark Four language was produced as the device instantly converted Born's Soilan words into the giant's native tongue. Jenny's own sensor picked up the peculiar language, and instantly converted it into English through her earpiece.

"Greetings, please show me the damage re-singing group repair," one of the giants requested.

Jenny's face contorted into an expression of confusion and misunderstanding. "Here we go again," she muttered to herself.

Born seemed to understand the odd request and led the way to the Traveler. He pointed out the areas damaged by their encounter with the comet. Jenny stood and waited uncomfortably in the shadows of the remaining giants, who viewed her curiously.

"Obos? Are you there?" Jenny whispered.

"I will always be available to help you, Jenny Thompson."

Jenny heard the response through her earpiece. "Cool. Now, what the heck did he just say? Something about a singing group?"

"He asked Born to show him the damage that needs repair," Obos repeated the giant's request with different wording.

Jenny concentrated on it for a moment, and repeated the misunderstood phrase, "re-singing group, a choir, re-choir, needing," and suddenly a look of comprehension lit up her face. "Requiring repair! Not re-choiring, or re-singing group repair," she blurted.

"I'll make the correction in the program," Obos advised.

"Thanks, Obos. I can tell this is going to be fun," Jenny quietly and sarcastically stated, as she rolled her eyes, until her glance met with one of the towering giants. She quickly looked away. "Yoiks," she quietly said, and displayed a look of discomfort.

Born soon returned, walking briskly, and nervously looked over his shoulder at the following giant. The exchange ended with the giants conversing amongst themselves, and then starting the repair work required on the beaten up old Traveler.

"I can't believe how big they are. Let's make sure we don't make them mad," Jenny said.

"And be careful we don't get stepped on," Born added in a serious tone.

A car pulled up close by, and appeared to Jenny to be hovering several inches above the ground. Another giant stepped out.

"Greetings, Born, I am Ignat. I've been assigned as your personal driver. Please climb in and I will transport you to your accommodation."

A set of stairs, just the right size, was provided for Born and Jenny to enter the open-air vehicle. They climbed into the back, onto two very large padded seats. Born crawled to the rear of the seat and rested his back against it.

Jenny looked over at Born and smirked. "You look like a tiny doll sitting there."

She positioned herself at the front of the other seat so her feet dangled over the edge.

"You'd better move to the back of the seat," suggested Born.

"I can see better from here, I'll be okay," Jenny assured Born.

Born had a slight smirk on his face. "Alright, whatever you say."

The Spacemark Four creature climbed into the front seat, and the hovercraft tilted slightly to one side from his weight. Jenny glanced over at Born as they readjusted themselves in their seats. The driver touched a button on the control panel and the vehicle surged forward, throwing Jenny into a backwards tumble towards the rear of her seat. She lay in an awkward position and looked up at Born's amused expression.

"Good suggestion, Born, I think I'll sit right here," she said as she adjusted herself into a sitting position beside Born, who was smiling an, 'I told you so' grin, and nodding his head.

The craft wound its way through vast corridors, full of other cars. Jenny was surprised to see a lovely carpet of green grass, with flowers and foliage and trees everywhere. The floor and the walls were all covered with a thick carpet of grass, wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling, natural carpeting.

Jenny inhaled a deep breath of the fragrant air. "Wow, it's like a tropical garden in here."

They came to rest at a large door. "This is your room for the duration of your stay. I've been instructed to transport you to the banquet hall in a couple of hours, where the mayor will formally greet and dine with you. For safety reasons, it's been requested that you stay in your room unless I accompany you. I'll be outside the door if you need anything," Ignat said, and he opened the door to a very spacious area, that looked more like a park than a room.

"Thank you, Ignat," Born said.

The floor and walls of the large room were covered with grass. Trees, flowers, ornamental shrubs and gardens decorated the area.

"Boy, I'm glad he's gone. They're as big as dinosaurs," Jenny said.

"I don't know what dinosaurs are, but yes, they are big," Born agreed.

"What a beautiful room. I feel like I'm outside," Jenny remarked.

"Yes, it is beautiful. The giants can never go out of the protective dome, so they want their indoor environment to look and feel like the outdoors. They maintain lawn and gardens throughout the entire dome. There aren't too many areas without a carpet of grass on them. It's also to help keep the oxygen within the dome a little bit fresher. There are thousands of square kilometers of forests at the base of the dome that we should visit. They're beautiful," Born explained.

"So, if they have a water shortage here, how do they survive, and how do they manage to water all of those plants? How does everything grow with no sunlight?" Jenny asked.

"The artificial lighting they use is also a good energy source for the indoor plant-life, and they do have some water, most of it evaporated water collected within the dome, then recycled and reused," Born explained. "They have very little fresh water, so they clean and reuse every drop of moisture contained within this huge dome," Born pointed up to the lofty ceiling. "Do you see all of those cells up there?" Born asked.

Jenny looked up and saw the ceiling was completely covered with a dull gray material with small pores in it.

"You mean that gray, spongy looking stuff? " Jenny asked as she peered upwards.

"Yes. Those are millions of moisture absorbing cells, which collect any water vapor released in this room. Every ceiling in the dome is completely covered by them, and all the moisture gathered is pooled, cleaned and reused. So you see, fresh water is a rare delicacy here. Your Earth water is considered by many to be the best quality water yet discovered in our galaxy, so they will pay dearly for it. Only the wealthiest families can afford a container of Earth water. Although, over the last century your water quality has declined due to the polluting of your environment."

"So, we're carrying a pretty valuable cargo," Jenny realized. "They could just take it all, if they wanted to. We certainly couldn't stop them."

"No, they would never abuse our trust. We're far too important to them."

Jenny looked around the room, which was as big as a hockey arena.

"Is that a bed, way over there?" she asked, referring to a large blanketed stage like structure.

"Yes, it is. It's a mattress for a small child's bed, believe it or not," Born answered.

Jenny's eyes widened. "Wow!"

She ran and dove headlong onto the enormous mattress, which stood three feet high. Born used his gravity displacement suit to help him hop up onto an oversized chair.

"Hey, Born, watch this," Jenny said, and she dialed her anti-gravity suit to near zero gravity, then proceeded to jump high into the air, where she then provided herself with no gravity, and floated freely momentarily. "See, I'm as tall as the giants now."

"Yes, very impressive," Born said, yawning.

"Keep watching," Jenny instructed.

She rapidly turned the control dial, so some gravity was imposed on her body. She fell with a squeal, and landed in the middle of the soft bed, rebounding back upwards. Jenny then quickly adjusted the controller to zero gravity, so that she bounced quite high, and then again providing some gravity at the apex of her ascent, she bounced up and down like a rubber bouncy ball. She finally came to rest and looked over at Born, who was just shaking his head. "You're crazy, you know that."

Jenny shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, I know."

"How long are the repairs going to take, Born?" Jenny asked, as she jumped up and down on the oversized bed.

"Two days or so."

"What're we going to do for two days?" Jenny asked.

"Don't worry, they'll keep us entertained."

"This should be interesting," Jenny said, sounding intrigued.

#

Chapter Four: Unexpected Visitors

After a couple of hours of relaxation or boredom, depending on whose viewpoint you're looking at, a loud thumping knock was heard at Born and Jenny's door.

Born yelled, "Come in!"

Ignat entered the room, and beckoned them to follow him to the hovercraft, which they clambered into. They were taken to a huge banquet hall, where the mayor of the domed city greeted them. The room was as large as a football stadium, and buzzing with gigantic activity. The air was rich with the smells of cooking food. The mayor was very ornately dressed, and his robe was decorated with many of the light blue, glowing objects Jenny had noticed on the jewelry of the workers. Dangling from the mayor's belt was a dagger with a jeweled hilt. To Jenny and Born, it was as long as a big sword. The blade of the dagger was a very large version of the radiant, fang-like object. It curved and tapered down from the handle to a sharp point, and definitely looked like a large tusk.

"Born, it's so very good to see you again. And this must be your traveling companion, Jenny, I was told about. You two have had quite an exciting and important adventure I hear. I must say, we are pleased you managed to save your planet from destruction. I'm sure Born has told you, your planet's water is considered a delicacy here on Spacemark Four, so we're relieved we'll still be receiving shipments," the mayor stated in a jovial tone.

"Come. We have seats of honor set up for you," he beckoned them to follow.

Special booster seats were provided so Jenny and Born could see over the table. Everything was oversized. - The plates, the cutlery, and the glasses required two hands to manipulate them. Jenny felt like a clumsy little baby. They were served many different foods, some they liked, and some they didn't. A long ritual was performed before the water was poured. A priestly looking Spacemark Fourian, blessed a large gold cup, that glittered and sparkled with an array of colors, and seemed to beam from the oversized jewels encrusting it.

"Wow! Do you see that cup, Born?" Jenny marveled at its beauty.

"Yes, the chalice of Rohnar. It was forged and shaped by the master Treech goldsmiths of old, and given to the giants. This was back when relations between the two races were still friendly, and water was more plentiful. Now, things are different, I'm sorry to say. The giants and the underground Treech aren't on good terms, and there are frequent skirmishes over water and underground territory. You see, the beings of this planet must mine for the fresh water that was trapped in subterranean pockets thousands of years ago."

"It feels good to know that Earth can help out other civilizations with our abundance of water," Jenny commented.

"And we Soilans have taken it upon ourselves to help other races in the same predicament that we're in," explained Born.

"Like, Robin Hood," said Jenny.

"Robin Hood?" questioned Born.

"He was a hero in Earth fables, who stole from the rich and gave to the poor."

"Well, we don't consider it theft, when what we're taking from you, would never be missed because of its abundance. And, we don't exactly just give it to the giants, we trade for services rendered, and some of their planet's raw materials."

The priest walked up a spiral staircase, and poured the water from the jeweled golden cup into a large storage container. Above the storage container, mounted in a trophy case, was the largest glowing blue tusk Jenny had yet seen.

"This symbolizes pouring Rohnar water into the drinking water. It's not really Rhonar water of course, because there hasn't been a pocket of Rohnar water found for two centuries," Born explained the proceedings to Jenny.

"What is, Rohnar water?" Jenny asked.

"It's water, rich with medicinal and life extending qualities, formed only in one in a thousand water pockets. This is because the required combination of elements and minerals and time, has to be present for the phenomenon to occur."

Suddenly, the deafening sound of horns was heard within the huge room, and the vacant floor space was filled with ornately dressed Spacemark Fourians. An orchestra was revealed at the far end of the room, and they began to play an odd sounding melody. The performers started to sing and dance, while the audience clapped and stomped their big feet.

Jenny and Born imperceptibly winced at the racket that assaulted their ears.

Jenny leaned over and spoke into Born's ear. "Do you think we can go for a walk or something, Born?"

"Yes, but we should wait a respectful amount of time before we excuse ourselves from the festivities. And I do need to see what's happening with the repairs on the Traveler."

They waited patiently for as long as they could stand it, and then Born turned and asked if they may walk off their suppers, and check on the progress of the repairs. The mayor interrupted his revelry, and signaled to Ignat to escort Born and Jenny out of the banquet room. Once away from the party and into the hover car, Born asked, "Ignat?"

"Yes, sir."

"Could you take us back to the repair depot, so I can check on the status of repairs on my ship?"

"Yes, sir."

"Could we go slowly, and show Jenny some of the everyday activities taking place in Cheshneer?"

"Yes, of course."

There were lots of activities happening at every turn. They watched four of the large creatures playing a game, appearing to be like a variation of tennis. The ball was as big as a basketball, the net at least six feet high, and the court was as big as a hockey arena. They continued on, and saw a large room full of billiard tables. The pool cues they were using reminded Jenny of a pole-vaulting pole. Everywhere they went, people were busy shopping, going to work, minding their children, and attending to assorted other duties and activities.

"They're just like people from my planet, only gigantic," Jenny noted.

"Yes, you'll find that wherever intelligent life exists, life goes on in much the same manner. Circumstances and environment may differ somewhat, but beings bustle around performing very similar duties, whether it's here on Spacemark Four, SoilanGlobe, or Earth," Born said.

Everywhere Jenny looked, there were trees and bushes and foliage of some sort. Everything was green and lush.

Born instructed the driver to transport them to the repair dock, which was busy with the activity of many Spacemark Four giants. It looked like they were done for the day, as they hurriedly and noisily put their tools and equipment away. Jenny and Born jumped down from the hovercraft and warily made their way to the head mechanic, who read the progress report, in the midst of the loud clangs and bangs of large tools being put away. Once the giants had finished tidying up the area, they all lumbered through a large door, and suddenly all was quiet.

"Ahh," Jenny and Born both sighed in sequence, relieved to have some peace and quiet.

"I'll just wait outside of the area, sir. Call when you need me," Ignat said.

"Yes, I will. Thank you, Ignat," Born responded, and Ignat drove the hover car out of the section.

Born walked around the ship, inspecting the quality of the work performed on the Traveler's ruptured fuel tank, and he appeared satisfied.

"Their specialty is external body damage. They don't do any work inside of the ship, as they don't understand the intricacies of our technology, and they're far too large to be able to fit."

Another loud clang rang out loudly within the massive room.

"Oh no, they're back," Jenny whined, as they covered their ears and turned to find the source of the noise. It wasn't a Spacemark Four giant as they had suspected. The room was still empty except for themselves.

"Maybe a tool or something fell," Born offered as an explanation for the mysterious noise, as they scanned the cavernous area. The thunderous noise boomed out again, and Jenny and Born were both startled. They looked over to where the sound had originated, and movement caught their eye.

"What's that?" Jenny asked urgently.

"I don't know, but I don't like the looks of it, whatever it is," Born answered.

Four glowing tusks, had just punctured the interior wall of the repair port. They closed together like scissors, and cut through the thick metal wall as if it were tin foil. The wall bent and buckled back and forth, and in and out, as the powerful tusks pulled violently. After two more forceful tugs, and the sickening shriek of twisting metal, a large portion of the wall was torn away. The glowing fangs opened and shook, in order to discard the ripped away fragment of distorted metal. It fell with a crash into the room, revealing the owner of the huge fangs.

Jenny and Born's eyes opened wide, and their mouths gaped open.

"Oh, my, gosh," Jenny said, and then whispered, "Relli, I'm going to kill you."

They stood, riveted to the spot and paralyzed by fear. The creature moved across the floor and into the room, followed by two more of the long flowing beasts, equally impressive, and terrifying. They seemed to float along in a slithering movement, just like a snake, and their large heads swung back and forth, and up and down, scanning the area. Just behind their massive heads, was a bony collar that extended over the back of their necks. For protection Jenny thought; just like the Triceratops dinosaur from prehistoric times on Earth. Although she couldn't imagine what these huge beasts could ever need protection from. The frightening snakes had an odd coloration. Their hides were various shades of brown, but jutting from their long bodies, were thorns and spikes of various sizes. All of these body spines radiated with a light blue, luminescent glow. Jenny and Born could hear a peculiar scraping sound as they moved across the floor towards them, and shouts coming from the direction of the creatures. Two of the snakes veered off to secure the door, while one continued directly towards Born and Jenny.

"Run, Born!" Jenny instinctively yelled as she tugged at the mesmerized Born. But he was frozen with fear, and there was no time to react. Jenny could hear the scraping sound getting louder as she forcefully jerked on Born's arm. The creature swiftly closed in, and blocked their path to the safety of the Traveler. Jenny could now see the prehistoric looking creature was about eight feet high, and at least 10 meters long. The snake-like beast raised its enormous spiked and bony head, and looked at them through its black and lifeless, platter sized eyes. Jenny could see the reflection of herself and Born, cowering in fear, in those empty black pools. The jaws opened wide, revealing a yawning cavern of glistening teeth. The horrible teeth were everywhere, not just at the front of the cavity, but as far as could be seen, all the way to the back of the throat, and beyond. Even the tongue, as it coiled and curled in its mouth, was covered with spikes. Jenny thought this was it, and desperately prayed for someone, or something to save her. Suddenly, there was a guttural shout, and as Jenny peeked through her clenched eyelids, she saw the source of the shouts she and Born had been hearing. A smaller being sat aloft the snake. It swung a rope around its head, and skillfully threw a lasso around Born and Jenny.

The Spacemark Four giants, including Ignat, ran back from their changing area to investigate the commotion, only to be greeted by two snarling snakes, and a mouthful of sharp teeth. The giants stopped in their tracks, and turned to run, but before they could take a step, ropes were thrown around their limbs. The riders shouted to the snakes, which pulled on the ropes, toppling the clumsy giants. The riders quickly dismounted, and proceeded to securely tie up the giant's hands and feet. They were immobilized in a matter of seconds. The precision of the raid, and the skill of these snake-riders was obvious. They utilized the snakes' body spikes as hand and footholds, as they briskly climbed up the sides of the beasts, and back into their saddles. The snakes gracefully slid over to where Jenny and Born were tied up, making the same scraping sound as they came. Jenny and Born could now see what was creating the eerie noise. - The spikes that protruded from the snakes' bodies scraped across the metal floor as they slid along. The spikes on the lower half of their bodies were the largest, and they tapered down in size towards the top, until there was just a thick hide on the snakes' back. Jenny recognized the blue glowing spikes, teeth and tusks of the snakes, as the jewelry and trophies the giants used for decoration.

The entire group of marauders moved to the ship. A rider got out of his saddle and climbed onto the snake's head, while one of the other snakes neatly punctured the outer skin of the Traveler with one of its tusks. It withdrew its fanglike tusk, and water began to spew from the hole.

"They're after the water!" Born whispered urgently to Jenny.

The rider who had climbed up onto the head of his snake, quickly hammered a plug into the spewing hole, effectively stopping the flow of water. Jenny now had a good view of the raider as he worked hastily. She was surprised to see that they looked very much like humans in their facial features and height, although their bodies looked much stronger and sturdier than the average Earthling. They moved and looked very much like a body builder, Jenny thought. She assumed they had most likely evolved the extra muscle mass, so they could function within the intense gravitational pull of their planet. The intruders' strong bodies made Jenny look weak and skinny, much the same way Jenny made Born look thin and feeble. They wore helmets, and strands of blond hair could be seen sticking out from underneath. Their faces and hands were very soiled, making it difficult to determine their exact skin color, and they all had the same vivid light blue eyes. One of the looters was shouting directions to the others, who immediately followed his orders. He attached a long hose to a tap on the plug, and threw the other end to a comrade. The intruder on the snake's head opened a valve, allowing water to flow through the hose and they began to fill the many storage containers slung over the sides of the snakes. Jenny noted how careful, even in their obvious haste, these creatures were, to spill as little as possible of the precious cargo. The operation was carried out with precision. Then, to Jenny's great surprise and dismay, the marauders grabbed her and Born. Jenny could feel their thick, sharp fingernails poking into her, as the strong beings forcefully grasped them. With a rope tied around each of their waists, and the loose end flung clear over top of two separate snakes, the kidnappers began to hoist Jenny and Born up the sides. Jenny used the spikes of the snake as hand and footholds, as she'd noticed the pirates doing moments before, and she climbed up the side of the snake. The spikes felt hard and cool to the touch. They were firmly fixed on the snake's hide and emanated a light blue glow from deep within. The hostage takers had an easy time pulling her atop the snake, because Jenny did most of the work herself. Once at the top, Jenny grabbed one of the two saddle-handles and pulled herself the rest of the way up. She sat in the roomy leather saddle and immediately noticed the back of it was much higher than her western saddle back home. The saddles were secured to the body spikes on the side of the powerful snakes with rawhide straps a few feet behind their heads. Born was more difficult to pull up, because he was too terrified to offer any assistance, so they had to pull him up by brute strength. Jenny and Born were securely tied to the saddles. Two of the marauders then removed their helmets, revealing their heads full of straight blond hair. They strapped the helmets onto their captives, which set Jenny's mind at ease a little. She assumed, if they wanted to protect them, they probably weren't going to harm them, at least not at the moment. The helmet resembled a miner's helmet because it had a light built into the front of it. Two of the riders took up positions directly behind Jenny and Born.

Jenny could now see, and was experiencing the rippling power of this magnificent creature. She wrapped her feet under two of the snake's barbs for added comfort and security, and placed her hands on the saddle-handles.

"Born!" Jenny whispered urgently over to a terrified looking Born.

"Put your feet under two of the spikes, and hold onto the handles," Jenny instructed.

One of the raiders was close enough to hear and see Jenny's timely instruction. He called "Krut" to his snake, and it surged forward in order to take its turn at getting its water containers filled. Jenny sat strong and steady in the saddle, which was duly noted by the intruder. The snake on which Born was perched, also moved suddenly forward, jerking Born backwards, and he called out in surprise and terror.

It occurred to Jenny how odd it was to see her Earth lake water being robbed, and the strange journey it was undergoing. Then she realized, she was experiencing the exact same journey. When all of the containers were filled, the hose was hurriedly gathered and tied onto one of the snakes. The only thing left behind were the ropes binding the Spacemark Four giants and the plug in the water tank. The snake-handlers called the 'Krut' command, which Jenny and Born now realized meant go, and the snakes turned and made their way to the hole in the wall they had created only minutes before. Jenny could feel the constant ripple of the snake's hide, as it flexed and gripped the ground in a winding pattern. The group exited through the hole in the wall, and all of the snake-handlers called "Krut" to their snakes to get them to speed up. It was amazing how fast they could go. Jenny's hair flew behind her as they sped along, down long, wide, vacant and green avenues. The intruders seemed to know exactly where they were going. Jenny looked behind, and she could see bits of grass and turf flying in the air.

" _Wow what an amazing feeling_ ," Jenny thought to herself, and then her next sobering thought, " _I hope they don't harm us_."

They took a turn, and immediately encountered another two snakes and their riders. Over to the side were several tied up Spacemark Four giants and their hover cars parked close-by. The intruders seemed to be securing a doorway, leading to a very large area. The entire group, including the snakes they had just met up with, entered the enclosure, and the door slid shut. One of the snakes raised its head in order to allow a handler to push a large button on a panel of buttons. The button it touched lit up, and Jenny could feel the familiar feeling of the room dropping. She realized they were in a large elevator. This elevator was built for speed, and was capable of traveling at several hundred kilometers per hour, which it did for a very long time. Jenny could tell the massive elevator compartment was designed for a long trip, because it was equipped with lots of seating, and snack machines were built into the walls. They descended into the very bottom of the massive dome, and the door opened, to the relief of all cooped up inside. It was the subterranean forest Born had mentioned earlier. There were thousands of square kilometers of towering trees, rainforest like conditions, and thousands of acres of farmland. The group left the elevator and moved out onto a grass avenue, seemingly carved from the forest. It was lined on both sides with trees taller than Jenny had ever seen. They didn't stay on the wide green road for long, as the snakes veered towards the forest and disappeared into the dense jungle.

#

Chapter Five: The Chase

"They were horrible!" a shaken female commuter told authorities. "Snarling ground snakes, ridden by dirty creatures that tied us up. I've heard of them, but I never dreamed I'd ever come face to face with the loathsome creatures."

All of the giants told the same story, as they rubbed the areas that had been tightly bound by the marauders.

Another woman recounted her frightening ordeal. "I was coming home from a business trip, looking forward to getting home. When I approached the vertical transports, I was suddenly attacked by a snake like beast, and then roped and tied up by a bunch of what I believe were ground dwellers. I've seen pictures of the ground people before, and these tiny creatures certainly resembled them a great deal. It was a terrifying experience."

The area was teeming with news people, by-standers and police.

"Yes, definitely ground snakes, inspector," a police officer reported to his superior, as he pointed to areas of interest. "I'd guess five in total, with three going off into that direction, and then returning from the same direction. Two stayed behind to secure the vertical transport, I imagine. You can see over there where the snakes rested. They kneaded the ground with their body claws and made themselves a trench in which to nestle. Quite amazing creatures really, perfectly evolved for life underground and very efficient burrowers. I wonder what they came for?"

"The answer is at the end of that trail. They're pretty easy to track," the inspector indicated the obvious path made by the snakes.

"I've sent a car to check it out," the inspector said.

"Do you think they're still around?" the constable asked.

"No, I think they're long gone by now," the inspector answered. "They likely took the vertical transport to the lower level, and are already safely within the earth."

"Well, I'd better get in touch with the mayor and let him know what's been going on before he sees it in the papers or on the news," the inspector said with a sigh.

"Inspector. There's a call for you," another officer said, as she passed the phone to him.

"Inspector Erkin here," he answered, and then listened intently to the information being passed on to him.

"Okay, thanks," he said, and then turned off the phone. "The mayor isn't going to be pleased. The snakes broke into a space dock, and robbed some water from a Soilan space vessel that's in for repairs. But that's not the worst of it. They kidnapped the Soilan water trader, and, his traveling companion."

.

He was right. The mayor wasn't very happy. The police had tracked the thieves to the base of the domed city, and to the small escape hole in the fertile earth, at the foundation of Cheshneer. But it was too late, the kidnappers were already safely away with their plunder of water, and their hostages.

.

"Oh, what an interplanetary predicament. The Soilans are furious with us for allowing this to happen, and they demand a full account of what happened, how it happened, and what we're doing to correct the unfortunate incident," moaned the mayor.

"We just never even considered it a possibility. Nothing like this has never happened before," reminded the mayor's secretary, Kon-Knive. "I suggest we immediately assemble a search party, to at least show we've made an effort to find the hostages, but we both know, once those snake-riders get into the soil, it's impossible to catch them. And we should consider how we might be able to benefit from this regrettable occurrence," he continued, with a sly sideways look from under his brow.

"How do you mean?" asked the intrigued mayor.

"Well, sir, the Soilans have no idea how much water was taken. We could very easily falsify the accounts to our advantage," suggested the sly adviser. "The plug that the thieves left behind, is easily removed and replaced. We could even duplicate the puncture in the other tanks, and fashion similar plugs in order to deceive the Soilans. It's an unexpected opportunity we should take advantage of, your honor," he continued with his dishonest plan.

"Are you suggesting we steal _all_ of the water, Kon-Knive?" asked the mayor.

"Well, not all of it. Obviously the Soilans would be suspicious if we took it all. But we have the chance to profit substantially from this event, and I think we deserve it, for having to rectify the awkward situation created by those snake riding little vermin," Kon-Knive justified.

"Yes, they've been a thorn in our side for centuries, competing for the limited water stores within the planet, and getting in our way as we mine. I wish we could exterminate them all," the mayor spewed. "I like your plan, Kon-Knive. Let's talk about the strategy over a fresh cool container of Earth water. I have a feeling we may be in for an abundance of it," he joked.

* * *

The snakes crashed through the jungle like mad elephants, easily pushing aside, or crushing the growth. Small trees cracked and popped, as they were snapped off by the immense weight of the snakes. Larger trees were effortlessly shorn away by the machete like fangs of these remarkable monsters. The snakes seemed to enjoy eating the trees. They'd pull them out by their roots, deftly flip them into the air, and catch them roots first, in their mouths. The large trees were steadily drawn into their gaping mouths. The branches and leaves were the last to go. They bent and snapped as they flexed, and disappeared into the crushing and churning mouth full of sharp teeth. After its tasty tidbit, the snakes would occasionally lower their heads and scoop up some earth and smaller plants, to wash down the snack. The handlers would then remind their snakes to keep to business. The rider's moods had seemed to change away from the urgency displayed earlier. They seemed now, more relaxed. The snakes' progress wasn't slowed much by their diversion toward what it obviously found a tasty treat. They seemed to prefer a certain species of tree, and were allowed to go slightly off course to obtain one of the succulent morsels. Jenny thought of how easy it would be to track them, which only slightly raised her hopes of rescue.

The party came to a large hole in the ground and momentarily paused. The snakes then entered the hole, and plunged into the darkness of a tunnel. Jenny was glad for her riding experience. She could sense the snakes were now in their element. They were far more comfortable and confident within the earth, as were the riders. The language sounded very interesting to Jenny, and she longed to know what they were saying. She wondered if Obos had programmed one of the selections on the translator to the language of these creatures. She reached discretely to her translator and began to search for it. A message from Obos was the first thing that came through.

"Hello, Born and Jenny. I've sensed the entire kidnapping, and notified the authorities here, as well as home base command center. I will immediately transmit data pertaining to the situation at hand. I await communication with you when it's safe to do so. My sensors have lost you, but we can still emit and receive a confidential communication wave. I've added the language of this ground dwelling race into the translator on channel eleven for your convenience."

" _Obos, you wonderful machine_ ," Jenny thought to herself, and she switched through the different channels, all the time hearing Obos' calming recorded voice, counting down the channel numbers. As soon as she hit channel eleven, she could hear the kidnappers' words in English through her earpiece.

"It went rather well, don't you feel, Hekki?" one of the snake-riders yelled forward to the decision maker of the group.

Hekki turned his head to answer. "Yes, all of the planning and rehearsals paid off. It was a good solid team effort. Now we can hydrate our sick and water our crops, at least for a month or two."

Jenny and Hekki shared the same snake, with Jenny in the saddle and Hekki directly behind her.

"Then what? We can't get away with that again. If we don't find a water pocket soon, we'll all die from dehydration," added the other.

"Yes, we're in dire circumstances, but these two hostages are a bonus. Maybe we can negotiate their safe return in exchange for a good supply of water from the selfish giants," the leader answered.

"How can they ignore our pleas for help?"

"They have no sympathy for us or any other species within the planet. All they care about is themselves. We must look after ourselves in any way possible now, or die," the leader said.

" _Oh oh_ ," Jenny thought. " _A desperate group is a dangerous group_ ," and her fear and anxiety increased.

Jenny wondered how Born was doing. He was on the snake behind her, but the tunnel was so dark, Jenny couldn't see him. She wondered if he'd thought to check in with Obos, and now understood what the marauders were saying. " _Not likely_ ," she thought. Born would be too terrified of falling off to chance taking one hand off of his saddle grip. Jenny could hear the water sloshing in the containers as they went, as well as the sound of the snake's body prongs, grabbing and releasing as it propelled itself through the tunnel. Jenny could feel the air passing rapidly by her face, giving her the impression the snake was moving at a fair rate of speed. Aware of the walls and ceiling very close by, she made sure to keep her head down and her arms tucked in. Jenny could feel that the tunnel was winding, and going steadily downwards into the unfathomable depths of Spacemark Four. She suddenly got a feeling in the pit of her stomach, just like when you go down a dip on a roller coaster, and she saw a light up ahead. The snake's spiky hide scraped the ground below as it braked on the steep slope. Jenny and Born finally got their first view of the tunnel in which they had been traveling for what seemed like hours. Light streamed up the tunnel from up ahead. In the dim glow Jenny could make out the roughly hewn walls of the underground pathway. Rocks and boulders jutted out here and there from the nearby walls and ceiling. The intensity of the illumination increased as they rapidly approached the source, and they all squinted as they entered a brightly lit cavern. They shaded their eyes for a few moments as they became accustomed to the light. Jenny could also sense a difference in her surroundings by the feel of the air. The group had emerged onto a very wide paved roadway in an enormous concrete tunnel. It was straight, and disappeared into the distance uphill in one direction, and downhill the opposite way. Jenny listened to the conversation of the hijackers as they expertly repaired and concealed the hole they had just emerged from.

"Do you think we're safe traveling down one of the giant's roadways right now, Hekki?" questioned one of the snake-riders to the leader of the group.

"Yes. The giants will still be debating what to do. It takes them awhile to get themselves organized and decide on a course of action. They're probably considering taking advantage of the situation, by stealing some of the water for themselves, and claiming we took more than we did," answered the leader, with a smirk.

"Yes. They'll probably steal the whole cargo and blame it on us," added another.

"The highway is the fastest route for us in order to get this water to our sick as soon as possible. We'll travel along here as long as we can, and then burrow. We're still a long way from home, and those big clumsy oafs won't be able to keep up with us once we enter the earth," Hekki conveyed to his men.

"Stay alert to the rear," he ordered. "I know this is risky, but time is of the essence, and every minute sooner we can return with the water may save a life."

Jenny felt as though the possibility of a quick rescue was now out of the question. She could clearly see Born on the snake beside her. He turned to look at Jenny, and his face looked scared and confused. She felt sorry for him, but quickly reminded herself, she was in the same predicament as he was. Once the hijackers had concealed their hole, they turned and sped down the straight-open thoroughfare. Jenny felt a lot more comfortable out in the light again. If she wasn't a hostage and in fear for her life, she realized, she'd be enjoying the ride. The snake was a nice smooth ride for Jenny. She looked back, and could see the winding motion of the snake's body, but its head, and the rider's spot, directly behind the head, were almost motionless. The snakes seemed to have a top speed, which now felt rather slow on the smooth wide-open highway.

.

The Spacemark Four giants were assembling a convoy of vehicles and heavy equipment at the top of the mining highway, in which Jenny, Born and the snake-riders were journeying down. The giants sent ahead faster vehicles, in order to try and catch up to the slower moving snakes, while the heavy mining equipment would follow. The giants hoped the pirates would use the main highway, and maybe they could pick up their trail.

.

Jenny marveled at the seemingly endless tunnel system as the group constantly went downhill. The walls of the main corridor occasionally opened up, revealing other passageways that branched off from the main route. They were of various sizes, but none as large as the main thoroughfare. The group headed for one of the offshoot tunnels, and began down this much smaller underground roadway. Jenny felt as if they were moving at a snail's pace, and she wondered if the giants were organizing a search party. She knew the Spacemark Four vehicles were much faster, compared to the snakes, so rescue was still a hopeful possibility.

.

The giants' search party followed. They finally picked up the trail, and traced it back to the hastily repaired hole in the wall of the main tunnel. The giants followed the tiny pock holes in the road surface, created by the spikes of the escaping snakes. They were steadily catching up to the slower moving snakes.

.

Jenny could sense the tension rising in the kidnappers.

"Hekki, please forgive my constant reminding, but I feel it would be wise to tunnel now. I'm getting nervous that we may be cutting it too close," one of the snake-handlers reminded the leader.

"Yes, I know, we are taking a risk, but we know once we start to tunnel, we'll pull ahead of the giants. We have the speed advantage once we enter the earth, but tunneling will slow us down as well, and I want to get home as soon as possible with this water; it may save a life," Hekki re-affirmed his position, which was accepted by his charges, so they continued down the established routes as the posse of Spacemark Four giants closed in.

"Here they come!" exclaimed the rear watch guard, as he gazed through his brass telescope.

"Good vigilance. Time to tunnel! Everybody, under your hoods! " Hekki ordered. "Atko, where is our best escape route?" Hekki asked the rider who had been constantly staring at, and shuffling through various maps and diagrams of the area's tunnel systems.

Atko answered quickly and decisively, "Right over here."

"Lead the way," Hekki authorized. "Quickly, get the hostages under protection!" he barked out.

Jenny was riding in front of Hekki, and he jumped up onto his feet and nimbly stepped past Jenny. He hastily untied her from the saddle, and extended his hand to her. "Come," he ordered.

Jenny quickly obeyed, and took his rough calloused hand. Hekki helped Jenny to her feet, and led her towards the head of the powerful beast. She walked quickly and comfortably atop the snake. Hekki spoke a command to the snake, "Rako!" and the snake lowered its head, revealing a small pocket under the snakes thick protective hood. Quickly untying the saddle, Hekki transferred it to a secure spot under the hood, and hastily fastened it to the snake's body spikes. Hekki motioned for Jenny to climb under. Jenny grabbed hold of the top of the bony protrusion, and swung herself under like an old pro, which didn't escape Hekki's notice. Born on the other hand, wasn't having as easy a time over on his snake. He was terrified by the situation, and didn't know what was going on. He was very unsure of his footing, and didn't feel comfortable or confident walking on top of the beast. He was scared, and his legs felt weak and shaky. The snake-handler who was trying to help Born into position, was getting annoyed with him, as was the rest of the waiting group, as the pressure of the fast approaching posse closed in on them.

"Come on, hurry up you little coward!" he yelled at Born, as he roughly pulled on Born's arm.

Hekki was still standing on the nape of his snake's neck, and he looked angry and anxious. Jenny suddenly realized, this was her chance to escape. She wasn't tied to the snake any more, and Hekki was preoccupied with the hectic situation. All of the handlers were now yelling at Born to hurry up, but he was now frozen with fear. Jenny had to abandon her fleeting thought of escape, and she went to Born's aid.

"Leave him alone!" Jenny yelled in their language through her interpretation device.

All of the Treech were stunned by the recognizable words.

Jenny scrambled out from under the sheltered area, and quickly reached for the control on her gravity displacement suit, which she dialed to a level of lesser gravity. Hekki didn't try to restrain her. All of the kidnappers looked at her in shock, as she leapt across the divide between her's and Born's snake. Before the dumbfounded guard on Born's snake could react, Jenny reached into Born's pocket and quickly adjusted the control of his anti-gravity suit, rendering Born as light as a feather, and she quickly whisked him into her arms. Born was stone faced while all of this was happening, in a trance of sheer terror. Jenny nimbly made her way to the front of the snake and ducked under the protective hood. She crawled under the hood with him, and gently placed him in his spot while she whispered in his ear.

"Don't worry, Born, we'll be all right. Just hold on tight."

Jenny then adjusted his anti-gravity suit to provide Born with more weight, in order to make him more secure in the saddle. The snake-handler who had moments ago been wrestling with a fear stricken Born, looked over at Hekki, and made a gesture as if to say, "What should I do?"

"Go help her," was his curt response. But, by the time he got there, Jenny was done and was leaping through the air, back to her own snake, where Hekki made sure _she_ was secure.

"Thanks," Jenny said in Hekki's own language, to which he replied, "Your welcome. Thank-you, too."

Hekki took a glance back before he climbed under the hood with Jenny. The Spacemark Four giants were almost upon them. "Lead the way, Atko!" Hekki yelled as he hurriedly nestled himself behind Jenny. It was close quarters for two under the snake's protective hood, but Jenny felt more secure with Hekki so close, when she had no idea what to expect next.

Atko, the map-reader, surged towards the wall of the tunnel, taking the lead, followed by Hekki. The jaws of his snake opened wide, revealing its four iridescent tusks and a mouth full of sharp teeth that bit hard into the wall. Blue sparks flew as the snake easily fractured away a big chunk. It swallowed the earth and stone into a powerful gullet full of crushing teeth. The internal teeth got smaller and smaller, the further down the throat and esophagus the earthen matter traveled, rendering the mass of soil and stone, down to pebble, then sand, then dust, which was released out the back end of the snake. The short while this rapid digestion process was taking place, the snake had taken seven more considerable bites out of the wall, and already only the dust spewing tail was visible from inside the main tunnel. The Spacemark Four giants were closing in. The lead snake disappeared into the wall, and all that remained was a trail of dust. Jenny and Hekki followed, as their snake easily ploughed through the dust with its mouth wide open. The dust just flowed through it like water. Born's snake was next and it too, entered the hole created in the wall of the main tunnel. The Spacemark Four giants pounced on the remaining two snakes and their riders, but an escape route had already been created. One of the riders directed his snake to rear up, like a king cobra ready to strike, and it opened its jaws, exposing a mouth full of teeth, while the other one escaped into the hole. The remaining snake easily held off the advances of the giants. They fired steel cables hardened with Merrinium, but the snake easily sliced through the cables and the giants were unable to ensnare the beast. The snake slowly backed up towards the escape route, while it fought off the advances of the giants. It then quickly turned and disappeared into the opening, leaving the rescue party in its dust.

Jenny could hear the snake ahead of them, gnashing through the earth and rock, and she could feel the dust in her nostrils. She felt quite safe and sheltered under the hard, bony protective neck hood of the snake. Jenny hoped Born was okay, but imagined he'd still be terrified. They tunneled through the earth for hours, until the group finally came to a stop, and the silence was almost overwhelming.

"Hekki, my snake needs a break. Can someone else lead the way for awhile?" Atko shouted back.

"Do you mind if we lead for awhile? The only thing is, it's a little noisy being the head snake," Hekki ventured to Jenny. He didn't know how she could communicate in his native tongue, but it certainly made things easier.

"No, I don't mind at all!" Jenny answered, as she perked up in her seat, excited to be the lead tunneling snake. Hekki noticed Jenny's enthusiasm when it came to the snakes, and this intrigued him, so he started to explain to her the details of what was happening.

"We'll tunnel around the snake up ahead of us in order to take the lead, and the rest of the group will fall in behind. Snakes are great tunnelers, but can only dig for three or four hours at a time before they begin to tire, so we'll take turns leading, until we reach our already established passages," Hekki explained. He then called "Kritch!" and the snake opened its powerful jaws, and bit into the wall of the passageway already forged by the lead snake. Blue sparks fleetingly flashed in the darkness as tusk met stone. Jenny could feel the force of each bite, and they came in rapid succession, as the snake quickly made its way around the snake in front, taking the lead itself. It was an exhilarating feeling of power, riding on something capable of pulverizing rock into dust in a matter of seconds. This creature had truly adapted and evolved to its underground environment. Hekki hadn't been exagerating; it was much louder riding on the lead snake, as it fractured the firm, compressed terrain with its mighty tusks and fangs. Hekki reached forward and folded down two earflaps on the helmet Jenny was wearing, which greatly reduced the noise level. Jenny had so many questions that she hoped she'd be allowed to ask, in order learn about these amazing beasts.

They tunneled for another couple of hours, before they emerged into an already established passageway. Hekki immediately left the security of the snake's protective hood, and took his helmet back from Jenny. The helmet was equipped with a Zorbite lamp that Hekki switched on. Jenny stiffly crawled out from under the hood, and looked around at the roughly hewn passageway. The Zorbite lamp provided excellent illumination in every direction. The tunnel looked nothing like the cavernous Spacemark Four tunnels. It was narrow and uneven on every surface, but Jenny was glad to be out in the open again, and the silence was quite welcome. The following snakes emerged from the tunnel just formed by Jenny and Hekki's snake, and sidled up alongside each other. The riders emerged from under the shelter of the snakes' hoods, and climbed down onto the ground, creating a cloud of dust. They stretched out their stiff bodies and dusted themselves off. Removing their helmets, the snake-riders all turned on their Zorbite helmet lamps, and distributed them up and down the tunnel. Jenny noticed they all had blond, flowing locks.

"We're safe now. The giants will take a long time to follow us with their big clumsy machines, if they even bother," Hekki said. "We'll rest here for a few hours before we continue."

Jenny switched her translator to Soilan. "Born you can come out now, we're going to rest here for awhile," Jenny was feeling more comfortable with the group now, and felt as though it would be okay to speak up. She switched her translator back to the language of her kidnappers.

"I just told him he could come out. Can I help him down?" Jenny asked, and Hekki nodded his permission. Jenny nimbly hopped over to Born's snake, and helped him out from under the snake's protective hood. All of the other handlers looked at her with quiet respect.

"You okay, Born?" Jenny asked in Soilan.

"I think so. I'm still alive, at least," Born answered, still feeling a little shaky.

"Come on, let's get our feet onto firm ground," Jenny suggested, and she adjusted both of their gravity displacement suits. She held onto Born, and they both jumped off the back of the snake, falling very slowly to the ground where they landed lightly. The snake-handlers watched in disbelief. They unloaded some supplies from the snakes, and Hekki passed each one of them a small amount of the captured water, to chase the dust down their throats. Jenny again, couldn't help but think of the strange road her lake water had taken, and she savored her meager portion, as it ran down her dry throat.

"Mmm, that feels good. I wish I could have some more, but I'm sure it's out of the question," Jenny said, and she noticed Hekki glancing at her as she spoke to Born.

Switching to Hekki's language, "Is it okay if I speak to Born in his language?" Jenny asked respectfully. Hekki appreciated this, and nodded his permission.

Jenny was getting pretty quick at switching from one language to another.

"He says it's okay to talk freely. Wow, that was quite the surprise! Now what do we do?" Jenny asked Born.

"I don't know. I'm still in shock," admitted Born. "I suppose, all we can do is wait, and hope. I think escape is out of the question. Where would we run?"

Jenny and Born glanced around. The only area lit by the kidnappers' lights was the area they occupied. The light streamed up and down the tunnel, until it was absorbed by the darkness.

"I considered escape, when the giants were bearing down on us back there. That was our only opportunity," Jenny added.

" But, you decided to help me instead," Born said.

"You know I'd do anything for you, Born. You saved my planet."

"Yes, but you could've saved yourself."

"There's no way I would've left you behind, you know that."

"Thanks Jenny, you're a good friend. Now we can die together. You should've run when you had the chance. I'm sorry I spoiled your only chance for escape," Born said, as he bowed his head in humiliation.

"Don't say that, Born. We'll get out of this, I'm sure," Jenny said positively.

Born looked up and smiled slightly. He felt privileged to have such a dedicated friend in Jenny, especially in this situation. Hekki was watching, and noting the body language of Jenny and Born. Hekki continued to be impressed by Jenny. He sent over some food for them. They were raw, root-like vegetables, and Jenny wondered where they grew in an underground environment, with no sunlight and a shortage of water.

"Aren't those snakes amazing?" Jenny said, her eyes lighting up.

"They terrify me," Born admitted.

"I was scared of them at first, too, but now I just find them fascinating."

"Oh, by the way, Obos added the language of these people to our translators on channel eleven. It came in handy on a couple of occasions already, and if you switch to it, I won't have to keep changing channels."

Jenny wiped one of the raw vegetables on her pant leg and looked it over before she crunched into it. "Do you think they'd actually hurt us if they don't get what they ask for?"

"Any desperate creature is dangerous, and the Treech are desperate for water. I don't know what they're capable of, or what measures they'll take in order to get what they want," Born answered, as he looked distastefully at his vegetable.

Jenny looked over to the kidnappers, who were huddled together in a group talking softly amongst themselves. Hekki glanced over at Jenny and Born, and then walked over to them.

"Quick, switch to channel eleven," Jenny said to Born as she reached into her pocket and changed her translator to the language of the Treech.

Born hastily did the same, and Hekki looked at them suspiciously as he got closer.

"Hello, I am called Hekki. I'm sorry to bring you two into this, but my people are desperate for water, and this was a desperate measure. The giants of the dome are greedy and selfish, and would prefer if my people became extinct. So, we were forced into this situation. You're a Soilan water trader, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. We were on our way back to my planet with a cargo of water," Born answered. "And if I don't get back with it soon, my people will be desperate for water, too."

"Yes, I'm very sorry for that, but you have many other vessels and moisture collection devices, so you won't run out. You may be limited for a short time, but we are now _dying_ of dehydration," Hekki stated.

"What're you going to do with us?" Jenny asked, looking into Hekki's bright blue eyes.

"We'll hold you as hostages, and ask for a ransom of water for your safe return."

"And what if they won't pay the ransom?" Jenny asked.

"Oh, I think they will. It's not the giants' water to bargain with. I'm sure your people will pay the ransom," Hekki said, referring to Born.

"I certainly hope so," Born added.

"But what if they don't, or say something goes wrong and you don't get the ransom?" Jenny asked again, pressing for an answer.

"It's in our best interests, obviously, if the giants and the Soilans think we'll harm you if they don't pay the ransom, but, I don't know if it would ever come to that. It's not my decision to make." Hekki answered as best he could.

Jenny decided to change the subject. She could sense Born was uncomfortable with Hekki's response, as was she.

"Those snakes are amazing, Hekki. They're so powerful. When they bite out a chunk of earth, what happens to it?" Jenny asked.

"It's very rapidly ingested by the snake. Internally, down the entire length of its digestive tract, are grinding, churning teeth. These teeth start at the mouth, very large, and gradually get smaller as the solid matter is passed through its body, and excreted out of the tail. And you're right, they are amazing creatures. I'd hate to think of what our lives would be without them... Now, I've answered one of your questions, now you must answer one of mine. How do you know my language?"

"It's a translator," Jenny explained.

"When I speak in my own language, this tiny sensor," she indicated a tiny dot on her collar. "absorbs all of the sound energy my voice has produced, and translates it into your language, or whatever language it's programmed to. Obos, our on board computer, added yours after we were kidnapped."

"Amazing!" Hekki paused for a moment and thought about the concept. "Why don't I hear the sound of your voice, speaking your language, as well as the sound of my language coming out of your device?"

Jenny and Born were both surprised, but impressed by Hekki's question. It indicated a very intelligent creature.

"The translator absorbs all of the sound waves my voice creates. It actually emits invisible beams of energy that search for the current wearer's voice pattern, me in this case, and absorbs all of the sound waves created by my voice. The technology is actually made possible by Zorbite from your planet. Amazing, isn't it?" Jenny said with a smile.

"Absolutely," Hekki agreed.

"It's like an energy collector, programmed to recognize only the energy created by my voice," Jenny added.

"The Soilans are experts at being able to isolate and control very specific forms of energy, like gravity for instance," Jenny continued. "We wouldn't be able to function on your planet for very long without the use of these gravity displacement suits. Our home planets are much smaller than yours, and so, don't have as much gravity. So, our bodies didn't need to evolve as strongly as yours did."

"Ah, that's how you're able to achieve those amazing feats," Hekki said.

"Yes, it's all artificial," Jenny admitted.

"Now, back to the snakes," Jenny said. "How do they survive, and what do you feed them?"

"They're born from, and survive from the earth. The snakes absorb the minerals from the rocks and soil they ingest, including Zorbite. A lot of their power comes from the Zorbite they ingest. Their tusks are fortified with Zorbite, as are all of their spikes and teeth. That's why they glow with the pure blue strength of energy releasing Zorbite. Their teeth never wear down from the abrasive grinding, because they're constantly maintained by the rejuvenating qualities of Zorbite. The snakes are sacred to us, but the surface dwelling giants like to kill them for sport. They covet their tusks, teeth and thorns as trophies and good luck charms. Only the very rich can afford the main tusks. The larger and more energy pure the teeth are, is what determines your wealth and social status in giant society."

"Yes, I've seen them," Jenny said in a somber tone, her head bent as if to pay homage to the snakes that died in this senseless slaughter.

Hekki studied Jenny intently.

"So you have no water at all?" Jenny asked, as she looked up to Hekki.

"Our main water source has dried up, and our reserves are exhausted. We discovered a very large water pocket five hundred years ago, and thought we could never use up such a substantial quantity of water. We built a village close by the lake and abandoned our old city for greener pastures. You see, we're a nomadic people; we go where there is water. This was a sizeable water pocket, so it allowed us the luxury of lingering there for five hundred years. In that time, our population flourished, due to a plentiful water supply, fertile soil, and a good supply of the power source mineral known as Zorbite. With the growth in population, came a town, and a home. But we've been aware of our water supply dwindling for the last fifty years, and we've been searching diligently to find another major water pocket, without success of course. We've located smaller pockets, which sustain us for the short term, but they too are now dry. If we don't find one soon, we'll all die, and the Treech will become an extinct race. Times are desperate now, so we've had to resort to desperate measures. I'm sorry to put you through this, but it's our only hope to get aid for our suffering. I hope you can understand our plight," Hekki explained.

Born could relate to Hekki's tale of woe, as his planet of Soilanglobe had a similar situation.

"My planet too, has a shortage of water, and I can see parallels in your people's way of life, and ours. We both must search for water, for survival. We search the cosmos, and you search within your own planet," Born realized.

Hekki pondered the thought for a moment. "Yes, you're right. I never thought of it that way. Have you ever had to move your civilization to another planet, as we've had to move closer to a newly discovered water pocket?"

"No, not yet, although it has been seriously considered on several occasions and the question is under constant review. But, a planet with a rich, liquid water supply, is a planet teeming with life, usually complete with a dominant intelligent race, like humans on Earth. We wouldn't be welcome, or fit in. While we take great care in our population growth, our small planet is becoming crowded. So, we do the best we can, and, we have been lucky. Our technological advances have allowed us to stay on the planet we love," Born explained.

"We'll reach K'Lund soon, and this water will save hundreds of lives," Hekki paused momentarily, "or at least delay the inevitable," he added ominously.

"I wish we could give it all to you," Jenny blurted, which created surprised looks on both Hekki and Born's faces.

"Your generosity and thoughtfulness are appreciated," Hekki said. "Maybe you can explain our desperate need to the Soilans," Hekki concluded, and he returned to his group.

"Jenny, I know you mean well, but my people are just as desperate as the Treech are for water," Born reminded.

"Are they dying as we speak?" Jenny challenged.

"Well, no, we do have stores, that if rationed, could last for years, but we need to keep our reserves full so we don't get to that point. Besides, the water belongs to us," Born reminded.

"Only because you took it from us," Jenny challenged.

Born looked at her in surprise. "May I remind you, your planet wouldn't exist if it wasn't for my intervention," Born shot back.

Jenny backed down immediately. " I'm sorry, Born. It's just so frustrating to see such a need for something so plentiful on my planet, and I wish I could help everybody. I feel so helpless, when all I want to do is help."

"I know, Jenny, but sometimes we have to accept that we cannot help."

"Well, I guess we'll see soon enough how much we'll be able to help these people. That,

will be up to your people, how much water they'll be willing to give for our safe return," Jenny said.

"After talking to Hekki, I feel a little better, don't you Born?" Jenny asked.

"Slightly. But we're still the hostages of a race of very desperate creatures, and we don't know what measures they will take to get their demands met," Born reminded Jenny in a hushed voice.

"And, I'm still worried about riding those disgusting snakes," Born added, his voice rising slightly.

Jenny glanced over at their hosts, to see if they had heard. "Careful, Born. Don't let them hear you insult their sacred snakes, and besides, would you rather walk?"

"No," Born conceded, and they began to look for a comfortable spot to lie.

"Have you noticed, whenever Hekki talks about sleep, he never mentions morning or night? I suppose that's because, there are none," Jenny realized.

Collecting all of their helmets, the snake-riders turned off their Zorbite lamps, and lay down for a few hours of sleep.

"Man, it's pitch black in here now," Jenny whispered as she looked around, straining to see anything in the darkness.

""Hey, look down there, towards the snakes," Jenny said to Born. "It's like a giant night-light."

The snakes emitted a luminescent light blue glow while they slept peacefully.

"Cool," Jenny said, feeling comforted.

"Hmm," Born said in an uninterested tone, as he wriggled around uncomfortably. "The ground is hard and uneven, and I've got no pillow," he complained.

Jenny agreed with him. "Hey, I've got an idea," she announced, and she reached into her front pocket and turned the dial on the control module of her gravity displacement suit, so as to provide her body with near zero gravity. Her body barely made contact with the floor of the cavern. "There, that's better," Jenny proudly stated. She pushed herself up with one finger, and slowly drifted gently to the ground. Born followed Jenny's lead and did the same. Born drifted off into an uneasy sleep, while Jenny, although very tired, focused her thought energy on home. She could hear the shuffling, and relaxed breathing of the snakes down the tunnel, and found it soothing and reassuring.

* * *

"Relli, is something bothering you? You seem so quiet and distant lately. You don't seem to move around with your usual energy and vitality. Is it Jenny? Are you worried about her? Have you seen something that I should know about?" asked a very concerned Mr. Thompson.

Relli paused momentarily from her kitchen chores, and smiled a warm reassuring smile at both Mr. Thompson and Martin, who looked up momentarily from his main focus, his bacon and egg breakfast.

"I'm sorry, I suppose I have been preoccupied lately, and you're right, it does concern Jenny. But it's not something I've seen that worries me. It's wanting to be ready at all times, should Jenny need me. You see, when I'm meditating, my full mental energy is devoted to Jenny, but when I'm doing my household duties, some of my attention is diverted. And because I don't want to miss her mental signal should she require advice, I'm moving a little slower, and my attention is divided between two tasks. Jenny's new at this telepathy thing, and her mental signal is weak, until I get a hold of it and strengthen the fragile bond. So, I must be ready for it. I do apologize for my apparent lack of attentiveness and lethargy," Relli explained.

"No, I apologize. Of course it's more important that you're available for Jenny. And, if there's any chance of missing her signal because you're preoccupied with something around here, I'd prefer that you don't do any more chores, and stay accessible for Jenny," Roy Thompson said.

Martin looked up from his breakfast with a concerned look on his face.

"That's sweet of you, Roy, but I'm confident I can maintain my level of concentration, even while doing my chores, so that I wouldn't miss Jenny's signal."

Martin's concerned look disappeared, and he turned his concentration back to his breakfast.

Relli turned on the kitchen faucet and began to rinse off some dishes.

"And, of course, you'll let me know if Jenny does get in touch with you," Mr. Thompson said.

"Yes, of course. I promise, I'll...let....you.....know... Uh oh, gotta go, I think Jenny's trying to channel me," Relli said, as she rapidly left the kitchen and hurried upstairs, drying her hands on her apron as she went.

Mr. Thompson and Martin looked at each other, while Mr. Thompson got up to turn off the water Relli had left running.

.

Relli closed the door of her bedroom and sat on the bed. She shut her eyes, and concentrated on the weak thread of mental energy.

Relli followed the fragile strand through the expanse of outer space, strengthening it as she went, until she found the source of the signal.

" _Whoa, Relli, you come in with such a force,"_ Jenny exclaimed.

" _Sorry, Jenny, I guess I'm a little pumped. Are you all right?"_

" _Umm, I guess so, but something has happened, that I'm really concerned about."_

" _Go on,"_ Relli said.

" _Well, we've, Born and I, I mean, have been kidnapped by a race of people that live underground. They're desperate for water, and will ask for a ransom of water for our safe return. I'm really scared Relli,"_ Jenny admitted.

" _I know, honey. What do they look like? Do they seem dangerous?"_ Relli quickly asked.

" _No, they don't seem dangerous. The leader actually seems quite nice. But Born says that desperate people are dangerous people, and they're definitely in dire need of water, or their race will become extinct."_

" _This is it Jenny, this is your task. It's already begun. Tell me, has some sort of fierce snakelike, dinosaur creature made an appearance yet?"_ Relli asked, and then winced at the possibility of prematurely revealing information.

" _Yes! These people ride on these amazing tunneling snakes! You should see these things Relli! They can bite out huge chunks of earth and rock!"_

Relli breathed a sigh of relief. _"I know, I_ _have_ _seen them. They look terrifying. I didn't want to tell you about my visions of them, because I didn't want to scare you. Even now, in my excitement, I thought I might have spoken too soon. You're on your way to an amazing adventure, Jenny. And, you have the opportunity to help save a race of people from extinction."_

" _But how? I want to help them, but I'm just a kid! How can I possibly make any difference? Water is the most precious thing to all of the people involved here. And it seems like, even if the Soilans do agree to pay a ransom, it'll only delay the inevitable for these people. They need a more reliable supply of water. But how can a kid, on a foreign planet, possibly provide what these people need to survive?"_ Jenny repeated. _"Wait, I know. 'Just follow your heart Jenny, and all will become clear,' "_ Jenny mimicked Relli.

Relli laughed, _"You think you know me so well. I wasn't going to say that at all...okay, maybe I was, but it's true,"_ Relli said, her voice turning to a more serious tone, _"this is your destiny, Jenny. You were sent there to help these people in their time of great need._ _'The savior will come in a time of great need. The chosen one will come from a far away land, and will save us from dehydration and extinction. Our champion will be small in stature, but stout of heart.' Do you remember these words?"_ Relli asked.

" _Yes, they're the words that you memorized from the holy book, from your dream! You're right, this must be it! This is your dream, the dream that you've had since you were my age! Oh my gosh, it's coming true!"_

" _It is, and you're these people's only hope. A hope that has been predicted by their mystic for centuries,"_ Relli stopped talking momentarily.

" _Relli, are you still with me?"_ Jenny asked.

" _Yes, I'm still here. I was just hit with a very strange feeling, similar to, but stronger than what I've been experiencing my whole life. But I don't know what it is,_ " Relli said, sounding frustrated. _"It's an uncomfortable, uneasy feeling, but yet, I have a yearning to pursue it,"_ Relli gave her head a shake, and continued. _"But, back to you, you_ _must_ _be my main focus now. Don't worry about my uneasiness. It's not related to you and your task at all. It's for me to work out on my own, although it's definitely linked to your mission, and to this planet in some way. As I was saying before I was distracted, they're expecting you. They just don't know it yet. Their holy book has taken a back seat to their desperate, and frantic search for water. And, they probably never ever dreamed that the savior, whose coming was foretold centuries ago, would turn out to be a 13 year old alien kid."_

" _I'm still having a hard time grasping this, Relli. How can I possibly be the person they predicted coming in their holy book? It seems like an impossible task for me to pull off, and it's too much pressure,"_ Jenny said, and she felt the urge to cry.

" _I know, honey, just follow your heart, and all will fall into place. Trust me."_

" _I knew it was coming, but it's always comforting to hear. Thanks, Relli. I'll do my best, I guess. Sheeshk, what a schamozzle. I guess I'd better go and get some sleep. I get to go snake riding again when we wake up. I sure hope I can learn how to ride one on my own. You were right by the way, "_ Jenny said, as she wiped away a solitary tear.

" _About what?"_ Relli asked.

" _About withholding information from me. If you'd told me about your vision of these snakes, I would've been worried and scared for weeks. But, they're not scary at all... well maybe a little bit, but they sure are cool. Any other visions you want to share with me?"_

" _You know the rules, experience and react, no hints."_

" _Yeah, I know,"_ Jenny said with a sigh. _"Give my love to Dad and Martin, please. Bye for now, Relli. And thanks for being there for me, love you."_

" _Love you too, honey. Take care of yourself."_

" _Yeah, right,"_ Jenny said with a laugh amid a cry, and the connection that had bridged across the cosmos, melted away.

Relli hung her head and cried. She was soon able to compose herself, and went back downstairs to the kitchen. As Relli entered, she put on a smile, and said, "She's fine."

"Thank goodness for that," Mr. Thompson said with relief. "But why is she using the psychic hot line?" he asked sarcastically, and Martin chuckled. "Why doesn't she call on the regular line through the ship's computer, so we can all talk to her?" Jenny's father asked in a displeased tone.

"Oh, she's away from the ship, enjoying the sights and experiences of a new culture. She doesn't have access to the communication technology that the ship has to offer, so she decided to touch base in this manner. I'm sure she'll call in a more traditional way next time, so you and Martin can talk to her too," Relli fabricated a story, that wasn't too far from the truth.

It satisfied Jenny's dad. "Oh, okay. I just miss her, that's all."

"I know, but she's fine, that's the main thing," Relli assured.

"Yeah, you're right. I don't think I can take a year of this though," Mr. Thompson admitted.

"It will get easier," Relli comforted. "And, oh yes, she sends her love to you and Martin," Relli remembered to say, which brought a smile of contentment to Mr. Thompson's face.

.

#

Chapter Six: A Village Underground and a Ransom Demand

Kon-Knive strode into the mayor's office. "They've escaped into the earth, your eminence. It's futile to try to follow."

"Yes, call off the search," the mayor said. "but continue to tell Soilanglobe we're still searching. They're very concerned about the situation. As much about the water as the people involved it would seem."

"Speaking of the water...have you decided how much of it we're going to keep?" the assistant asked.

"I _want_ to keep the entire cargo, but that would be unwise. We'd have to puncture the water tanks in the same manner as those accursed snakes did, and exact duplication would be impossible. We'd get caught in our deception, which would damage our relationship with the Soilans, and we can't afford that. It's tempting, but the Soilans are too clever. All we can do is take some of the water from the already punctured tank, and even then, we need to be careful with how much we take, because if we take too much, suspicion will be raised. They'll know the Treech raiding party could only be so large, to still be stealthy, so we'll only take as much as we dare."

"Have you considered the on board computer? It may be capable of sensing even the slightest discrepancy in water volume," the assistant asked.

"Hmm, good point Kon-Knive, I hadn't considered that possibility. So much for that idea. It's not worth the risk. Have we translated the ransom note yet?" the mayor asked.

"Yes, and it is what we expected. Water for the safe return of the hostages," the assistant revealed.

"How much?" the mayor asked.

"The note indicates they will contact us with the details, including the amount I presume. I do believe the kidnapping was an unexpected bonus for them. It was just bad luck for the Soilan and his companion, to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"The Soilans will pay the ransom of course. Don't you think?" the mayor questioned.

"Of course, but there may be some back and forth negotiations before an agreement is reached. The process would be accelerated if we could deal directly with the Treech. If the Soilan still has his communication device, we may be able to speak through his space vessel's on board computer. But it's up to the Treech how they choose to contact us. They're in control of the situation," Kon-Knive explained.

"If we stall the negotiations long enough, those miserable Treech may die of dehydration before they collect the ransom," the mayor pondered.

"And the hostages along with them," Kon-Knive reminded.

"Yes, of course," the mayor answered in a disinterested tone.

"How do you explain how the Treech knew a Soilan water ship was docked here for repairs, laden with water, and the direct route they took to the repair bay?" the mayor asked.

"It does appear, they may have had some inside information sir, although I don't know from where."

"Yes, it is curious. Very few knew of the Soilan ship's presence," the mayor said, as he looked deep into his assistant's eyes.

* * *

Jenny and Born were awakened after only a few hours of sleep, and given a bite to eat, as well as a small amount of Jenny's lake water.

"I hope you slept well?" Hekki asked.

"Pretty well, considering the circumstances," Jenny answered.

"Good. You'll be riding in the saddles again today, and the tunnels will start to widen soon, as we get closer to home. We'll saddle up small-ly, so finish your meal," Hekki said.

"Small-ly? Jenny questioned, and Born glanced over at her.

"Did your translator just misinterpret that word too?" Jenny asked Born.

"No. Hekki said, we'd saddle up shortly," Born repeated.

"Uh, oh, Obos is messing up again," Jenny said. "The computer on board Born's space ship creates and maintains these translation programs, but sometimes he makes a mistake," Jenny explained to Hekki. "I guess the translation over to Soilan was fine, but not to English. Would it be possible for me to contact Obos? I can ask what's happening with the search party, and what the reaction to the abduction is if you like."

"Yes, it may be interesting to get some insight into that," Hekki said, as he kneeled down beside Jenny.

"Hello, Jenny," Obos' voice instantly came through on Jenny's earpieces.

"Wow, here he is, as usual, right on cue. Hey, Obos, what took you so long?" Jenny teased, and Born rolled his eyes as he tuned into the conversation.

"I was waiting for the appropriate opportunity to contact you," Obos stated.

"Thanks for the language program to Treech. As usual, you're right on the ball. It's really come in handy. Did you catch that last error from Treech to English?"

"Caught and corrected."

"Of course," Jenny said.

"As usual, English translations are proving to be challenging. But Treech, like the language of the giants, is fairly simple, so you shouldn't experience too many errors. I think your host has some questions he'd like answered," Obos reminded Jenny.

"Yes, thanks, Obos. What can you tell us about what's happening up there. What's the reaction to our kidnapping, and is there a search party looking for us?"

"The reaction from Soilanglobe is one of shock and dismay. They're furious with the giants for allowing this to happen, and they're demanding your safe return. But I've informed them that this is just not possible until the Treech decide it is. I suspect the giants have already called off the search party, because they realize it's a hopeless task. However, they'll continue to lie to the Soilans about the progress of the search and rescue mission. To be honest with you, it doesn't seem like the mayor cares what happens to you and Born. You're inconsequential to them. From transmissions I've listened in on, they care more about the water and the hopeful extinction of the Treech, than they care about you and Born. But, on a positive note, I believe you're in good hands. I've done some research through the giant's records, and have found the Treech to be traditionally an honest people, with a very high level of integrity. But, they're also a desperate people, and must be treated with care because of this fact."

"Well, that's good to know. Do you think Soilanglobe will pay the ransom?" Jenny asked.

"Eventually, they will. But I fear they may believe the giants' lies for a while, in hopes of recovering you at no cost. But this may be a fatal error, considering the Treech's obvious desperation for water. Do you know what the ransom demand is?" Obos asked.

"Obos is asking what the ransom demand will be," Jenny relayed to Hekki.

"I must discuss the matter with my superior first, but tell them it must be a rich reward, for the sake of my people."

"Did you hear that, Obos?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, I'll relay the message to Soilanglobe."

"Thanks, Obos, I'll keep in touch. Born, do you have any questions?"

Born just shook his head in disgust.

"You were right, Hekki, the giants have called off the search, but they continue to lie to the Soilans about it. The Soilans are furious with the giants and demand our safe return, but of course that's up to you, not the giants," Jenny said, looking deep into Hekki's eyes.

"Yes, we'll see how this plays out. Eat and drink up, we leave in five dureks," Hekki said, as he bounced to his feet and strode away.

"I'm assuming that's pretty soon," Jenny said to Born, and they gulped down their skimpy ration of food and water.

As they got themselves together, Jenny informed Born, "Obos says the Treech are honest and trustworthy people."

Born didn't answer.

"That's good, right Born?"

"Yes, that's just wonderful," Born said, in a depressed and dejected tone.

"Don't worry Born, we'll get out of this. I promise," Jenny said, as she felt a wave of resolve and determination wash through her.

Born forced a smile towards her.

A few minutes later, Hekki called over, "Time to go."

Born groaned in response.

Jenny was actually excited to get going. She was eager to reach the Treech village. Jenny was tired of dim, narrow, seemingly endless passageways, and looked forward to a change of scenery. Born was helped into and tied securely to his saddle, and the snake-rider took up a space directly behind him. Jenny nimbly climbed up the side of Hekki's snake, and plopped herself into the saddle.

"And the one will adopt the ancient snake riding ways, as naturally as a native Treech," one of the Treech riders said to a companion, as they watched Jenny.

"Rocha, Treek, mount up," Hekki called to the two captivated Treech, and they jumped into action.

"You don't wish to be secured to the saddle, do you, Jenny?" Hekki asked, as he positioned himself behind her.

"No, I feel quite comfortable and secure up here."

Hekki smiled, "Yes, you do appear to be adapting quite well. Now, call 'Krut', out loud, and give Taknor a firm tap with your heels. You're in charge."

Jenny looked behind to Hekki, as if to say, _"are you sure"_ , and Hekki just smiled a reassuring smile.

Jenny smiled back, and felt a wave of excitement wash through her. She turned her gaze forward, and all recognized her expression of enthusiasm. "Krut!" she called, loud and strong, and she gave Taknor a firm little kick with her heels. Taknor responded instantly, and surged forward.

"Now, say 'Krut' four more times," Hekki instructed.

"Krut,Krut, Krut, Krut!" Jenny shouted, and Taknor picked up the pace.

"Good. Now, just relax and enjoy the ride," Hekki said.

The rest of the group followed, and their lights were swallowed up by the darkness, as they twisted and turned and descended deep into Spacemark Four.

.

The group traveled for days, resting for only a few hours at a time. The snakes were allowed to wander off and graze on the surrounding minerals in the rock and soil when they stopped. Once satisfied, the snakes would coil themselves up, close their big black eyes, and sleep. It amazed Jenny, how the snakes could survive on the minerals within the earth, the same way herbivores on her planet survived on plant life.

Jenny studied the snake-handlers and how they controlled their snakes. She hoped to be able to learn how to ride and control one of the massive beasts on her own some time.

"Why didn't you run when you had a chance to escape during the confusion in the giant's tunnel?" Hekki asked Jenny, as they rode.

"I needed to help Born."

"What about when you had Born in your arms? With this amazing anti-gravity technology that you have, you could've easily escaped at that moment," Hekki probed.

Jenny paused for a moment before answering. "I'm not totally sure why. Something inside me just told me to stay put. It was kind of weird. I guess I knew I could escape if I wanted to, but I felt I needed to stay, for some reason. Sorry, it's kind of vague, but I just don't know for sure," Jenny answered truthfully.

"That's alright, I was just curious."

The tunnel in which they were traveling slowly began to widen, and looked more like a frequently traveled passageway. Permanent lights were mounted on the walls, and the ceiling was higher as well. Suddenly they emerged into a brightly lit, open area. It was a stark change from the narrow, closed in tunnels.

"Whoa!" Jenny exclaimed as she squinted and gazed around the cavernous open area. At first she thought she was outside, but soon realized, this was a monstrous cave, brightly lit by many lights. It reminded Jenny of an indoor sports stadium, only ten times larger. The ground was dry and dusty, but she could see trees and crops off in the distance. Houses were scattered here and there, or concentrated in several areas, and Treech townsfolk came running towards them, shouting and cheering as they came, raising a cloud of dust. Some were dressed in bright colors, which was a sharp contrast from the bland clothing worn by the snake-riders. All looked somewhat similar in appearance. Without the caked on dirt, Jenny could now see, they all had very white skin, and various lengths of flaxen hair. Jenny wondered how they could tell each other apart. The snake-handlers smiled for the first time, and it was a pleasant sight to see. The swarming, ecstatic crowd of Treech townsfolk soon engulfed them. The snake-riders looked proud during their triumphant return, as they made their way to the center of the village and dismounted. Jenny deftly climbed down from her snake, and scaled back up, in order to help Born down from his snake. The townsfolk looked at Born and Jenny with passing curiosity, but quickly turned their full attention back to the snake-riders and their cargo. The sea of Treech continued to grow, and surround the group. Then the crowd began to part, allowing an older gentleman passage to the center of the gathering.

"Greetings, Hekki," a Treech man greeted.

"Greetings, Kolkar," Hekki returned, and they both clasped each other's forearms in welcome.

"How did you make out with the water?" he questioned, looking over to the water containers on the sides of the snakes. He had a look of concern on his face.

"We did well," Hekki announced proudly. "We filled all of our containers. We should disperse immediately."

"And, you've returned with guests, I see. The Soilan water trader and someone else," Kolkar mentioned, as he curiously eyed Jenny.

"Yes, we have. It was an unexpected bonus. Now that we have hostages, we can negotiate their safe return, in exchange for a ransom of water. The other captive is from the planet where the Soilan collects his water. I'm hoping this could turn out to be a rewarding turn of events."

"Yes. Good thinking, Hekki. This is indeed a stroke of luck. We can talk about the mission later, as well as discuss our plans and strategy," Kolkar said, and then he raised his voice to the Treech townsfolk.

"Good citizens of K'lund," he shouted. "Our brave snake-riders have returned laden with water," he yelled triumphantly, and the crowd cheered wildly.

"Return to your homes, and come back with a water container, and we'll distribute the water fairly, depending on need, and the number of family members. Go now, and rejoice!"

The Treech townsfolk cheered and quickly dispersed, babbling happily as they went. It made Jenny feel good to see her lake water bringing such joy and happiness to so many, but she visualized people sick and dying in their homes, and she wished she could do more.

"Please introduce me to our guests," Kolkar asked of Hekki.

Hekki nodded, and walked over to Born and Jenny.

"This is the Soilan water trader, Born, and this is Jenny of Earth. The water now blessing us, is from Jenny's planet. This is our community leader, Kolkar," Hekki introduced. "They have an amazing technology that allows them to communicate with us."

"That's wonderful. Greetings, honored guests. I'm pleased to meet you, and I apologize for the inconvenience we've caused you. I'm sure Hekki has explained our predicament, and I hope you understand how desperate we are. Without more water, we will surely perish. I'm pleased we're able to communicate freely. You're very advanced, with many technological marvels. I understand that you, Jenny, are from the planet that has provided us with this bounty of water. Do your people trade water to the Soilans?" Kolkar asked.

"No, my people don't even know of their existence. There have been stories of sightings of alien space ships told for centuries on my planet, but never any concrete proof. Now there is, but the Soilans' secret is safe with me. Apparently, the Soilans have been secretly visiting my planet for thousands of years, collecting and transporting water back to their planet."

"Oh my! Do your people not notice water missing from your storage facilities?" Kolkar asked.

"My planet has an abundance of water. We don't even keep most of our water in storage facilities, it just lies out in the open. To be honest with you, water is so plentiful, we don't keep track of how much we have on a global scale, and we don't miss what the Soilans take. I suppose that's why the Soilans have remained secretive about the whole thing, because they know we have an overabundance of water."

"My goodness, to never want for water, what a luxury!" Kolkar marveled at Jenny's words.

Jenny felt a little embarrassed, like she was bragging or something, about having so much, when others in the galaxy have so little.

"Believe me, if I had a way to send water to Spacemark Four and to Soilanglobe, I would. Born says Earth is the only water rich planet within a four light year radius. Distance and time seem to be the only obstacles, as I'm beginning to realize. And technology in space travel is slowly overcoming those obstacles."

"Your race is not as advanced as the Soilans?" Kolkar asked.

"Not even close."

"I'm curious to ask what your race uses water for, other than drinking, considering it's such an abundant luxury," Kolkar returned.

Jenny was reluctant to share this information, when all around her, the Treech were dying from lack of water.

"I'd rather not say," she said sheepishly, blushing from mild embarrassment.

Kolkar, Hekki and the accompanying officials noticed Jenny's reaction, and their respect for her grew. Jenny's lack of arrogance, and her desire not to brag about her planet's fortunate situation, impressed the group.

"No, please enlighten us. We'll not think ill of you for doing so," Kolkar assured, and the Treech group nodded in agreement.

"Well," Jenny hesitated, but began to explain somewhat reluctantly.

"We bathe in it," she said as she studied their surprised looks. "We swim in it, we water ski on it while being pulled behind a boat, we surf on it, we ski and skate on frozen water, we raft or canoe down rivers of water, we travel on boats of all different sizes, we wash our dishes with it, we fish from it," Jenny paused. "And we actually have hundreds of deaths every year from drowning and floods."

The Treech were shocked by this information and didn't understand most of the activities Jenny had mentioned, but they got the idea. Earth was rich with giant deep pools and rushing rivers of water. The Treech stood in awe.

"And they have a room in every house dedicated to water," Born added, referring to the bathroom.

Jenny looked over at Born as if to say, " _Thanks a lot, Born_ ," which he understood and shrugged an apology.

"I see now why you didn't want to mention those things," Kolkar said. "But please don't feel badly. You're fortunate, and it's only natural for us to be envious of such riches. You shouldn't be ashamed of making use of your planet's natural resources."

There was already a bond forming between the Treech and Jenny.

Treech townsfolk began to return with containers and jugs of clay and ceramic. A table was set up with a list of all the townsfolk, and a long line of excited Treech soon formed. Great care was taken not to spill a drop of the valuable cargo. Jenny watched the Treech with curious interest, just as the Treech watched her and Born. Once the rations of water had been dispensed, Kolkar announced, "Go to your homes now and feast, for tonight we have water!" and the crowd dispersed to their homes. The leftover water was transported on the snakes to a storage building and locked up for safekeeping.

"Do you have means of contacting the surface giants and your own people regarding our ransom demands, Born?" Kolkar asked, as they walked towards the town. Hekki had departed with the rest of the snake-handlers towards the stables, where the snakes would get a well-deserved rest.

"Yes. I can contact my ship. And Obos, the ship's on board computer, can transfer my message to the dome giants, and to my planet as well."

"Good. This will save a lot of valuable time and speed up the negotiation process. How much water do you think they'd be willing to part with for your return?"

"To be honest with you, I don't know. My cargo is very valuable to us, and I'm but a dispensable water messenger. The spaceship is actually able to function quite well without me. I'm only on board in case manual repairs are necessary. I don't know if my people will agree to any ransom demands, although I hope they do, so it may be in everybody's best interests to keep the demands low."

"What about Jenny? Surely they'd want a guest from another planet returned?" Kolkar questioned.

"Possibly. But you must understand, no one on Jenny's planet knows of her situation, or of my planet's existence. And, if her family went to their government with such a wild story of aliens and far away planets and alien hostage taking, they would probably suggest psychiatric help for them. So you see, you may not have such a bargaining advantage as you think you have."

"Hmm, well I suppose we all shall see how valuable you really are. Let me show you to your quarters, and you can make contact while you rest and make yourselves comfortable. We'll not put you under lock and key, for there's nowhere to run. If you attempt escape, you'll be lost, and perish in the tunnels of Spacemark Four," Kolkar warned, as he led them to a small wooden shack on the outskirts of the village.

A puff of dust rose with every step. Jenny looked over at the fields of crops and noticed they looked limp and wilted.

"Will you have enough water to be able to water your crops?" Jenny asked.

"We'll use some for the crops, but there's not much to spare. Our sick are our first priority."

Jenny scanned her surroundings. The cavern's ceiling was high, with many lights powered by the planet's abundant supply of Zorbite. The technology to release and utilize the power trapped within the Zorbite had been passed on to the Treech from the Spacemark Four giants, back when they were on good terms and trading water for technological favors. The giants were passing on technology they had learned from the Soilans.

"Did you excavate this cavern?" Jenny asked, as she looked around the massive cave.

"Some of it. - But most of it is an old water pocket, long empty of its contents."

Most of the smaller buildings were made of wood, but some of the larger ones were built of stone or brick, and some appeared to be hewn from a solid stone slab. Living quarters were carved into most of the cavern's walls, from the ground, all the way to the ceiling. They looked like prehistoric apartment buildings. All of the freestanding structures appeared to have flat roofs, which Jenny soon discovered were not flat at all, but non-existent.

Kolkar led them to a small, wood framed cabin, and opened the front door. As they entered their small quarters, Jenny and Born noticed there was no roof at all on the building.

"No weather, no need for a roof," Jenny quickly concluded.

"It's not much, but hopefully you'll be comfortable. Could you please contact the dome giants and notify them that you're safe, and of our ransom demands."

"And just what are your ransom demands?" Born asked.

"Your ship's entire cargo of water," Kolkar said with conviction.

Born and Jenny looked at each other in surprise upon hearing the demand.

"You can't be serious! There's no way my people will pay that!" Born cried.

"That is our demand, please relay the message," Kolkar said calmly. "After all, you only need to return to Jenny's planet to re-fill your water tanks, but we have no recourse. Make the call please."

"If you insist," Born conceded.

.

Back on the surface, under the dome of the giants, in the repair bay, Obos received a transmission from Born.

"Obos, this is Born. Do you hear me?" Born asked.

"Yes, I'm receiving you," Obos answered.

"How are things going up there?"

"The repairs on the ship are completed, except for the punctured water tank. The giants don't seem to be in a hurry to fix that damage. Officials on Soilanglobe are quite concerned for your safety. How's Jenny?"

"She's fine, and I'm fine too, thanks for asking," Born answered somewhat sarcastically.

"Obos, can you please notify Soilanglobe of the ransom demand? The entire cargo of water on board the Traveler in exchange for our safe return," Born announced. "And get back to me as soon as you have a response."

"Yes, Born, I did hear the demand and the transmission has already been sent."

"Good. Can you transfer me over to the mayor?" Born asked.

"Yes, it is possible, it will take a moment though, so please wait," Obos informed, and a few minutes later the mayor's voice came across Born's communication device.

"Hello, Born?" his voice was loud and clear.

"Hello, Mayor. Yes, this is Born."

"It's good to hear your voice again. Safe and sound I presume?"

"Yes, we arrived safely and are being treated well, although it was quite an ordeal. The Treech leader has asked me to relay their ransom demands to you, and to Soilanglobe. The Treech are demanding the entire cargo of water on board the Traveler," Born waited for a response, which took a few moments.

"My, that is a rich demand. Your people are quite concerned about you, Jenny, and the water, but that is a lofty price. What are the consequences if your people refuse to pay the ransom?"

"We haven't discussed that yet, and, I'm reluctant to ask. But I agree, it is a large price to ask," Born said, glancing over to Kolkar. "Am I allowed to enquire about the status of the rescue?"

"Oh, yes, by all means," Kolkar answered, and Jenny thought she caught a hint of a smirk on Kolkar's face.

"Mr. Mayor, how is our rescue progressing?"

"Oh, very well. I feel we're making good progress. But, I have no approximation for you. All I can say is, it's an ongoing process," the mayor lied.

"Very good. Thank-you for your efforts, Mayor." I'll be back in touch with you, once I hear back from Soilanglobe regarding the ransom."

"You're very welcome, Born. I just want to say, that it is my duty, to do all in my power, to rescue you from the savage and selfish Treech, and I give you my solemn word, we'll not rest until we find you," the mayor spouted.

"Thank you," Born repeated, and broke the transmission.

"The mayor has assured me, that he is now, and will continue, to search until we're found and rescued," Born said to Kolkar, who chuckled to himself, but then turned serious.

"The dome giants are full of empty promises, as we've discovered over the years, decades, and centuries. If your people believe the giants' lies, they will be putting false hope into your rescue, as the mayor has just given you, and this will delay the negotiations."

"Why will it delay the process?" Jenny asked.

"Because, the Soilans may not pay the ransom if they assume that eventually you'll be rescued. But I assure you, rescue isn't possible."

"What makes you so sure we _won't_ be rescued?" Born challenged.

"Because this planet is massive, and the giants can't fit through our small tunnels. Hum drumming their own tunnels would be very costly and time consuming, and basically, they don't care if you're found or not. There's nothing in it for them, and even if there were, it _just_ isn't possible," Kolkar explained.

Jenny puzzled over Kolkar's use of the word humdrum. Before she had a chance to solve the misinterpretation, Obos chimed in over Jenny's receiver, "That should've been translated as 'Boring their own tunnels.' "

Jenny covered her mouth in order to hide her amusement, while Kolkar continued.

"Even if they managed to stumble directly this way, it would take them years to get here. We'd hear them coming from kilometers away, and vacate the area long before they got here. So you see, even if the giants were a race true to their word, which they're not, it would be impossible to recover you. Their only opportunity for hostage recovery was at the beginning, before you began to tunnel, which I understand Hekki waited until the final moment. This delay presented you two with a chance to escape, and it was fortunate for us that you didn't seize the opportunity."

"That was my fault. I was frozen with fear, and Jenny chose to come to my aid instead of escaping on her own, which I appreciate," Born added.

"You're lucky to have such a dedicated friend," Kolkar stated in admiration of Jenny. "But, Hekki has told me, in the confusion of the moment, when Jenny had you in her arms, she could've escaped."

Born looked over at Jenny. "Yes, I suppose this is true. It had never occurred to me. But I presume in all of the confusion, and Jenny's desire to come to my aid, she didn't recognize the chance."

"Is this true, Jenny?" Kolkar asked.

"Well, not really," Jenny reluctantly admitted.

Born directed a bewildered gaze over at Jenny.

"I'm sorry, Born."

"But why?" Born asked, and Kolkar listened with great interest.

"I don't know why for sure. I suppose, I thought maybe I could help."

"Help? How?" Born asked.

"I don't know, Born! Look, I was scared and confused, and had to make a split second decision, and I chose to stay," Jenny said in an irritated tone.

Born appeared displeased by her answer, and her tone of voice.

Kolkar recognized the friction between the two, and changed the subject. "I've provided you with modest, but comfortable lodgings. There are separate sleeping rooms for you, and this is the common living area," Kolkar pointed out with a wave of his hand. "No water for washing, but over there, are body cleaning towels, and a brush for your dusty clothes. I'll provide you with your fair share of our very limited supply of food and water." Kolkar paused for a moment, "So, now you know, rescue is out of the question, and _our_ predicament is now yours. If we don't get more water soon, we'll _all_ perish."

Jenny changed the subject back to the surface giants. "Why would the giants lie to us, and the Soilans?"

"Because it's their nature. They're dishonest beings, with no regard for any living thing but themselves. The giants want to keep good relations with the water traders, so they tell the Soilans what they want to hear. The giants know the Soilans are in no position to check up on them, so they remain idle. I'm sorry to break this news to you, but you'll remain here indefinitely, with no hope of rescue until our demands are met. Now, you're free to mingle amongst us. I won't lock you up. I don't think it's necessary. Escape isn't possible. You'd be lost in the maze of tunnels, and if not recovered by us, you would die a lingering, lonely death, in the dark tunnels of Spacemark Four," Kolkar warned morbidly, and turned and left them.

"Cheery sort, isn't he?" Jenny said sarcastically.

"I don't like this at all," Born moaned. "We could be stuck here for the rest of our lives."

"Which may not be too long. We may die of thirst, along with the Treech," Jenny pointed out.

"Now, who is the cheery one," Born said, and they both sat in somber silence.

#

Chapter Seven: The Prophecy

Born and Jenny didn't venture out of their quarters for a while, preferring to sit and stew in their seemingly hopeless predicament. Jenny cleaned herself up as best she could with the materials provided. They could hear curious Treech, poking around their small shack, but were in no mood to mix with them.

After a couple of hours, Jenny started to get restless.

"Maybe we should go out and look around a bit," Jenny suggested.

"You go ahead, I'm not in the mood," Born responded in a dejected tone.

"Aww, come on, Born. Snap out of it. We may as well make the best of this. Let's go see the sights."

"There's nothing I want to see, except the inside of my space ship."

Someone came to their door and Born responded to the knock. "Who's there?"

"Hekki."

Jenny's heart leapt at the prospect of seeing Hekki again. She sprung to her feet and rushed over to the door. Born turned his head lazily, wondering at Jenny's excitement.

"Come in, Hekki," Jenny welcomed. "Hey, you're all cleaned up!"

Hekki laughed as he stepped into the dwelling, "As clean as one can possibly get, without the luxury of water, that is. And clean clothes too," he added, gesturing to his bright attire.

Jenny turned towards Born, "Born, you don't stand out around here, everybody is colorfully dressed."

"Yes, how delightful," Born replied with indifference.

"I trust your quarters are satisfactory?" Hekki asked.

"Do we have a choice?" Born said glumly.

"Yes, we're quite comfortable, thanks, Hekki," Jenny said politely.

"I've just left Kolkar, and he's informed me of our demands. He feels the negotiation process may be long. But at least you have voice contact with the surface. This should cut down the time considerably."

"Yes, but we may still be here for a very long time," Jenny said, sounding rather dejected.

"Well, there's no use sitting in here all depressed. Why don't you come out and I'll show you the snake area?" Hekki suggested, and Jenny's face lit up at the invitation.

"I'd love to, thanks, Hekki! Born, want to come?" Jenny asked.

"No, I've had quite enough of those foul creatures," Born said in a grumpy voice, not caring if he offended Hekki any longer.

Jenny looked over at Hekki, shrugged her shoulders, and smiled apologetically. "Oh, come on Born. You can watch from a distance. It'll be fun," Jenny said. She didn't want to leave Born behind.

"No, I'll stay here and wait for a call back from Obos. You go ahead, but be careful," Born said.

"Okay, I won't be too long. Bye, Born," Jenny said.

"Bye," came his terse reply.

Jenny and Hekki left the small shack and closed the door behind them.

"He didn't mean that," Jenny said to Hekki. "He's just in a bad mood because of the prospect of us being here indefinitely."

"I know, but he really doesn't have any interest in the snakes like you seem to have," Hekki said with a smile.

Jenny hadn't noticed before, but Hekki was a very handsome, young Treech man.

"How'd you get to be a leader, at such a young age?" Jenny asked.

"Most water seekers are quite young. I guess it was hard to tell with all of the dirt on us, but the entire raiding party was made up of young adults. Juvenile boys are honored with tasks involving endurance and bravery, and I was lucky enough to be chosen as a leader by my peers and my elders," Hekki responded.

"It seems like it was an awfully dangerous mission for boys so young. I don't think you're much older than me. I'm thirteen."

"I don't know what that means," Hekki admitted.

"Thirteen years old?"

"Sorry, these words are foreign to me," Hekki said with a shrug.

"One sec, oops, you probably don't know what a second is either. Excuse me, I'm just going to consult my dictionary back on Born's space ship."

"Of course, please feel free anytime. I just feel fortunate that we can communicate at all," Hekki said.

"Yes, it is a blessing. Obos, you there?"

"Greetings, Jenny. The Treech don't have the same concept of time as humans do. Your Earth clock is based on the regular intervals of planet movement. These people have no sun, no moon, no seasons, and no night and day. Therefore, there's no Treech translation for day, night, minute, second, month or year," Obos explained.

"Ahh, I get it! Thanks Obos."

"I'm here for you 24/7," Obos replied.

Jenny smiled at Obos' attempt at humor, "Ha, ha, very funny. Sorry, Hekki, my translator informs me that there are going to be some words in my language that can't be converted into yours, and probably visa versa."

"That's fine. Like I just said, it could be much worse."

There was a small group of Treech outside of Jenny and Born's quarters, mostly youngsters. They followed Jenny and Hekki at a distance, and their numbers increased as they walked towards the snake enclosure.

"We seem to have created quite a commotion around here," Jenny commented.

"Yes. It isn't often, or ever, that we have visitors. Especially from other planets," Hekki said, again with a warm smile.

Three young Treech children ran up to Jenny and Hekki, and one of the younger ones of the group blurted out, "Are you the alien beast?" The others gasped at her words, and scolded her for being so rude.

Jenny smiled and said, "No, that's Born," and Hekki laughed.

"She speaks Treech!" another said, surprised.

"It's a language translator," Jenny said, pointing to the device.

"Are you the water god?" the oldest child asked.

"Far from it," Jenny said, a little surprised by the question.

"My dad says you were sent here to save us from dehydration," the third child stated.

"I'd like to do anything I can to help, but I'm just a kid tagging along with a space traveling water trader," Jenny said, sympathetically.

They looked at Jenny with respect.

Hekki and Jenny neared the snake training area, which was shrouded with rising dust. Shouting voices and low, guttural grunts could be heard coming from the vicinity.

"Whoa! What's going on over there?" Jenny asked.

"That's the training area. We're trying to break a wild snake. Most of our snakes are bred and raised domestically, but occasionally we'll capture a wild one. They're very rare now because of the giants' senseless killing of the snakes for sport and trophy. This one shows much promise. He's strong and has excellent water sensing abilities, but he's very raw and stubborn. He has a mind of his own, and we're having a difficult time training him. He'd be very helpful to us with his exceptional water-seeking prowess, but if we can't train him, we'll have to set him free. Then the giants may kill him if hunters find him. They lure the wild snakes with water traps, and then mercilessly kill them for their tusks and spikes. The wild snakes have better water sensing abilities than domesticated snakes, which lose their inside smelliness over generations, and we are in dire need of a good water-seeker at this time. Unfortunately, this snake may be untamable in the time allotted," Hekki explained.

Jenny smirked at the obvious misinterpretation, "Their inside smelliness? What the heck is that?"

"You know, his inner stench," Hekki tried to explain. "We all have an inner bad smell, that comes out naturally when we need it."

Jenny giggled to herself, "Obos, is obviously struggling with this one, because your words keep changing. Try it one more time,"

"What, inner stinked?"

Jenny laughed again, as much at the wrong translation, as Hekki looked so cutely oblivious to what was going on. She thought intently for a moment, and then her face lit up with recognition. She laughed again, "The translation should've been, _instinct_."

"Yes, of course, this is what I said," Hekki stated.

"I know, it's just a misinterpretation," Jenny said, as her attention turned to the snake training session.

Hekki slowed, and then stopped, watching Jenny as she stood transfixed by the spectacle. Seven snake-handlers were working with the wild snake.

"How do you capture something like that, and how do you get it to stay?" Jenny asked.

It was obvious to her, if the snake wanted to leave, there was absolutely nothing they could do to keep it there.

"The only power we have over it, is that there are so few female snakes in the wild, and we have domesticated females snakes. The male snake craves female buddy boat. That's the only control we have over it," Hekki admitted.

"Oh, oh, there's another one. What does 'buddy boat' mean?" Jenny asked, but kept her eyes on the fierce action.

"You know, he desires female company," Hekki explained.

"Hmm, 'buddy,'...companion? 'Boat'...ship! Companionship!" Jenny blurted, proud of her deciphering achievement.

Hekki looked at Jenny with a look of confusion at her behavior, "That's what I said, companionship. Another translation error?"

"Yeah, but Obos has already fixed it, he's fast."

Jenny watched the fierce action for awhile, marveling again at the strength of these magnificent creatures.

"Let me show you some, more docile snakes," Hekki invited, and led the way to a more calm area, where some snakes lazed about on the dusty ground.

"How would you like to go for a ride?" Hekki suggested.

"Solo?" Jenny asked hopefully.

Hekki smiled, "That was my plan, if you're ready for it."

"I've watched you handle the snakes for days, and even though I'm sure there's much more to it, I think I could handle an obedient one," Jenny said confidently.

"I know you can," Hekki agreed.

"I'll start you on Shakir over there. She's very obedient, but lazy. She'll be a good start for you," Hekki said, as he walked over to grab a saddle.

"The saddles are for comfort and safety. Here. - You take the saddle, and I'll instruct you," Hekki said. "And you may keep this helmet. It's a gift from me, to you."

"Thank you, that's nice of you."

She fastened on the helmet and then took the saddle, strapping it to her back, the way she'd seen the Treech snake-handlers do it, and immediately climbed up the spikes on Shakir's side. She draped her body over the snakes back, threw over one leg, and pulled herself into a straddled sitting position, a little ways behind its protective hood.

"Medium rare!" Hekki congratulated.

Jenny chuckled, "I think you mean, well done."

Hekki began to go through the steps of how to mount the saddle, but he realized, Jenny was always a step ahead of his instruction. So he stopped, and just watched and smiled.

The growing crowd of Treech onlookers murmured to themselves.

"Well, you really have been paying close attention. That's perfect!" he said, sounding very impressed.

Jenny took her seat on Shakir, and suppressed her desire to give the "go" command. She didn't want to overstep her boundaries and anger Hekki. She leaned forward and spoke, "Hi Shakir, I'm Jenny," just like she used to talk to her horse, Polka, back on Earth.

"Now, the voice command for go is krut. If you want your snake to speed up, you repeat the command," Hekki instructed. "The snakes are trained to be very sensitive to pressure from your knees and feet."

Hekki climbed aboard his own snake and demonstrated.

"Ok, let's give it a try," Hekki said.

"Krut!" Jenny called. She felt a little self conscious due to the curious onlookers.

Shakir flexed her body spines and slowly moved forward.

"Good, now..." Hekki started to say, but Jenny didn't like this pedestrian pace too much.

"Krut, krut, krut!" she called and Shakir surged forward.

The crowd cheered and ran after her, while Hekki was momentarily left behind. Jenny successfully guided Shakir by using pressure with her knees. The Treech were delighted that someone with absolutely no experience, could ride like it was second nature. Hekki finally caught up to Jenny. "You seem to have mastered it already," he smiled, proud of his young protégé. "It must've been all of my expert instruction," he bragged.

Jenny smiled, "I'm sure there's a lot more to riding that I still need to learn, but this sure is fun."

Hekki instructed Jenny on the basics of riding a snake. She practiced for an hour and picked up on it quickly.

"C'mon Shakir, let's show him what you've got. I'll race you around that shack way down there and back." Jenny challenged Hekki, as she leaned forward in the saddle and shouted, "Krut krut krut!"

Before Hekki could respond or get ready, Shakir and Jenny left him and his snake in their dust. Hekki welcomed the challenge and urged his snake forward as well. "Krut krut krut!" he called, and his snake took off in hot pursuit of Jenny and Shakir. The Treech onlookers looked on with interest as the race developed. Shakir wasn't the fastest snake in the stable, but Jenny had made sure to get a good head start. She urged Shakir to go faster, and looked back at her rapidly approaching competition. Jenny rounded the shack at the far end of the cavern and headed for home. She met Hekki coming full speed from the other direction. "The stables are the finish line!" Hekki yelled, as he passed Jenny in a cloud of dust. Jenny still had a lead from the head start, but Hekki was gaining fast, as his snake was a good deal swifter. He rounded the shack and headed for the finish line. The crowd now realized a race was in progress, and they cheered on their favorite racer. Surprisingly, most cheered for the underdog, Jenny. Jenny looked behind her and saw that Hekki was closing rapidly.

"C'mon Shakir, krut, krut, krut!" Jenny urged her snake through gritted teeth, reveling in the exhilaration of the moment. Hekki's snake was soon on Shakir's tail, and slowly inching up, with the finish line quickly approaching. The Treech yelled encouragement to Jenny, and jumped up and down. Jenny looked over and saw Hekki's face beaming with enjoyment. They crossed the finish line with Shakir in front by a tusk tip. The Treech cheered in appreciation and admiration as they ran towards the two racers.

"Good race, Jenny," Hekki congratulated, as they both slowed their panting snakes.

"Thanks for taking it easy on me," Jenny said.

"Whatever, do you mean?" Hekki said, pretending to be taken aback by her comment.

"You let up on me at the end, so I could win," Jenny accused.

"Your new fans don't know that," Hekki said, as excited Treech overwhelmed them.

Jenny could make out some of the comments amongst the excited buzz.

"Where did she learn to ride like that?"

"She rides like an experienced snake-handler!"

"Do you think she's the one?"

"The prophecy is finally coming true."

"It's finally happening, as it is written in the Masta, 'the savior will come from a far away place, small in stature but great of heart. Compassion and bravery will be the chosen one's character. The one will welcome, embrace, and master the art of snake charming, and become fate's provider.' Praise the Masta. She is the one!"

"She's come to deliver us from dehydration, as it was predicted."

Hekki saw the confused look on Jenny's face.

"Come, Jenny, I'll show you how to care for a tired snake," Hekki said, and he led Jenny and the two exhausted snakes away from the buzzing crowd, towards the open-air stables.

"What're they talking about, Hekki?" Jenny asked, "And what's the Masta?"

Hekki's expression became serious. "The Masta is our holy book. It was written centuries ago, by our mystic of that generation. For every generation, there's a new mystic. It's always a female, and the only child born from the current mystic. And so the chain continues, unbroken," Hekki explained, but his voice trailed off with his final words. "Until the chain was broken thirty-five years ago, when the future mystic was kidnapped as an infant by the surface giants. We still don't know what has become of her. We believe she was killed by the cruel surface dwellers," Hekki explained, with an obvious bitterness in his voice.

"That's horrible! Why would they do such a thing?" Jenny asked, her face expressing the disbelief and horror of such an unspeakable act.

"We'd just discovered a small reserve of Rhonar water that had been hidden centuries before, and we were happy to share it with the giants, who were experiencing a plague at the time. The giants claimed the entire reserve was their rightful property, and demanded we return it to them in its entirety. They referred to a disagreement with the Treech centuries before, which had been the reason the Rhonar water was hidden in the first place. We needed some of the Rhonar water for our own sick, and mentioned, we were happy to share, but wouldn't give it all up. The giants cleverly hid their frustration and anger at our response, and invited Treech dignitaries to the surface to be honored for our generosity, including our mystic and her newborn child. We went in good faith, only to have the baby stolen from her crib as she slept. We, of course, gave in to their demands, and passed over the entire store of Rhonar water. But true to their deceptive nature, the baby mystic was never returned. And so, when our current mystic dies, there'll be no successor. Our present mystic has not spoken to anyone for thirty-five years, heartbroken by the events of that time. The Treech have suffered deeply from this incident. We haven't had the benefit of our mystic's wisdom and foresight to help us along, as we've always had in the past. It remains a mystery, why the mystic didn't foresee the devastating occurrence of that time and advise against going to the surface thirty-five years ago."

Jenny was confused at Hekki's reference to years, when Obos had just told her that the Treech didn't use the same measurements of time that she did. She made a mental note to ask Obos about it later.

Hekki pulled a thick, well-used book, with a black cover from his pocket. "You asked about the Masta, and the predictions made by the mystic of that time many generations ago. Many of those prophecies have already come to pass, and many more have yet to. The most intriguing tells of a water shortage, such as we've never experienced before, to the point of near extinction of the Treech race. It tells of a stranger from a faraway land, who will come to us with marvelous supernatural powers. The stranger will be small of size, but a giant of heart and moral character. Although it is written that the stranger delivers us from dehydration for thousands of years to come, the Masta does not explain how the savior achieves this goal. Some of the Treech people believe the prediction is coming to pass, and our envisioned savior is you," Hekki explained, as he opened the book to a marked page.

Jenny's jaw dropped, and her eyes opened wide. "Oh, my, goodness. It's happening!"

"You know about this?" Hekki asked.

"Well, kind of, although I've been skeptical about it up until now. One of these days I'll learn to trust Relli's visions."

Jenny looked into Hekki's vibrant blue eyes and realized he was waiting for more of an explanation.

"I recognize the style of lettering from this book. Is this the Masta?"

Hekki looked puzzled. "This is a copy of it, yes. You've seen it before?"

"My housekeeper, back on Earth, is a bit of a mystic herself, and she predicted this was going to happen. Actually, she's been having dreams about this since she was my age. She's even memorized and re-written a passage from the holy book in her dream, and this looks exactly like it. I just can't believe it's actually happening, and I still find it hard to believe I'm the one you've been waiting for. Sheesh, I'm just a kid," Jenny said, feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility thrust upon her. "Do you believe in the prophecy, Hekki?"

"The Masta is our holy book and our religion, and we all believe in it completely. The past mystics have correctly predicted many occurrences, although I've not witnessed any prophesies coming true. And unfortunately the mystic of my time, has not spoken while I've been alive, so we haven't had the benefit of her short-term visions. The Masta forecasts the dire situation we're now facing, including the fact that you're from a far away land. And, you're keen to learn the ways of the Treech, and easily master the art of snake charming, as it is written. It's also stated, the savior will be a compassionate, generous, and caring soul. I've only known you for a short time, but already I know you possess all of these qualities, Jenny of Earth. It's an intriguing coincidence to say the least, and easy to see how a desperate people would feel the way they do. And it doesn't hurt the argument that the planet you come from, has an abundance of water," Hekki said, looking deep into Jenny's eyes.

"Don't look at me that way, Hekki. It's way too much pressure to expect _me_ to save a race from extinction," Jenny stopped and thought about Earth, and the killer comet, and how she'd helped save _her_ race from extinction. But no, that was a totally different situation, and she'd had Born's help back then. But Born was here too, and the Traveler, with all of its water on board, and Earth with its abundance of water, - and what about Relli's dream, and her prediction that 'worlds of adventure await you' and, 'you'll achieve great deeds'. But how could she possibly pull this off. Jenny's mind raced around in circles.

"You're right, it's far too much to load on one person, to expect them to fulfill such a prophecy. Please try to ignore it and make the best of your stay here," Hekki comforted a confused Jenny.

The prediction was constantly on Jenny's mind as she stood on a platform and poured buckets of cool sand over the hot snakes.

"Can we try tunneling tomorrow?" Jenny asked, as she and Hekki left the stable.

Hekki laughed. "You are a game student, aren't you? Snake riding students usually don't get to try tunneling for months. But we shall see, you _are_ an exceptional pupil."

"Well, I may be here for months, but I don't want to wait that long," Jenny said.

"It doesn't look like they're having much luck training that wild snake," Hekki said, as they stopped to watch the snake-handlers, in full body armor, trying to control the stubborn snake. He was much more annoyed with the handlers than when they first passed by. Anytime one of the Treech managed to climb up on his back, he'd rear up and hurl them off, and they would land with a clank of metal armor, and a groan of pain.

"Whoa, he looks really mad now," Jenny commented.

"Yes, I think they may be pushing him too hard," Hekki admitted.

"It was on Kolkar's orders that we break this snake today, so that he may be ready for the upcoming water seeking expedition. - But it's too much, too soon, especially for such a high-spirited snake. Someone is going to get badly injured. You'd better return to your hut. They look like they can use some help," Hekki said, as he walked towards the training session to speak with the frustrated handlers. He knew their patience level wasn't what it should be to handle such a fierce and stubborn snake. But he also realized that an imposed deadline and the desperate need for water were fueling their frustration.

Jenny did as she was instructed and began to walk back to the village. She was followed at a distance by a group of Treech of all ages.

.

"Hey, Obos, what about this time reference thing? Hekki has talked about centuries, years, and months and days. I thought you said there was no translation of time possible?" Jenny asked as she walked back to her lodging.

"It's much easier to guess at a time frame going from Treech to English, because you have so many time increment references in your language. Not so, going from English to Treech though. But, I'm doing the best I can in order to keep communication flowing," Obos explained.

"I know you are, and I appreciate your attentiveness. It makes things so much easier when we can converse freely. Some of your guesses seem pretty precise though. Like the Treech mystic baby's kidnapping thirty-five years ago."

"Yes, well, I do have some insight into that matter, as I was in service during the ordeal. So I do know accurately when the situation took place," Obos explained Jenny's attention kept going back to the snake training area, where loud Treech shouts, and angry snake grunts and groans could be heard. A rising cloud of dust soon obscured her view.

"You can't tame a snake like this in a few days," a snake-handler complained to Hekki. "How does Kolkar expect us to have him ready for the water seeking expedition? It's impossible!" he said, gritting his teeth in anger. "In my opinion, this snake is untamable. He's just too stubborn!"

Hekki smiled sympathetically. "Well, I think you're correct in one regard, he is too stubborn to tame in the time allotted. He's definitely a handful, but if we could tame him, he has great water seeking ability, and lots of spirit."

"Yes, too much!" the handler agreed.

"Let me lend you a hand," Hekki said.

"You'd better put on some armor. He's already injured three of our men, and I'm afraid he may kill someone before the day is done," the handler warned.

There were men in armor flying everywhere. The wild snake was getting more angry and agitated by the minute. Hekki mounted his snake in full body armor, and joined in on the training session. Unfortunately, his help didn't make any difference with the stubborn snake. As a matter of fact, things were getting worse. The wild snake was beginning to attack the snake trainers, which was a sure sign the session should be abandoned. It snapped its huge powerful jaws at its tormentors. The armor would be no protection from its mighty tusks and teeth, which made a tremendous, deafening thud when closed with force.

"Abandon the session!" Hekki yelled to his men. "We're losing him."

But it was too late, the wild snake snapped. It had had just about enough of this nonsense, and it threw a handler high into the air. The trainer windmilled his arms in a futile attempt to control himself. He landed in an unconscious heap on the ground. The only movement was a rising cloud of dust surrounding him. The three remaining handlers hung on to the ropes, in a vain attempt to control the enraged snake. They were jerked off the ground by the powerful beast, and flung effortlessly through the air. The wild snake broke free, and sped off in a rage towards the village. The Treech that had been watching now scattered for their lives. Hekki and a few handlers gave chase on their snakes, yelling a warning to the village.

"Mad snake, look out!"

Jenny was almost to the village when she heard the warning shouts. She turned and saw the wild snake speeding towards the village, smashing through anything in its path.

"Catch it before it reaches the village!" Hekki yelled to his comrades, as they sped after the out of control wild snake.

Jenny saw Treech flee from a building on the outskirts of the village, just before the snake smashed through it. It reared up like a cobra, and let its full weight smash down on the seemingly frail wooden structure. The handlers were still well behind the rogue snake as it continued towards the village. Just up ahead, a small Treech child stood frozen in fear in the path of the charging snake. The snake-riders realized they could do nothing to avert a tragedy; they wouldn't be able to catch up in time. The parents of the child ran out of their home when they heard the commotion.

"Wild snake! There's a child in its path!" someone yelled.

The mother and father of the endangered child got a sudden feeling of anxiety as only a parent can feel, as they realized their child was out and about. They ran to an area out of immediate danger, but close enough to see what was happening, and their worst fears were realized.

"Krinka!" the mother screamed in horror, and her hands went to her face when she saw her daughter in the path of the charging snake. The father courageously ran towards his beloved daughter, but he knew he'd be too late. Unless the snake altered its path, the child would be crushed. Everyone watching had a feeling of helplessness, and hoped for a miracle. Jenny looked around, and realized that no one within helping distance, was willing to risk their life in order to aid the child, so she leaped into action herself. There was no time to hesitate to think it over, so Jenny reacted instantly. She recognized the only way to prevent this tragedy, would be to divert the snake's attention away from the child. Reaching into her pocket, Jenny released the control module for her gravity displacement suit and quickly reduced the gravity imposed on her body. At full speed, in gravity-reduced bounds, Jenny propelled herself between the snake and the terrified child, directly into the gaze of the rampaging snake. She yelled and waved her arms frantically as she jumped up and down, in high gravity decreased jumps. She yelled words she'd heard the snake-handlers use, although she didn't know what most of them meant.

"Hakrek! Krut! Takrit! Salek! Chreeh!"

The tactic worked, and the snake zeroed in on Jenny, as it recognized the words that had sent it into its rampaging rage. Jenny then moved off to the side and away from the endangered child, as she continued her loud, exaggerated movements, hoping the snake would come after her. The scheme worked, and the angry snake diverted its course from the little Treech girl and came straight at Jenny, bent on destruction. The father of the little girl instantly reacted to the turn of events, and took advantage of his opportunity. He ran up and scooped his love and joy into his arms. She held out her arms to him, tears streaming down her terrified little face. The father ran as fast as he could to relative safety, where the relieved mother waited with open arms. Her tears of horror had transformed into tears of joy and relief. The rest of the Treech watched in shocked silence as the events continued to unfold. Jenny now feared for her own life, as she saw the enraged snake bearing down on her. She turned and ran, leading the mad snake away from the populated village. Hekki and the rest of the pursuing snake-handlers had watched helplessly as Jenny performed her selfless act of heroism, and they continued to give chase. Jenny realized she couldn't outrun the rapidly closing snake, even with the aid of the gravity displacement suit. Recognizing that the snake-handlers wouldn't be able to help her, Jenny turned to face the rogue snake. She fumbled with the control module, trying to reduce gravity even more, but clumsily dropped the module on the ground.

"Shoooot!" she muttered in frustration.

She reached for it, her wide eyes still glued on the charging snake.

The next moment seemed like an eternity. Jenny saw the massive jaws open wide, ready to strike, and at the last moment, she grasped the controller, spun the dial to reduce gravity some more, and leapt high into the air. She closed her eyes and winced, momentarily feeling the rush of hot snake breath on her face. The snake's jaws snapped closed, with a crushing thud. The wild snake saw Jenny fly up in front of its face, and realized it had missed with its death strike, so it turned to locate her. Jenny adjusted her gravity suit to complete weightlessness, and breathed a sigh of relief as she hovered safely above the action.

The mad snake's attention was now diverted by the arrival of Hekki and his men. The townsfolk watched in awe and disbelief, as Jenny floated inexplicably above the conflict, and the snake-riders tried to contain the wild snake. The ferocious beast snapped at Hekki and his men, and Jenny recognized an opportunity to act. Floating to the ground, Jenny knew she had to act fast, and fear had left her for the time being. She ran up behind the distracted snake, leapt onto its back, and scurried into the saddle the handlers had painstakingly placed there hours before. The snake didn't even notice Jenny on its back, as she'd wisely provided her body with near weightlessness.

"Jenny, what're you doing? Get down from there!" Hekki yelled, but she didn't answer. She wanted to remain undetected by the wild snake.

Her strategy worked, as the snake felt no extra weight on its back. Jenny wasn't quite sure why she was doing this. Deep in the back of her mind she felt maybe, she could control the valuable snake, and return it to Hekki for continued training, but she soon realized the error of her plan.

The untamed snake continually backed up towards a field of crops, and beyond that, the cave wall. Hekki and his group tried to throw ropes around it, but they all knew it was pointless. It snapped at the ropes, and then suddenly turned and made a dash for the cave wall. The powerful beast crashed through the dry crops as Jenny held on for dear life. Jumping off did cross her mind, especially with Hekki's words ringing through her ears, "Jenny, jump off! Jump off!" he yelled, as he and his snake-handlers continued the chase on their own snakes. She still felt she might be able to help from her position. After all, none of the snake tamers had been able to sit atop this snake for more than a few seconds, and she was now latched on for what would become the ride of her life. Jenny saw the cave wall looming in front of her, and she realized, this wild snake was going to tunnel to freedom. She scrambled for the safety of the snake's protective neck plate, and got underneath just as the snake crashed into the cave wall with tusks and fangs bared. It tunneled quickly, and soon disappeared into the cave wall, leaving behind a trail of dust. Hekki and his men soon caught up to Jenny and the unmanageable snake, because its progress was slowed by the need to tunnel. They followed close behind in the newly formed tunnel, but were unable to, and unaware of how, to rescue Jenny. The out of control snake sensed the closeness of its pursuers. It headed for open and already established tunnels, so it could make good its escape, or have room to turn and fight. They burst into the open tunnel system and surged forward. Jenny peeked back and saw Hekki and his men emerge into the corridor, one by one on their snakes.

"Jenny! Jump!" Hekki yelled from behind.

" _Jump off, Jenny_ ," Jenny thought to herself. _"This is your last chance...No! You need to stay,"_ a voice inside her head advised her. She wasn't sure whose voice it was, but one thing was for certain, it was annoying, because she _really_ wanted to jump off.

She stayed put, as the runaway snake sped through the passageways.

The pursuers soon realized chase was futile, as the strong young snake slowly but continually pulled away from the trailing group. Jenny moved herself cautiously back into the saddle and looked back. The lights on the helmets of Hekki's group got dimmer and dimmer, as the wild snake pulled away. Every turn the crafty snake took in the intertwining tunnel system made it harder for Hekki to follow, and they soon lost sight of Jenny. The wild snake continued to go hard for a while, until it was sure it had lost its pursuers, and then it slowed its pace.

" _Now, you've done it_ ," Jenny thought to herself. " _Not only do they have to worry about water, and possible extinction, now they have to worry about finding me. - If, they even bother. What difference does it really make to them if they find me; they still have Born as a hostage. Way to go, Jenny. You're heroics have gotten you into a real predicament_."

The fear that had been absent when the action was fierce, began to creep into Jenny's mind. She suddenly realized the very real possibility of a lonely death, deep in the dark passages of Spacemark Four.

" _Why did I do that? That has to be the dumbest thing I've ever done,"_ Jenny thought, as the now calm snake, wound his way through the complex tunnel system.

' _I think I need Relli right now. I just hope I'm calm enough to reach her,"_ Jenny thought, as she closed her eyes and concentrated on home.

.

Relli kept tuned in, and could sense subtle changes in the energy pattern associated with Jenny and her surroundings. She kept a vigilant alertness to any change that may occur. She was in the process of vacuuming, when she became aware of a surge to the delicate balance of Jenny's emotional indicator. Relli immediately dropped what she was doing and sat on the couch so that she'd be able to dedicate her full attention to the signal. She was so on edge, that she was startled when her psychic headset rang.

"Oh, my goodness!" she said aloud, and then settled back into a state of super consciousness.

She traced the signal through space, until the path led her deep within the earth of Spacemark Four.

" _Hello, Jenny,"_

" _Relli! Thank goodness I reached you! I've put myself in a real predicament. Believe it or not, as we speak, I'm riding a deranged, untamed snake, and I'm lost in the tunnels of Spacemark Four! Relli, I don't know what came over me, well I do at first, a little child was in danger, and I had to do something. But, after that, I was safe, and all I had to do was wait it out, but instead, I hopped onto this crazy snake's back and let him take me away from the village! Even when I had one last chance to escape, I didn't! Am I crazy, or what! I heard a voice inside my head telling me to stay put. Was it you? Because, it didn't sound like you. I think I've really done it this time, I think I'm done for. Relli, I'm really starting to get scared!"_ Jenny rambled.

Jenny heard Relli's relaxed response deep within her mind, _"Calm down, Jenny,"_ Relli said in a peaceful tone. _"Getting excited won't help matters. I'm sure your kidnappers will send out a search party. You're very valuable to them, and I'm sure they know the area like the back of their hand."_

" _But this snake is so clever, and fast. I don't think they'll ever catch him. The only chance I have is if he returns on his own. And they still have Born as a hostage, what do they need me for? They may not even come looking for me."_

" _I sense that these are not barbaric people. I'm sure they will do all they can to find you. Now, how long has it been since you left the village area?"_ Relli asked.

" _Not too long, why?"_

" _Because, I think your best chance of being rescued is to stay put, and let them come to you. That means, getting off that snake,"_ Relli advised.

" _But that's the problem. I've known for a while that I needed to get off, and all would be fine, but I can't seem to make myself do it. It's really weird,"_ Jenny explained.

" _Then you should stay put, if that's what your heart is telling you to do."_

" _Oh my goodness, this is so hard. It's like, the hardest decision I've ever had to make. I know my best chance to be rescued is to just jump off and wait, but something is holding me here, telling me to stay put,"_ Jenny said, sounding very frustrated.

" _What can I say, Jenny? Obviously you're going to do what you think is best, or at least what you feel compelled to do. My advice is useless to you at this point. I can see no path that will lead to the completion of your predestined assignment. I know it's old and tired, and you're sick of hearing it, but..."_

Jenny interrupted with a sigh of acceptance, _"Yeah, I know, just follow my heart, and all will fall into place."_

" _I feel as frustrated as you do, Jenny. I want to help, but your future is shrouded in a fog of mystery. I can't penetrate it. It's like our future, yours and mine, is being hidden from me. I feel like I'm such a part of this whole scenario, but yet, I'm being locked out, and I'm confused what my part in this really is. Most things in the future, I can see as clear as a bell, but for all of my life, you, and this situation, have just been a haunting mystery to me. Yet, it's the most important thing in my life."_ Relli explained.

" _Relli, focus please! Remember, I'm the one whose life is in danger, lost under the ground of an alien planet,"_ Jenny reminded.

" _Of course, I'm sorry, Jenny. I'm sure this will all become clear to us both as time goes on, but for now, I hate to say this, you're on your own. One of the important qualities you possess is your ability to think on your feet, to be able to adapt to new, and sometimes-dangerous circumstances. You'll choose the right path; you can trust me on that one. I'm sorry, Jenny, I'm afraid all I can offer is reassurance and encouragement. As usual, you're left to your own ingenuity. Remember the killer comet, and how you solved all of the obstacles on your own. I was just there for moral support. Well, this is exactly the same thing, only different,"_ Relli said.

" _Well, that clears things up for me,"_ Jenny said sarcastically _. "But seriously, you've helped to boost my confidence, and now I know what I have to do. Don't ask me why, but I'm staying put,"_ Jenny said emphatically.

Relli winced to herself at Jenny's decision, but said with confidence, _"That's my girl, you'll be just fine,"_

" _I sure hope so, there's a lot of people counting on me. They seem to think I'm the person whose coming was foretold in their holy book, "The Masta",_ _which coincidentally, sounds like the holy book from your dream,"_ Jenny mentioned.

Relli gasped, _"Of course, The Masta!"_

" _What, you've heard of it?"_ Jenny asked.

" _Not until now, but I recognize the title from somewhere."_

" _This is so weird, you've got to be tied to this in some way other than me,"_ Jenny said.

" _I sure feel like I am, and I sure hope I find out soon why I have this feeling, because it's tearing me apart not knowing. But you're my main focus now, so, you know what you need to do."_

" _Yeah, I know. I promise I'll follow my heart. It better lead me in the right direction, that's all I've got to say."_

" _It will, guaranteed,"_ Relli assured.

#

Chapter Eight: Snake Charming

Hekki and his men returned to their village, tired and dejected. They had searched in vain for hours, with no sign of Jenny or the wild snake. Hekki was at a loss as to what to do.

"They're back!" someone shouted, and word spread quickly of their return.

The townsfolk had been spreading word of Jenny's amazing act of heroism. They all emptied from their homes, or left their work to get word of what had happened, including Born and Kolkar. Born was worried sick, and Kolkar was greatly concerned, as were all of the Treech citizens. The Treech who had witnessed the whole episode, were reinforcing the claim that Jenny was the one who's coming had been foretold, to save them and deliver them from dehydration. Others were more skeptical, and they argued, she couldn't be the one, because now she may be gone for good, never to be seen alive again. All did agree though, that she was a hero, and everyone wished for her safe return, no matter how remote a possibility it was. It was soon apparent however, she wasn't with the returning party, and that her safe return was next to impossible.

"What happened?" Kolkar asked.

"We lost it. It was too fast and too clever for us, and no sign of Jenny. For some reason, she stayed with the snake, even though she had ample opportunity to jump off. I want to get fresh snakes and supplies, and go back in to search some more," Hekki said.

"Take your snakes to the stable area and come to see me before you do anything," Kolkar instructed.

Just then, Born came running up. "Did you find her?" he asked frantically.

"No," Hekki answered.

"Well, you're going back to continue the search, aren't you?"

"Yes, of course," Hekki answered.

"Come and see me before you make any promises, Hekki," Kolkar interjected.

Hekki shot a glance over to Kolkar. "What do you mean? We are going back in, aren't we?"

"I don't want to discuss it here. Come to see me as soon as you've dismounted," Kolkar insisted.

Hekki dismounted. "There, I'm dismounted. When can I go back in?"

"I _don't_ want to discuss it here," he repeated more forcefully, as he scanned all of the villagers' inquiring faces.

"Born, will you come as well please," Kolkar said, and he led the way to his quarters.

Once inside Kolkar's home, Hekki closed the door behind them.

"Hekki, what are the chances of finding her?" Kolkar asked.

"Slim, but there still is a chance, and I feel we must exercise any option that may bring Jenny back safely," Hekki stated, and Born nodded in agreement.

Born realized, Jenny had already endeared herself to Hekki, just as she'd done to himself, back on Earth. She had an unconscious knack for that.

"After all, she single handedly led that wild snake away from the village, where it would surely have caused damage and deaths," Hekki continued.

"Yes, I understand all of that, but I have to look at the big picture. We need water desperately. We have a water-seeking mission planned, and I can't afford to lose my water seeking captain, and good seekers at this time...especially when the possibility of finding her is remote," Kolkar stated sternly.

"Furthermore, we could have used that wild snake; he would've been a valuable water seeking benefit, but now he's gone, too. We lost a hostage, and a good snake, in one instant. How did this happen?" Kolkar demanded.

"He was too wild, and too stubborn. Granted, he would've been a great water seeker, but there just wasn't enough time to tame and train him. The trainers pushed him too hard and too fast, on your orders, and he snapped," Hekki explained.

"And as far as Jenny, she courageously came to the aid of a child she saw in danger of being killed, and then led the snake away from a populated area, all for a group that kidnapped her, and was holding her for ransom," Hekki boiled over. "I think we owe her the courtesy of a search party, or else we're no better than the giants are," Hekki concluded strongly.

"Okay, that's enough! Send in a search party then, but make it a combination water seeking and search mission," Kolkar said.

"But I want to leave immediately! We're not ready for the water-seeking mission yet! Departure was supposed to be tomorrow!" Hekki argued.

"Then you'll have to wait until tomorrow. That's my compromise. - Take it or leave it."

"Yes, sir," Hekki said angrily, as he turned on his heel and stormed out of Kolkar's office.

"Is there any chance of Jenny being found?" Born asked apprehensively.

"There's a remote possibility, but you must understand, there are thousands of kilometers of intertwining tunnels in there, and the chances of stumbling upon her before she dehydrates are very improbable," Kolkar said. "I'm so very sorry."

"I'm sorry to bring this up at such a sensitive moment, but is there any word from your superiors on our ransom demands?" Kolkar asked.

"No, not yet. I think they're hoping the giants' rescue attempts are quickly successful," Born answered.

"Hmm, how unfortunate. It may be a long time before this is resolved. That's why this last water-seeking mission is so vital. I'm sorry events have taken a turn for the worst."

"Yes, me too," Born said, and he returned to his quarters and wept.

Suddenly Born had an idea, and he sat upright. "Obos!" he said to himself, and immediately got in touch with his on board computer.

"Obos, is it possible for you to transfer my transmission through to Jenny?" he asked urgently.

"Yes, it is achievable," Obos replied.

A brief moment passed before Obos said, "The connection has been made, you may now talk to Jenny."

Born shifted to the edge of his seat. "Jenny, can you hear me?" Born's excited voice came through on Jenny's earpieces.

Jenny heard Born's voice, but had to resist the urge to answer back. She still didn't want to alert the snake of her presence.

Born began to sag in his chair. "Jenny, please respond," came his troubled plea, but again there was no answer, and Born slumped over once again and cried.

.

A few hours passed, and Jenny decided it was time to make the snake aware of her presence. She remembered how she used to lean over and talk softly into the ear of her horse, Polka, in order to calm him down when he got scared or excited. She decided to try to talk to this beast in the same manner. Jenny spoke as softly and calmly as she could, but tensed up as she spoke, because she wasn't sure how he'd react.

"Hello, my name is Jenny," she said, and she braced herself.

The snake stopped, and listened.

"Hello, boy. I'm glad you're calmed down now. I'm your friend. There's no need to be scared of me," she said.

The snake moved his mighty head back and forth, looking for the source of the soothing voice. Jenny continued to talk. It made her feel better, and she hoped the snake would get used to her voice. She talked about anything that came into her head. Earth, Polka, her father, her brother, Relli, or how she met Born.... she just rambled on. It eased the fear of her predicament, and Jenny felt as though she was bonding with the powerful animal. The snake found her voice soothing, although he was puzzled as to where it was coming from. He soon became accustomed to it, and moved along. At first the snake didn't want to leave the area because he was strangely fond of the voice, and he didn't want to leave it behind, but he knew he must move on. He was pleased the voice came with him, keeping him company wherever he went. Jenny talked continuously. It helped ease her mind, and forget about her problems. Even though the snake couldn't answer her occasional question, Jenny felt as though he was listening intently. Her voice rose to its normal level as she became comfortable. Jenny wanted to attach a name to her new companion, and searched for something appropriate. She mentioned the word "stubborn," which had been used so many times by Hekki to describe the wild snake, and she listened to the translated Treech word. "Grakar" was the word projected from her translator.

"Perfect. How do you like that, Grakar?" Jenny asked.

.

Obos had heard Jenny's voice as soon as she started to talk to Grakar. The computer had heard the entire episode, and the discussions between Born, Kolkar and Hekki, through the communication devices of Jenny and Born, so it knew what was going on.

"Born, I've just heard Jenny speak for the first time since she left the village area. She's currently speaking softly to the wild snake. She sounds calm and well," Obos informed.

Born sagged again, but this time it was because he felt a great weight of worry had been lifted from his shoulders. "What a relief to hear! Please let me speak to her."

"I'd suggest waiting until she contacts you," Obos advised. "She undoubtedly heard your first voice transmission, but felt it best to keep quiet for the time being. Now, she's in the midst of talking to the snake, in order to get it comfortable with her. She's a very wise and focused girl. She'll communicate with you when the time is right, but for now, all we need to know is that she's safe."

"Yes, you're right, of course, Obos," Born said, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

.

Jenny continued to talk to Grakar until she felt comfortable, "Now, I'd better get in touch with Born. He's probably going crazy with worry," Jenny said to herself.

"Obos? It's me. Can you hear me?"

"Hello, Jenny. Are you well?" Obos asked.

"As well as can be expected, I guess. But I think I've done a dumb thing. I'm currently lost in the tunnels of Spacemark Four, and I'm on an untamed snake. I don't know when, or if he'll ever return to K'Lund. I think I'm in big trouble."

"You seem to have done what your instincts directed you to do. Which, to this point, have served you well. I'm a machine that makes decisions based on current data, and logic. I've observed, that you use those, and a third measure for making decisions... intuition. You seem to have been granted a special gift that helps you to make split second decisions most people would never make. I wouldn't rule out the possibility that you've made the right decision, Jenny."

Jenny felt calmed and reassured by Obos' words. "Thanks, Obos. That makes me feel much better. I hope you're right. Have you talked to Born? I'll bet he's worried sick."

"He is, but as soon as I heard your voice, I informed him that you were alright. I'll pass your transmission through to him."

"Thanks, Obos, you're the best. Hello, Born?"

"Jenny! Thank goodness you're all right! What were you thinking? You could've been killed!"

"Well, I guess there's still time for that. I don't know why I did it. I mean, I know why I helped the little girl. I just had to. But, I've no idea why I jumped back onto the snake after I was clear and safe. I think I may have made a big mistake, but something influenced me to stay put."

"Well, help is on the way. Is it possible to jump off and stay put? That would make it easier to find you I think," Born suggested.

"I can't. I've tried to make myself do it, but I just can't. It's weird, something is holding me here. Something is overriding my common sense, and making me do crazy stuff. I'm scared, but I've got to follow this through, and hope it works out for the best. I hope you understand Born."

"No, I don't think I'll ever understand what compels you to do the things you do. You're one of a kind, Jenny. We'll do all we can to find you. Please be careful," Born said, shaking his head at his ludicrous request.

"I'll try. I'll try to keep in touch. Bye for now."

"Yes. I'll see you soon," Born said positively, but hung his head and cried as soon as the transmission was terminated.

.

Most of the tunnels were illuminated, helping Jenny to feel much more comfortable. For the ones that weren't, Jenny switched on the light built into the helmet Hekki had given to her. She added some of her body weight to Grakar's back while she continued talking, and he didn't seem to mind a bit. Jenny wondered how often Grakar needed to drink, and hoped it would be soon, before she died of thirst. Jenny saw the occasional giant armored bug cross their path, seemingly unfazed by their presence. She wondered how far from the Treech village they were now, and if Grakar did find water, if she could somehow remember where it was. That is, if she ever got back. _Grakar must have a cache of water somewhere, or how could he survive?_ Jenny assumed. They came to a long, slow bend in the tunnel. Grakar stopped short, and they saw a frightening scene. It was a group of thirteen long brown beasts, feasting on, and fighting over a recently killed giant bug. Their hard exteriors gleamed in Jenny's lamplight. The beasts were much smaller than Grakar, but longer than Jenny by two or three feet. They reminded Jenny of centipedes, with many legs underneath them. They ripped into the carcass with two long tentacle like feelers, and fed bits of the bugs flesh into their fanged mouths. Four shorter tentacles twisted and squirmed out of their hind ends as well. The creatures were Rachars, swift, meat eating, killing machines. They had evolved to be clever and deadly. Rachars hunted in packs, and used strategy to bring down prey much larger than themselves. A snake was a worthy opponent for a pack of Rachars, and sometimes a group of well-fed Rachars would pass by a snake, not wanting to risk losing members of the pack, but this pack was ravenous. Food was scarce, and the creature they had just devoured had only wet their appetites - but now, here was the main course. Snakes were good eating, as their bodies were all lean muscle tissue. The Rachars stopped their dining, and looked up at Grakar and Jenny. The dead bug hadn't satisfied their ravenous, carnivorous appetites, and they quickly lost interest in what was left of the carcass. The entire pack slowly slinked towards the motionless Grakar, who seemed frozen with fear. Jenny sensed this was a dangerous situation, so she kicked Grakar hard on his sides and yelled, "Krut!" in a firm voice. Grakar instantly snapped out of his trance, as Jenny used her knees to try to steer him. He turned to flee, but the corridor was too narrow, and there wasn't enough time. They were forced to fight for their lives. Grakar charged the pack, and opened his mouth wide to strike, but the Rachars were much too quick, and deftly scurried out of the way. Grakar used his bulk to squash one of the Rachars up against the tunnel wall, and Jenny heard the crunch of its body being crushed. The other twelve were quickly on Grakar, knowing exactly where to strike in order to reach a vulnerable, unprotected area on his body. Their long, probing, stabbing tentacles were capable of piercing Grakar's tough hide. Jenny gasped as she saw the Rachars climb up onto Grakar's side and back, sinking their long, sharp front tentacles into his flesh. Grakar bellowed in pain, and he writhed and scraped against the wall of the tunnel in an attempt to crush them, or knock them off. Jenny saw one of the Rachars coming for her, and she clambered out of the saddle and under the protective hood. The problem was, the hood offered protection from debris from the front and above, but not from the rear. Jenny was trapped. The Rachar crept along the top of Grakar's back towards a helpless Jenny.

"Grakar, close the gap!" Jenny screamed and she kicked her heels into the back of Grakar's neck.

Just as the nasty Rachar reached for Jenny with its salivating mouth and its deadly twisting feelers, Grakar instinctively lifted his head and effectively closed off the opening towards Jenny. Jenny cowered in the front corner of the protective pocket. She pushed hard with her legs and feet, and pressed herself up against the smooth surface. The enclosed area was well lit by Jenny's helmet lamp, and she could see the Rachar's tentacle reaching through the small gap remaining and blindly feeling for Jenny. Angered by this defensive tactic, the Rachar pierced into Grakar's unprotected back with its rear antennae, and then deep with its front ones. It then bit hard into Grakar's back with its fanged mouth, leaving many gaping, oozing wounds. Its front two legs were tipped with a sickle-like claw it used to rake at Grakar's flesh. Grakar continued to writhe and squirm his massive body, trying to shake off the ravaging Rachars latched onto him. Jenny was jostled about and was grateful for her protective helmet. Grakar managed to crush two more, including the one that had attached itself to his back, which now left ten of the cruel beasts. As Grakar battled the fierce Rachars, he moved along the tunnel until it opened up into a larger cave-like area. This finally allowed him to turn and fight. Grakar lowered his head, which created an opening and an opportunity for Jenny to leave the protected area under the hood. She wanted to see what was happening, and maybe be an extra set of eyes for Grakar. She slid out from under the hood and gasped at the sight. "Oh Grakar," she whispered to herself, when she saw the free flowing punctures and gashes. Jenny carefully stepped around the many wounds. Grakar was in full battle mode now, with room to maneuver, and an anger burning in his soul. Even as his lifeblood flowed from his body, he fought with valor and fury. Jenny climbed into the saddle and Grakar rose up high with tusks bared.

"Get 'em Grakar!" Jenny yelled with vengeful fury.

Grakar came down hard onto a Rachar below. He bit deep into the ground, leaving a deep crater where the Rachar had just stood. Grakar shook his head, and tossed the bloody contents of his mouth to the side, where the crushed carcass of the Rachar lay in the rubble.

"Nine more to go, boy!" Jenny yelled, her head turning from side to side to see where the Rachars were attacking. She tried to use her knees to guide Grakar, and to her amazement he responded.

"Whack him, Grakar!" she yelled as a Rachar attacked from the rear. Grakar whipped the hind end of his body and smashed into the surprised Rachar, which sent it crashing into the wall of the cave. Too injured to continue, it slinked off.

"Right, Grakar, right!" Jenny screamed, as she guided with pressure from her knees.

Grakar complied, and swung quickly to the right, just in time to meet another Rachar that was ready to strike. The Rachar surged forward, intent on inflicting more damage. But thanks to Jenny's warning, Grakar was in time. He snatched the surprised Rachar, and clamped down hard onto it, impaling it with his many sharp fangs. Jenny's head was still swiveling back and forth, looking for the next assault.

"Left Grakar, left!" she yelled.

Grakar still had a dead Rachar hanging limp and bloody from his fangs, and wouldn't be able to turn in time to thwart the next attack.

"Tail whip Grakar!" Jenny yelled as she kicked him with her right heel.

To her delight, and surprise, he did just that. Whether it was out of instinct, or with Jenny's guidance, or a combination of the two, Grakar whipped his hind end to the left and smacked the Rachar on the side, sending it skittering across the cave floor. This gave Grakar time to turn his mighty head and lunge at the dazed Rachar, who had breathed its last breath.

"Spin, Grakar, spin!" Jenny yelled, and Grakar spun around to meet the remaining Rachars face to face. With their numbers drastically depleted, and the ominous sight of Grakar's jaws, complete with two of their family members hanging limp and bloody from Grakar's mouth, the rest of the pack admitted defeat, and slunk off to lick their wounds. Grakar shook his head in order to dislodge the dead Rachars, which fell with a thump to the ground. The life or death struggle was over now, and the rush of adrenaline caused by the desperate situation gradually calmed down. Grakar was now feeling the pain from his many wounds, and blood poured freely from the deep gashes. Jenny jumped from atop Grakar, to get a better idea of the damage inflicted by the Rachars. Grakar got his first view of the voice that had kept him company for so many days, and had helped him defeat the Rachars. He turned his head to her and moaned in pain.

"Oh, Grakar," Jenny said mournfully as she walked to his huge head.

His big black eyes looked at Jenny, and his lids slowly closed, revealing his exhaustion. Jenny opened her arms wide, and hugged his big, bony face. Grakar's teeth and face were stained with the blood of the Rachars, which got onto Jenny's clothes, but she didn't care. Her friend and companion was in pain, and she didn't know the implications of his injuries. She left his head, and Grakar opened his eyes to watch Jenny as she surveyed the damage.

Jenny covered her mouth and tears filled her eyes as she looked at all of the gaping, bleeding wounds, up and down the entire length of his body.

"I don't know what to do, boy," Jenny was scared for his life. She didn't know anything about snakes, and if they could recover from such serious looking wounds.

" _Maybe they have superior healing qualities. They've got so many other unique gifts, maybe that's one of them_!" Jenny thought hopefully. One thing Jenny knew for a fact was, now they needed water more then ever. Blood was pouring out of Grakar's wounds, and the lost fluid would need to be replenished. Not to mention, she was in dire need of water herself. Grakar watched Jenny hop back onto his back, and seemed to look to her for guidance. The episode with the Rachars had formed a bond and a trust between the two.

"We need water, Grakar," Jenny said firmly. " Find water, Grakar," she insisted, and she gave him a gentle kick with her heels to get him moving. Grakar blinked his eyes, feeling exhausted and drained. He turned his head forward and moved on, away from the area that just moments before had been full of furious action, and now was the final resting place of several dead Rachars.

#

Chapter Nine: Search and Recovery

"I'll do what I can to get at least some water for your people, Kolkar," Born assured. "But, you must lower your demands. My superiors will never pay such a rich ransom. Water is as precious and rare to us as it is to you. But if I can promise you some water immediately, will you devote more of your resources to finding Jenny?"

"Yes, that certainly would be acceptable. Please understand, I'm not a person without sympathy, but my main responsibility is to the survival of my people. So, yes, by all means, contact your superiors, and convey the situation. I hope they will be sympathetic as well," Kolkar said.

Born immediately got in touch with Obos, and the message was passed on to Soilanglobe.

"Hopefully we'll have an answer soon," Born said, as he concluded his message to Obos.

.

Jenny and Grakar continued along the intricate tunnel system deep within Spacemark Four, although their progress was slowed, and getting slower, as a result of Grakar's waning strength. Jenny could sense Grakar was weakening, and didn't feel there was much hope for either of them, but she tried to stay positive, for Grakar's sake. She continued to talk to him to try to keep his spirits up.

"You're doing great, boy, just keep it up! I know you can do it," Jenny's voice trailed off, and began to break up. Her body was weakening from lack of food and water, and all seemed hopeless now. Her emotions were beginning to take control, and she finally broke down and began to cry. They came to the end of the passageway they had been following for hours. It had progressively become narrower as they continued along it, and now it stopped dead. Grakar opened his mouth, and bit into the wall at the end of the tunnel. Jenny climbed forward to the protective shield of Grakar's bony neck armor, trying to avoid the festering wounds on the back of Grakar's neck. Grakar moaned in pain as Jenny stepped close to the sensitive area. "Sorry, boy," she said, as she found her secure place. He bit into the earth, which luckily was soft and easy to get through in this area, and it yielded easily to Grakar's weakened bite. Jenny sensed Grakar's time was almost up, and she assumed he was looking for a place to die. Jenny suddenly realized, it would also be her final resting place. They slowly tunneled for hours, and Jenny was amazed at the determination of her dying snake. Jenny finally fell asleep from exhaustion, waking occasionally with a start, but then immediately falling back to sleep. Dehydration was tightening its cruel grip on Jenny's life. She felt strangely close to Grakar right now. Jenny dreamed she and Grakar were drifting away from this life, and into a more surreal existence, drifting through time and space, without the constraints or concerns of life, as she'd come to accept them. She felt warm, contented, and resigned to her fate. But then something in her never say die nature woke her with a start, and she became more alert, and aware of a different sensation of movement. Grakar had stopped, but Jenny could still hear his mouth making an unfamiliar sound, and feel his head moving. She crawled out from under his protective hood, and gingerly stepped around his wounds. Jenny thought she could hear the sound of seeping water. With the aid of her Zorbite lamp, she looked around. Grakar had fashioned and was still forming a small cave. The earth here was quite soft, and water was continually seeping into the area Grakar had dug out. Jenny noticed Grakar was eating the water-saturated earth, but not excreting it out of his hind end as he usually did when he tunneled. She realized he was absorbing the liquid and minerals from the earth to nourish his weakened body. She slowly drifted down to the soft muddy floor, and it oozed up around her feet.

"Yuck, but good job Grakar, you found water, or mud anyway."

She noticed Grakar was rolling back and forth, as if trying to get some of the mud into his wounds.

"Does that feel good, Grakar?"

Scooping up a handful of the mud, Jenny gently applied it to one of the wounds on his side. Grakar turned his head, and watched Jenny lovingly apply it. His eyes closed, and he moaned in relief, as Jenny spread it evenly throughout and around the injured area.

"Feel better, boy?" Jenny asked, as she quickly scooped up another handful of the comforting mud, and began to apply it to another gash. She felt light headed, and fell to her knees. Jenny collected herself, and looked over at Grakar, who watched her with concern.

"Sorry boy, I was just a little dizzy there, but I'm fine," she bravely stated, and she struggled to her feet. Grakar tilted his head, and carved a basin into the ground with one of his tusks, while Jenny continued to pack the soothing mud into the many gashes up and down Grakar's body. The basin Grakar had dug out slowly filled with water, and by the time Jenny was done tending to his injuries, it was almost full.

"I don't know if the mud is good for the wounds, but if it helps sooth the pain, then I'm all for it."

Grakar bellowed at Jenny, in order to bring her attention to the little water filled crater. Jenny had been so intent on looking after Grakar, that she hadn't noticed the basin.

"What boy?" Jenny asked, wearily.

Grakar brought her attention to the water filled indentation. Jenny's eyes focused on the puddle, that seemed to have an iridescent glow to it, similar to Grakar's tusks.

"Thanks, Grakar."

Stumbling over to the small pool of water, Jenny fell to her hands and knees. She leaned over, and hungrily slurped it up. It was dirty and gritty, but welcome moisture to a body starved for it. The solution gave her lips and mouth a tingling sensation, and although the water was cool to the touch, it provided her body with a warming feeling, from the inside out. This concerned Jenny momentarily, but the bottom line was, she needed water or she'd perish, so if the water killed her, oh well.

"It's probably radioactive, with my luck."

"There must be a source for this water, eh Grakar? An underground river, or lake or something."

Grakar ate his fill of the water-saturated earth, and fell into a deep sleep. Jenny noticed she could see her breath in the lamplight. She could hear Grakar breathing long and slow as he slept soundly. She hopped up onto his back, and crawled in under his protective hood. Grakar was warm, too warm Jenny thought. Perhaps he was feverish, but the extra warmth felt good, and Jenny fell fast asleep too.

* * *

Born walked to Kolkar's quarters and knocked on his door. He'd just received word from his home planet of Soilanglobe that they would indeed dispense a small portion of their water cargo aboard the Traveler, so the Treech could concentrate their efforts on finding Jenny.

"Come in," came a response from within.

"Ah, Born, good timing," Kolkar said, "I was just notifying Hekki of our agreement. How did your superiors react to the proposal?"

"Positively. They're very concerned for Jenny, and they've agreed to dispense a portion of water to you. However, they want me to mention, we're providing the water only because of the immediate need to find Jenny, but they don't agree with the circumstances."

"Understood," Kolkar nodded. "Hekki, arrange a large party to strike inwards and upwards. I want as many snakes laden with empty water containers as we can spare to go up to the dome of the giants to collect the water. Also, assemble a search party. I'll send my best Treech to look for Jenny. You'll lead the search party, Hekki. Take as much water as you'll need, as we have more coming, and I believe we may be able to convince Born's superiors to provide more should we need it. Right, Born?"

"I'd say there's a good chance, although I don't know how long they'll let this carry on."

"Go now, Hekki, but come to see me before you set out," Kolkar ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

Hekki was relieved to finally go back in and search for Jenny. He quickly arranged an assembly of riders and snakes to go up and collect the water, and a smaller group to go with him to look for Jenny. The entire village came to see them off, and wish them well. They all wanted Jenny to be found safe and sound, and they were happy more water was on the way from the Soilans.

"Good luck!" were the words ringing out as they left.

"Please, let them find her and bring her back alive," were Born's whispered words, as the riders disappeared one by one into the earth.

* * *

Jenny awoke from her sleep, but Grakar didn't. His body was still fighting a fever and sickness, brought on by the many wounds and loss of blood. Jenny felt much better now, quite strong and rejuvenated. She checked Grakar's wounds, which seemed to have absorbed all of the mud she'd packed into them. She collected more of the oddly illuminating mud, and again tended to Grakar's injuries. Jenny thought the gashes seemed smaller, as if they were closing up, but she couldn't be sure - maybe it was just wishful thinking. She drank again from the small pool Grakar had dug out for her, and felt the same strange tingling feeling she'd experienced hours earlier. Jenny passed the time by singing songs to Grakar, who was now burning with fever. She hoped his fever would break, and he'd be okay. She was surprised she didn't seem very hungry, considering she hadn't eaten for days. The muddy water was unusually sustaining, and a blessing she figured had saved her life. Hopefully it would save Grakar's as well. Jenny slept again, warmed by Grakar's fever, but she awoke with a start, cold and shivering. "Oh no!" she said aloud, as she bolted upright. "Grakar!" Jenny was terrified Grakar had died in his sleep, as she couldn't feel his breathing, but he stirred when she called. Grakar's fever had broken.

"Grakar! You're okay!" Jenny shouted with delight, and she crawled out from under Grakar's protective hood and hopped onto his rising head.

"Grakar, you're okay, you're okay," she repeated, as she hugged his powerful head, and wept tears of joy. Grakar let out a mighty yawn, and Jenny laughed as she cried.

"Put me down so I can check you over," she requested, and Grakar complied.

The two of them had bonded in a way that very few ever experience, and they seemed to sense or feel what the other wanted or needed. Jenny slid down from Grakar's face, and hung from one of his huge tusks as he lowered her to the ground. She looked deep into his big black eyes, that reflected back the image of a happy, relieved face of a thirteen-year-old girl.

"I'm so glad you're back, Grakar," she said, and she dropped with a splash onto the ground. Grakar began to eat, scooping up large amounts of mud, and letting it run down his gullet. His body collected and absorbed the moisture and minerals from the wet earth, which fed and strengthened his weakened body. Jenny went about the routine of tending to Grakar's wounds again. The gashes were noticeably healing now. Grakar watched Jenny with loving eyes, as he scooped and swallowed, and Jenny smiled at him every time he looked her way.

"Your wounds are definitely on the mend, Grakar. We're so lucky you found this muddy cavern. I don't know what it is about this mud, but it seems to have some medicinal qualities, and some nutritional benefits as well, especially for you. My strength seems to have returned, but my stomach sure could use some food," Jenny admitted as she felt the pains, and heard the sounds of hunger emanating from her empty belly.

"Fried chicken, french fries, mashed potatoes with gravy, and another pile with lots of butter, corn on the cob, apple pie, ice cream," Jenny's mouth watered as she listed all of the succulent foods she loved, but may never taste again. All the while, Grakar chowed down on his muddy feast, and the cavern increased in size as he did.

"There must be water around here somewhere, don't you think, Grakar. If we could find it, and return to the village with the exact location, it sure would help out the Treech," Jenny said, as she finished up on Grakar's wounds.

Grakar ate his fill and promptly fell back to sleep. His body was still in recovery mode. Jenny had another helping of muddy water, and then snuggling herself under Grakar's hood, she sang herself to sleep. They both slept for hours, and awoke refreshed and ready to move on. Grakar was moving about when Jenny awakened, and immediately began to tunnel.

"Well, I guess you're feeling better," Jenny observed, as she positioned herself.

Grakar tunneled for only a few minutes, when they emerged into a cavern, glowing with dim luminosity. Jenny immediately came out from under the hood to see what was creating the soft light, and she gasped at what she saw.

"Wow! Incredible!" she exclaimed, as her gaze panned over a small lake, gleaming with a turquoise blue iridescence. The entire cavern was illuminated, revealing a multitude of plant life hanging from the walls and ceiling of the area. The air felt warm and moist, and Jenny realized, this underground lake was the reason for the muddy area where they had just spent the last two days. Grakar's head was poking out of the wall of the cavern, and the water surface was several meters below. It looked and smelled beautiful. Jenny deeply breathed in the fragrance of many colorful blooming flowers and fruits, and closed her eyes in relief and contentment. She looked over, and there was a tree rooted to the wall of the cavern, full of fruit. Jenny climbed onto the top of Grakar's head and picked two perfect pieces of fruit. They looked tropical, similar to a papaya, Jenny thought. She sat down on Grakar's head, as her taste buds panged in the back of her jaw, and her mouth watered in anticipation. Jenny held the fruit up to her nose, and smelled its succulent fragrance... but only for a moment... and then she devoured them. They were sweet, juicy and delicious. Jenny closed her eyelids and rolled her eyes upwards. "Mmmm!"

Grakar sniffed the tree as well. He stuck out his spiny tongue, wrapped it around the trunk of the fruit tree, pulled it out by the roots and popped it into his mouth. He closed his eyes and moaned in satisfaction.

"Grakar," Jenny softly scolded as the sweet juice dripped down her chin.

Then both were silent as they enjoyed their delicious treats.

Grakar moved forward, so his head extended further into the subterranean cavern, which increased his reach. He bent forward and chomped off another fruit tree. His mouth full of churning teeth quickly splintered it, and passed it down his crushing throat. Jenny jumped off Grakar's head, onto the trunk of a tree, and shinnied across to feast on some more fruit.

"I've climbed lots of trees before, but never sideways," Jenny said, as Grakar continued to gobble the trees from root to branch.

Jenny hopped from tree to tree, eating several varieties of fruits, and happily filling her tummy. When she got too far away, and Grakar lost sight of Jenny, he would back up and burrow to a spot where he thought she'd be, poking his head into the open area. A piece of earth fell to the water below, spreading ripples that broke the calm of the tranquil water.

"Oh, you found me!" Jenny said from the branches of one of the trees.

They continued this game of hide and seek for a while. Jenny leapt from tree to tree, and hid within the leaves, and Grakar tunneled to find her. He emerged beside her with an uprooted tree in his mouth.

"You found me, again?" Jenny said, somewhat exasperated that Grakar kept finding her. Grakar had figured out that Jenny had a preference for a certain variety of fruit, so he concentrated his search in the area he thought she'd be, and then zeroed in on that type of tree.

"I'm stuffed."

Jenny grabbed hold of one of Grakar's tusks, climbed onto his head, and sprawled out with her hands on top of her swollen belly. Jenny struggled into a sitting position, and looked across the peaceful setting.

"The water color and the way it glows looks like your Zorbite tusks, Grakar. I wonder if this is a Rhonar water pocket I've heard so much about? The mud did heal your wounds very quickly, and the muddy water gave me a lot more energy when I was half starved - and your fever broke after eating the glowing mud. To tell you the truth, I didn't even think you were going to survive, let alone recover so quickly. But I'm sure glad you did," Jenny said, as she tenderly stroked his head.

"Hmm, if this _is_ a Rhonar pocket, it would help a lot of Treech recover. Hopefully sometime we can go back to the village and get some water containers, and return here to fill them up, or show the Treech the location. What do you think, Grakar?"

Grakar let out a long, sorrowful bellow in answer to her question.

"Sheesh, Grakar! It seems like you can understand every word I say sometimes. So why can't I understand you? You don't want me to bring the Treech here, is that it?"

Grakar was silent.

"Well, it's totally up to you, because I couldn't find my way back here in a million years. But, it would save a lot of lives."

Jenny sat in silence, and thought about the subject for a while.

"Is it because this is a special place for you, and you don't want it altered? " She sensed this was the reason.

"Maybe one day we can just transport some of the water back to K'Lund, without revealing the whereabouts of the lake," Jenny concluded, as she gazed into the bright blue water.

They were now only a few feet from the water's surface, and Grakar began to move forward, further out of the hole he'd made in the cavern wall.

"Grakar, what're you doing?"

Grakar continued to move forward.

"No, Grakar!" Jenny yelled, as they clumsily plunged into the deep blue lake.

Jenny swam to the surface and was immediately concerned for her gravity displacement suit. She didn't know if it was designed to be water resistant. She swam to the shore and pulled herself up onto a tree that was leaning over into the water. Jenny was also concerned for Grakar, who hadn't surfaced yet. The gravity displacement suit seemed to be having trouble at the moment. Jenny would suddenly feel heavy, then light, and then just as quickly, heavy again.

"Oh, oh."

"Please be okay, please be okay."

Jenny knew that without the suit, movement would be exhausting. She decided to hang it to dry. As soon as she turned the suit off, Jenny immediately felt the intense heaviness created by the planet's strong gravitational force. She struggled as she draped it across the branches of a tree. Dressed now in just shorts and a t-shirt, Jenny decided to try to go back into the water. She hoped the buoyancy of the water would help to counteract the gravity she was unaccustomed to. Grakar finally surfaced in the middle of the lake with a mighty blow of air. He looked around for Jenny.

"Finally! I was beginning to worry. You're a pretty good swimmer. And you got my gravity displacement suit wet, Grakar," Jenny shouted out across the lake, as she slipped into the water, while keeping her hands firmly on a branch of the tree. She cautiously let go, and found she floated very easily.

"Ahh, that's better," she said to herself, and she plunged headlong into the water and swam out towards Grakar, who was already on his way back to Jenny. Grakar swam in a winding pattern that was very efficient. They reached each other and Jenny grabbed hold of Grakar's head.

"Next time, warn me before you do something like that!" Jenny playfully reprimanded.

The two of them swam for hours, enjoying the warm, relaxing water. Jenny held onto Grakar's head, and allowed him to tow her around the lake. Then he dove down deep into the water. Jenny hung on for a while, and then let go and floated to the surface. Grakar's ability to hold his breath was much greater than Jenny's. Grakar would come up underneath Jenny and gently raise her into the air. She dove off his head, and Grakar chased her, and playfully tossed his companion. Jenny squealed and flailed in the air, before splashing into the luminous lake. It was a wonderful time for them, and the water was soothing and refreshing. For anyone watching from the sidelines, it would have been quite a sight to behold; child and beast, playing carefree, in a beautiful, enchanting setting.

Finally worn out, Jenny struggled to climb onto Grakar's head, where she collapsed in a heap. She lay there, looking up at the green ceiling, while Grakar slowly swam around the lake.

"I wonder if I'll ever get back home again, Grakar? This was supposed to be such a simple trip. I mean, as simple as traveling beyond light speed to alien planets can be. Never in a million years, would I have thought all of this possible. I still have a difficult time getting a handle on what has happened to me over the last month or so. It all seems like a dream, brought on by an over active imagination... but here I am, on top of what I would've considered a monster two weeks ago, _no offence Grakar_ , floating around on its back, in a magical subterranean garden, lost within a planet far away from Earth. It's hard to believe that just over a month ago, I hadn't met Born, and I knew nothing of the comet. It seems like years ago, when I was back home complaining about how boring life was. Well, it isn't anymore!" Jenny let out a big sigh, wishing things could be simpler again.

"I was bored and wanted some excitement in life, but this is a bit more than I would've wished for."

The two of them enjoyed the area for a while longer. They swam, ate, and drank the water that seemed like the elixir of life.

Jenny tried her gravity displacement suit, which was dry now. She sat on top of Grakar's head, as he floated lazily in the soothing water. It was a mighty struggle to put it on.

"Please be okay, please be okay," Jenny chanted to herself, just before she powered it up.

"Thank goodness," she said, relieved that it seemed to be working fine now, after its unexpected dip.

"I wonder if the communication system is still working, I really should touch base with Born."

"Obos? It's me. Can you hear me? Obos?... Oh, oh. I think it's conked out."

She tried for several minutes, but was unsuccessful.

"Oh well. The main thing is that the suit still works. I'd be in big trouble if _it_ didn't. I hope the translator still works. But I suppose I may never need it again."

Jenny could sense by Grakar's restlessness, that he was ready to move on. To where, she hadn't a clue, but she hoped it was back to K'Lund. Jenny crawled under Grakar's neck armor, and he tunneled upwards. He grabbed two more trees by the roots and gobbled them down, as they departed the area. After an hour of tunneling, they emerged refreshed and well fed into a wide corridor.

"You know what, Grakar?"

Jenny crawled out from under the protected area and sat on the back of Grakar's neck. "Your wound is totally healed back here. Hardly even a scar. I'm sure that water was Rhonar water, because it does have amazing powers that helped you to recuperate faster. It's like the fountain of youth."

Jenny thought back to her history lesson about the European explorer Ponce de Leon, who searched for the "Fountain of Youth" in Florida.

"Just call me, Jenny de Leon," she boasted, and she stuck out her chest in mock bravado.

"As I was about to say, we should practice defensive moves, in case we're ever attacked by those nasty little meat eaters again. We make a good team, and I don't want to have to go through what we just went through again. I thought I was going to lose you, Grakar."

"Hmm, we left the saddle behind," Jenny suddenly realized.

"Oh well, I'm used to riding bareback, and the gravity displacement suit should make it easier."

She wriggled and positioned herself into the most secure spot, and practiced for hours with voice and pressure commands to get Grakar to do certain things without even looking. There were tail whips from both sides, body slams, and head thrusts with fangs bared. All of the maneuvers were potential deathblows, and they made a lethal team, with two sets of eyes and Grakar's might. Jenny's favorite move was when she gave the command to rise up like a king cobra, and then strike downwards with a head thrust. She learned to dial her gravity displacement suit to near weightlessness, so she wouldn't slide off. Jenny got a kick out of yelling a battle cry from this attack position, which soon became Grakar's cue to strike. Grakar was very intelligent and learned quickly. He seemed to know what they were training for, and enjoyed the exercises. His love for Jenny was evident in the way he obeyed her every command. His name was Grakar, but he wasn't stubborn anymore. In several days, Jenny had accomplished what a dozen experienced snake tamers had failed to do. Grakar was now tame, at least for Jenny.

#

Chapter Ten: Rachar Revenge

The search for Jenny was in full swing, and the water retrieval party had already picked up and delivered a good quantity of water from the surface. The surface giants had left the water in a pre-arranged spot, and hadn't tried any underhanded tricks, as per the Soilan's instructions.

Hekki had split up the search party into four groups of two, that would rendezvous periodically at a predetermined time and location. After several days of unsuccessful searching, Hekki decided to take most of the remaining water for himself, which would allow him and his partner, Paknor, to continue the search. The remainder of the party would keep just enough water to get them back to K'Lund, where they'd rest for several hours, and then come back in on fresh snakes with more water and provisions. Hekki led Paknor deeper and deeper into the intricate tunnel system of Spacemark Four. It was very tedious work, but Hekki was determined to find Jenny. The two searchers split up at a fork in a passageway, in order to cover more territory.

"Paknor, you take that tunnel and I'll search this one," Hekki instructed.

After only a few moments, Hekki could hear a faint voice from behind him.

"Hekki! Over here!" Paknor shouted.

Hekki turned his snake around and backtracked to the fork where he'd split up with Paknor.

"Paknor! Where are you?"

"Here!" Paknor called back from his position.

Hekki followed the tunnel and rounded a corner to a scene of carnage. Three ravaged Rachar carcasses lay scattered about the tunnel. He examined the scene, and saw signs leading him to believe that a wild snake had been attacked by a group of Rachars, but whether or not it was with Jenny, he couldn't determine. The dead Rachars had been devoured by their own kind. They followed the trail of death along the narrow corridor, until it opened up to the final battleground.

"Wow, this must've been some battle," Hekki said, as he surveyed the death scene.

"The snake involved in this struggle must have been injured itself. There's no way it could've come out of this unscathed. See if you can pick up a trail out of this cavern," Hekki instructed.

"Jenny, if you were here, I hope you're okay, because this must have been quite a fierce fight," Hekki spoke softly to himself, as he took one last look around.

Tracking is difficult underground, so the trail wasn't easy to follow. Markings from years or decades past look as fresh as newly made tracks. This is because there is no wind or weather to erode them, and many of the tunnels are on a sheer rock floor, which reveal no signs of passage. The trail soon went cold in the intertwining and confusing veins and capillaries of Spacemark Four.

.

Several more days passed with no sign of Jenny. Hekki didn't want to give up on the search, but he knew he must. He and Paknor were running low on supplies and water, and they were both tired. They were also on edge after seeing the carnage of the Rachar attack. They both understood how remote the possibility of a Rachar attack was statistically. Even with years of experience, traveling the tunnels of Spacemark Four, only Hekki had ever been involved in an altercation with the ferocious beasts. Nonetheless, the Rachars had obviously been in the area, and if any were left alive, they may still be lurking about.

"Okay Paknor, as much as I hate to admit it, we'll have to call it quits. We'll come back in once we've replenished our supplies. We're just taking a break, we're not giving up," Hekki vowed. He'd made himself a promise to find Jenny, whatever condition she may be in.

The pair headed for home, which would be about a five-day journey. Hekki tried to search the corridors that hadn't yet been searched on the way home to K'Lund, but it was difficult not to retrace their route in some areas. The snakes were exhausted, and weakening from the workload, as well as the shortage of water. Hekki and Paknor lumbered along slowly, looking very much tired and beaten by the vast distance they had covered over the past week.

"Let's rest here for awhile," Hekki directed, when they came to an open area with three tunnels branching off from it. There was lots of room for every one to relax and stretch out. Portions of the meager provisions were divided, and Paknor took the first shift as sentry. Hekki soon fell asleep, while the two snakes grazed for a while on the surrounding minerals. Soon, they too fell asleep.

* * *

Grakar was quite content in his element, with his new companion whom he was obviously dedicated to, but Jenny was miserable. She missed Born and Hekki, and interaction with other beings capable of engaging in a conversation. But she was grateful to be alive still, and she planned on keeping it that way, so they practiced fighting techniques every day for an hour or two. Jenny had first hand experience with the strategy used by a pack of Rachars to bring down a large prey like a snake, so they worked out certain defensive drills and offensive maneuvers designed to counteract it, and they worked well as a team. Jenny loved Grakar, but she needed to get back to civilization. She knew she had to get back to the Treech village of K'Lund, in order to get back to the dome, so she could complete her journey to Soilanglobe and finally back to Earth. Jenny kept asking Grakar to take her back, but Grakar didn't understand, or at least if he did, he didn't want to go back. Perhaps he was being true to his name. So they aimlessly wandered the multitude of passageways within Spacemark Four. He did understand when Jenny told him she was thirsty or hungry, and returned to the wondrous, iridescent Rhonar pocket.

* * *

The Rachars that had survived the assault on Jenny and Grakar, managed to get a few good meals out of the attack after all. Their own group members, brothers and sisters that had perished in the terrible battle had been cannibalized by the remainder of the pack, but again, hunger pangs were starting to set in, and another kill would be required to satisfy their voracious appetites. They came upon several of the armored bugs that roamed the tunnels of Spacemark Four, and managed with teamwork to find a way past the hard, protective plates of one of the otherwise defenseless creatures. The large bugs were now the mainstay of the Rachar's diet, with the shortage of wild snakes. The Rachars now considered snake meat a rare treat, and they were always on the hunt for a wild snake they may be able to kill. A snake provided weeks of good eating. The Rachars finished off their most recent meal, and were immediately off to search for more to eat, frequently sniffing the air for the scent of their next victim. Their keen sense of smell soon caught a faint whiff of the sweet scent of snake. They hunted up and down the corridors, sniffing for the origin of the lovely aroma. The odor was getting stronger as they got closer, and their saliva began to flow freely in anticipation, creating a dripping of mucousy foam around their mouths. The Rachars' movements became increasingly frenzied, the closer they got to the succulent smell. They could almost taste the tantalizing flesh. The enticing scent of snake was now overwhelming for the Rachars, as they closed in on the source of the aroma.

Seven Rachars quietly entered the cavern where the search party slept. Paknor was dozing, having trouble staying alert. But he awoke with a start, just in time to see the pack of Rachars spreading out and sneaking up on the group.

"Rachars!" Paknor yelled, as he jumped to his feet and ran over to his snake. Hekki awoke with a fright from his uneasy sleep and also bolted to his snake. The snakes quickly got into defensive mode as their Treech handlers hastily climbed up into their saddles, which they had left on as a precautionary measure. The Rachars were now in full attack mode, picking the snake that looked the weaker of the two. They slashed and stabbed mercilessly into the flesh of Paknor's terrified snake. Hekki tried to urge his snake forward, in an attempt to help the snake under attack, but his snake was frightened as well, and not willing to put itself in harm's way. It just wanted to escape, but Hekki wouldn't allow it.

Hekki frantically yelled instructions to Paknor, "Get him over to the tunnel and back him in!"

This was a common strategy used to fight Rachars, limiting the angles from which they could attack, but even as Hekki screamed the words, he realized that it was too late for that, and it was too late for the snake as well. He rolled in a desperate attempt to knock off, or crush the Rachars latched on to its flesh, but they were too quick. The nasty little creatures scurried off in time, and then clambered back on to inflict more damage. The reckless move did nothing but unsaddle Paknor, who had to jump off to avoid being crushed himself. Paknor was terrified and lay on the ground, paralyzed with fear.

"Paknor run!" Hekki screamed as loud as he could in order to snap him out of his frozen state of fright. One of the Rachars noticed him vulnerable on the ground. It pulled out its piercing weapons from the soft tissue of the snake and scrambled down to the ground. The Rachar uttered a threatening hissing sound out of its blood soaked mouth, and slowly advanced towards Paknor, who was now crawling slowly backwards, his horror-struck eyes transfixed on the approaching Rachar. Paknor got to his feet and began to run, stumbling from terror towards the cave exit, but there was no escape. The Rachar snarled, and sped up in order to catch its prey. Paknor looked back and saw the Rachar rapidly closing in. His face twisted in fear at the horrifying vision of a ferocious killing machine. Its dripping, blood soaked mouth, full of sharp teeth, was open and ready to strike. Paknor closed his eyes, and instinctively, yet hopelessly, covered up in anticipation of the death strike. He realized his life was about to come to a sudden and violent end. But the expected crush of fang and talon didn't come. Paknor opened his eyes and saw that the Rachar had stopped, and was looking beyond him and upwards. Then Paknor heard a shrill, but fierce war cry from above. "Thunder strike!" And a shadow was cast over him and the frozen Rachar. Paknor cringed and looked upwards to see an imposing set of snake jaws thrusting downwards. Again he closed his eyes. Paknor heard and felt a deafening thud through the ground in front of him. He opened his eyes. All that remained of the area where the Rachar had just been occupying was a large crater. He looked up again, and the attacking snake was discarding the now dead Rachar, and a mouth full of earth and rock over to the side. Paknor fell to his knees in relieved shock as he watched a trained battle snake plunge into action, and listened to its trainer shout commands, spelling doom for the Rachars.

Grakar snapped up and hurled Rachar after Rachar with vengeful fury. Jenny's head turned from side to side as the Rachars turned their attention to the new, more threatening snake. She shouted warnings and commands, and Grakar instantly obeyed them without diverting his attention.

"Tail whip left! Tail whip right!" Jenny yelled, and Grakar's blind tail whips smacked several unsuspecting Rachars with deft precision. They worked together like a well-oiled machine, rearing up and squashing the overwhelmed group of Rachars. They couldn't even get close enough to inflict one wound on Grakar, and Jenny relished the vengeful damage they were inflicting on the pack that had almost killed Grakar. They struck two more deathblows before the remaining badly beaten Rachars retreated in sullen surrender.

"Jenny! You amazing little creature! I can't believe it's you! And look at you, a Treech battle warrior of the highest order! Your skills surpass any rider and snake I've ever witnessed! I'm so glad to see you!" Hekki's voice expressed a multitude of emotions.

Paknor stepped around the dead Rachars, and looked up at Jenny in wide-eyed wonder and relief, now that the terrifying ordeal was over. He was still in a state of shock and disbelief that he was still alive and uninjured. His snake was another story though. It was done for, and breathing its final breaths.

"How did you learn to battle like that, and how did you ever tame this stubborn snake?" Hekki was stunned by what he'd just witnessed.

A proud smile beamed from Jenny's face. "We've been practicing."

Hekki was momentarily speechless. His eyes were wide and his face displayed an astonished expression, overflowing with admiration and appreciation.

"I'm so glad to see you, Hekki! I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever get out of this underground maze and see civilization again," Jenny looked around at the carnage and praised her snake.

"Good job, Grakar. I'm awfully sorry about your snake."

Hekki snapped out of his moment of astounded, hero worship for Jenny, and again saw her as just a normal kid, and friend. "Yes, it's always sad to lose a good snake, but without your intervention, I fear it would've been two snakes, and two Treech as well. We can't thank you enough for saving our lives Jenny."

Paknor solemnly nodded his agreement.

"And what of the name you've chosen for your snake, Grakar?" Hekki laughed. "How appropriate, although he seems as gentle as a Tesi now."

"Whatever a Tesi is, but yes, he is quite gentle, unless he's riled up of course."

"As I saw!" Hekki said, his eyes opening wide and surveying the death scene.

"We had a run-in with these nasty creatures a few weeks ago, and Grakar almost died from the wounds they inflicted on him. So once he was better, I made sure we practiced battle maneuvers for a couple of hours every day. With me as his second pair of eyes, and Grakar's power, we make a great team! And I think we had a little bit of revenge in our hearts as well."

Hekki smiled, "Well, there's nothing wrong with bringing a little anger into a fight."

"How have you managed to survive?" Hekki asked. "I truly thought by now, if we found you, we'd find a dehydrated corpse."

"When Grakar was injured, he tunneled to a wet muddy area. The mud, or the water in the mud, seemed to have some medicinal or rejuvenating quality to it. I packed his wounds with the mud and they healed almost miraculously," Jenny explained, and Hekki's expression of joy was exchanged with a mask of disbelief.

"Did the mud or water seem to glow, or have a blue coloration to it?" Hekki immediately asked, the excitement building in his voice.

"Yes, and Grakar ate the mud, which seemed to have a healing effect on him. And the water was oddly sustaining. I drank some of the pooled water that had accumulated. It gave me a tingling sensation, and a feeling of well being, _and_ gave me strength."

"Rhonar," Hekki whispered, as he glanced down at Paknor, who was listening in wonder from the ground below.

"Rhonar? Then I was right, the sacred water of Spacemark Four! I _thought_ it was a Rhonar pocket!"

Jenny realized the importance of her discovery.

"You found a pocket? How big?" Hekki asked.

"Pretty big. It was like a small underground lake, and the water glowed blue, and there were plants and trees all over the walls and ceiling of the cavern!"

"Yes, that is a classic Rhonar pocket. The water has been energized for centuries by just the right mix of minerals and Zorbite. The water has an energy of its own, capable of extending life with its rejuvenating powers. Where is it, Jenny?" Hekki asked, beginning to sound rather frantic.

"I'm not sure. All these passageways are beginning to look the same to me, but Grakar knows, he'll take us there. We've gone back a couple of times to eat and drink and rest. It really is a special place for us."

"Ask him to take us there!" insisted a frenzied Hekki.

"Okay," Jenny answered in a hesitant tone. "Grakar can you take us to our special place, so we can get some food and water?" Jenny asked Grakar calmly, but Grakar didn't budge. Jenny looked over at Hekki who was vibrating with excitement.

"C'mon boy, we're all hungry, and need some water," Jenny implored, but again Grakar didn't move.

"That's funny. He usually takes me directly there when I tell him I'm hungry."

"I'd guess he doesn't want to reveal the location to us. Maybe he feels it's a private spot for you two only, and he doesn't want to share it with us," Hekki surmised. "Snakes are highly intelligent and dedicated creatures, and Grakar is obviously devoted to you," Hekki was beginning to regain his composure now, much to Jenny's relief. She needed him to be stable, and she thought he was sounding a little crazy there for a short time.

"We don't have a lot of time right now. We're running low on supplies and we were on our way back to K'Lund," Hekki said. "So, it's best we go home now. Our mission was to find you. Granted you found us, but that's beside the point," he smiled, the old Hekki returning. "The main thing is, we found each other, and you're safe. But it is a bonus that you've trained a wild snake, and his water seeking abilities are obviously very keen. So hopefully with yours and Grakar's help, we'll be able to find water. Rhonar water would be an amazing blessing though," Hekki said, the wild look returning to his eyes momentarily.

"Now, let's go home. It will be a glorious return!" Hekki predicted.

#

Chapter Eleven: Homecoming

"So those wicked creatures are called Rachars?" Jenny asked, as they approached K'Lund. "Hey, I guess my translator is working after all," Jenny suddenly realized. "With all the excitement back there, it didn't occur to me till now that it's working."

"Yes, that is fortunate. And yes, those were Rachars. They aren't as plentiful as they used to be. Food and water are much more scarce, so packs of Rachars are rare. I didn't even consider a confrontation with them until we stumbled upon the aftermath of your first battle. We were lucky you came along when you did," Hekki said, and Paknor nodded his head in agreement.

"Although it's never good news to meet up with a pack of Rachars, it does mean there must be some moisture around somewhere," Hekki mentioned optimistically.

The passageway became wider as they neared the village, and Jenny could see the broad opening up ahead. How grateful she was to still be alive, and to be returning to civilization. Several days ago, she had her doubts about ever seeing K'Lund and Born again, but now here she was, emerging from the tunnel into the cavernous underground cave that housed the Treech village of K'Lund. It wasn't long before someone spotted them, and ran to the village to spread the word of their return. Before they could dismount, buzzing Treech surrounded them. Grakar was much more at ease in K'lund now, compared to the last time he was there, thanks to Jenny's calming influence on him. The Treech townsfolk couldn't believe their eyes. Their rumored savior had returned safe and sound, and had broken the untamable wild snake.

"She _must_ be the one."

"Look, she's riding bareback, as it was written centuries ago."

"It's the prophecy coming to pass."

"She's the one we've been waiting for."

"Glory be The Masta."

"We are saved."

These were the words emanating from the growing crowd of happy, cheering, Treech. Hekki looked over at Jenny, and he too was beginning to believe it was the prophecy coming true, with events turning the way they had, and Jenny's story of a Rhonar pocket. It was hard to comprehend; little Jenny of Earth was the savior they had been waiting for? Even though the Masta had predicted the savior as, 'small in stature', the Treech had all built up a great warrior god in their minds, not a humble little girl. Hekki smiled to himself, knowing Jenny may not look the part, but inside, she had the heart of a warrior. He'd seen her in action, and so had the Treech people. And now here she was, a reluctant legend in the making. Jenny was aware of what the people were saying as well. After all, they weren't whispering anymore, they were shouting for all to hear.

"Save us from dehydration, Jenny. The Masta has foretold of your coming, you must save us!"

Jenny felt uncomfortable, and pressured by all of the expectations directed at her. "Hekki, tell them it isn't true. Tell them I'm just a kid from far away, trying to make the best of an unfortunate situation, just like they are," Jenny pleaded, but Hekki didn't answer.

"Hekki?"

"Jenny, I don't know what's going on here. I'm not one to rely on any prophecy or predictions of the future. I try to live each day and take things as they come, but I can't ignore what's happening here. The Masta is our holy book and religion, and we believe in it absolutely. You may not want to admit it, but you are a very extraordinary girl, prophecy or no prophecy. I've witnessed acts of courage and compassion I never would've believed possible, especially from a foreigner. You _are_ special, Jenny. I've come to know you and will always see you as a young girl from a far away planet, which is part of your charm. But there's more to you... a gift you were born with that makes you unique. You have admirable qualities some people can only dream of having. And granted, circumstances have brought you here at this time, along with amazing technological assistance. But the fact remains; most people wouldn't perform the way you do under the same circumstances. So, you may not think that you are, but you are a hero, and I predict that there's more in store from you. No pressure though, just my intuition," Hekki said with a smirk.

"Yeah, no pressure at all," Jenny said, rolling her eyes.

Born and Kolkar came running up with jubilant beaming faces, and made their way through the mass of Treech townsfolk. The scene was pandemonium.

"Jenny, thank goodness you're safe," Born said. "Now I can kill you for putting me through all of this!"

Jenny hopped down to the ground and Born gave her a big hug.

"Why didn't you call Obos, and let me know you were safe?" Born asked.

"My communication mechanism got damaged, so I couldn't reach Obos. Sorry, Born."

"That's alright. The main thing is, you're alive," Born said, still holding on to Jenny's hands.

"Is this the wild snake we couldn't tame?" Kolkar asked, looking rather shocked.

Hekki hopped down as well. "It is, Kolkar. Jenny has accomplished what a dozen experienced snake-handlers couldn't. And not only has she tamed it, but she's taught it to be a skilled battle snake. She saved us from a pack of Rachars, and we wouldn't be here now if it hadn't been for Jenny's intervention. And there's more. But I'll tell you behind closed doors."

"Paknor, take Taknor and Grakar to the stable area, and give them whatever they want," Hekki requested.

Paknor began to lead away Taknor, who obediently followed, but Grakar wouldn't follow, and he looked at Jenny for guidance.

"It's okay Grakar, I'll see you soon," Jenny said, and she hugged his huge head.

"Thanks for everything, Grakar," she said, and the crowd of Treech in unison, let out an audible, "Aww," touched by the show of devotion between child and beast.

"Grakar? How appropriate," Kolkar chuckled. "Although the name doesn't seem to fit him anymore."

"Why, what does Grakar mean?" Born questioned.

"Stubborn," Jenny answered.

"Hmm, yes," Born smiled in understanding. "And, I can think of someone else who suits the name as well. Maybe we should call you Grakar one, and Grakar two," Born quipped, and Jenny playfully scowled back at him.

"Come to my quarters and we shall eat and drink and talk," Kolkar invited.

"Clear the way, please! You'll all have a chance to see Jenny, later!" Kolkar shouted to the huge crowd. "Please, make a path for us!"

The Treech townsfolk backed up to provide a small pathway, and they all reached out to try to touch Jenny as she passed.

"It seems you've established a good number of admirers, Jenny of Earth," Kolkar said, and he smiled at Jenny.

Jenny was speechless at the attention bestowed upon her, and just a little fearful she might disappoint them. The four of them emerged from the crowd, and a little Treech girl being pushed along by her parents looked up at Jenny.

"I just wanted to thank you for saving my life," Krinka shyly squeaked.

Jenny squatted down to be at her level. "You're welcome. The wild snake was just frustrated with the trainers, he didn't have anything against you. He's nice now. Maybe you'd like to come and see him sometime. I named him, Grakar," Jenny said in a soft, soothing voice. The little girl giggled, and covered her mouth with her hand at the funny name.

"Would you like to?" Jenny asked.

"Mmmaybe," the little girl said, looking up at her parents.

"We'll see," the mother said. "She's still having bad dreams from the experience. But at least she's still with us, thanks to you. I don't know how we would have coped if we'd lost her. Thank you so much for saving her."

"Yes, thank you ever so much," the father repeated.

"No problem," Jenny answered. "Thankfully everything worked out for the best," she smiled, and the family walked away hand in hand.

"That makes it all worthwhile," Jenny said, as they continued to Kolkar's quarters. They all felt proud and honored to be walking with Jenny.

The mob of adoring Treech followed the group, and dispersed once they were inside and the door closed. All were still abuzz with predictions of what may come next from the miraculous child from a far away planet.

Inside Kolkar's quarters everyone made themselves comfortable, especially Jenny and Hekki, who were exhausted.

"You'll want to go clean up, so we'll try to keep this as brief as possible," Kolkar said, as he sat down and looked at the dirt and grime on Hekki.

"How is it that, Jenny's almost clean, and you're so dirty, Hekki?" Kolkar kidded.

"Well I managed to get cleaned up abit. I was a worse mess than Hekki before I had an unexpected swim."

Kolkar and Born looked at each other in surprise.

"Umm, yeah. Grakar found a water pocket," Jenny explained. "That's what saved us. Grakar was badly injured during the first Rachar attack, and the healing mud saved his life, and the water saved mine."

The color drained out of Kolkar's face, his jaw sagged, and his eyes opened wider.

"Healing mud, what healing mud?" Kolkar asked.

Hekki was amused by Kolkar's shocked expression.

"I think Jenny has found a Rhonar pocket," Hekki said calmly, with a little smirk on his face. He was finding this very entertaining.

"A Rhonar pocket? Are you sure?" Kolkar questioned, his bulging eyes darted back and forth between Jenny and Hekki.

"If this is a joke, it's not very amusing," Kolkar scolded.

"It's no joke, sir," Hekki said, his face turning stone cold serious. "It's yet to be confirmed, and although I've never seen one, I have read about them, and this definitely fits the description."

"No one alive has ever seen a Rhonar pocket!" Kolkar exclaimed. "It's almost a myth, except minute quantities of the liquid still exist under lock and key."

"There's one catch to this good news though, Kolkar," Hekki interjected.

"Of course there is. I knew it was too good to be true," Kolkar's tone of voice changed as he slumped back in his chair, prepared for the bad news.

"Jenny doesn't remember where it is."

Jenny jumped in. "Grakar found it, and I don't know if he'll take me back there... or at least it seems like he doesn't want to reveal its whereabouts."

"You must go back in as soon as possible," Kolkar instructed.

Jenny noticed Kolkar was now getting the same frantic look Hekki had, when he first learned of the Rhonar pocket.

"And use any method you can think of, to locate that Rhonar pocket!"

"If I may make a suggestion, sir?" Hekki requested.

"Yes, by all means," Kolkar granted.

"I think we should make this mission a water seeking expedition. The plan all along was to tame the wild snake so we could make use of his natural instincts as a water seeker. Jenny has provided us with that snake. If he leads us back to the Rhonar pocket, all the better, but the most important thing is that we find water of any kind, Rhonar or fresh. To focus only on finding the Rhonar pocket, could be setting ourselves up for failure - especially since it seems like Grakar has no intention of sharing his and Jenny's special place with us."

"Wise words, my friend. If you find the Rhonar pocket, that's a bonus, but you're correct, the main objective is to find water of any kind. And with the help of the wild snake, our chances improve," Kolkar agreed.

"Jenny, you've done us a great service by taming Grakar. I don't know how you achieved it, but well done," Kolkar congratulated.

"May I go on the water seeking mission as well?" Jenny asked.

Born sat upright. "Oh no you don't! I've been worried about you for weeks, and now that I finally get you back safe and sound, you want to go back in? I don't think so," Born stubbornly stated.

"I think Born's right," agreed Kolkar. "I, too, would prefer if you remained here where it's safe. Hekki can ride Grakar on the mission now that he's tamed. He's our head water seeker, and has the most experience."

"But I deserve to go!" Jenny objected. "I tamed Grakar! Hekki, you agree with me, don't you?" Jenny desperately looked for some support.

"Yes, I agree, you do deserve to go, but I also would rather you stay where it's safe," Hekki said.

"You're far more valuable to us as a healthy hostage, and we just went to great lengths to ensure we got you back just that way. I'm sorry, Jenny," Kolkar said decisively.

"I don't believe this!" Jenny said in frustration, and she stood up and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"She really does deserve to go," Hekki added. "As far as danger, she and Grakar are the most formidable battle team in the stable, by far. Jenny has an uncanny ability to become one with her snake, just as The Masta foretold."

"I can't believe, of all people, you're bringing up the prophecy," Kolkar reprimanded. "You've told me many times, it's just a story."

"I know, I know, but you can't ignore what's happening here, Kolkar. It's as if the story is coming to life," Hekki maintained.

"What are you two talking about?" Born asked for an explanation.

"Our holy book, The Masta, written centuries past, has a passage in it." Kolkar began. "It foretells of a period of time when a desperate water shortage will threaten the very existence of the Treech race, such as we're now experiencing. And how, at the most critical time of the shortage, a champion will appear from a far away place. The champion will possess a physical prowess beyond our comprehension, the courage of a great warrior, and the compassion of a holy person. The Masta states, this warrior will ride a rogue, wild snake bareback into battle, and deliver us from dehydration through deeds of bravery. It is an amazing coincidence, is it not?"

"Yes, but it _is_ just a story. Jenny could just as easily have died while within the planet alone. Then where would your prophecy be?" Born argued.

"But, she didn't," Kolkar added, and silence stood for a moment, until Born spoke thoughtfully.

"I know Jenny's exceptional. I really haven't known her much longer than you have, and she has and continues to demonstrate amazing acts of courage and selflessness... but she isn't a religious savior of any kind. She's just a child."

"Are all on her planet like her?" Kolkar asked, and he and Hekki waited intently for Born's answer.

"No," came his immediate reply. "Like all planets I've encountered with intelligent life, there's a vast array of personalities, with some good traits, and some not so good. When aggression or oppression rules a planet, it does so for only a short while... usually in the early stages of a civilization. But eventually liberty wins out in the end. You see, violence and hostility only flourish in the short term, while peace and harmony continue to slowly, but surely gain strength over time. I liken it to gravity. Over time, the weak but constant attractive force of gravity always brings matter together, gaining in strength as more matter is united. Jenny's planet is still very aggressive and cruel, but the growing trend of compassion and understanding is constantly expanding, and gaining in strength. Jenny, is one of the few who possess the combined qualities of compassion and the aspiration for peace and harmony, but has the courage and the desire to fight for it."

"It's as if she possesses all of those qualities in the perfect mix," Hekki ventured.

"How do you mean?" Kolkar asked.

"Well, she has a certain amount of aggression. I witnessed it in her attack on the Rachars. There was a definite hate and vengeance in her heart in that situation. However, it's far overshadowed by her kindness and concern for the well-being of others. These two ingredients, mixed with a healthy dose of courage, provide her with the incentive to struggle for what she believes in, whereas most others with similar views, would just sit back and hope for things to change, unwilling to come forward and force the change themselves."

"Yes, she has the ability to draw people towards her, and to be a great leader if she chooses to be." Kolkar added. "Using your gravity analogy again, Born... she has a very magnetic personality. But all of that aside, I still need her as a live hostage, and you want her safe, because that's your responsibility. So here she'll stay. We all agree on that, right?"

"And the prophecy?" Hekki questioned.

"If Jenny is the prophecy coming to pass, then our interference shouldn't affect it. What will be, will be," Kolkar surmised. "Now go get some sleep, and prepare for your water seeking mission. Thanks to Jenny we now have Grakar; he's our best chance. Perhaps, that was Jenny's only part in this, and the prophecy will be fulfilled once Grakar finds a water pocket. Maybe we're looking for more, when there is no more. After all, the deeds she's achieved thus far are already the stuff of legend."

"You may be right, Jenny has done enough for us to possibly find a water pocket, and without her intervention, we may never have found one, if we do indeed find one. But, I think there's more in store from her before this episode in Treech lore is concluded. Just a hunch," Hekki said, as he got up and left Kolkar's quarters.

"I should get in touch with my superiors and let them know Jenny's safe," Born said.

"And ask about our original ransom demand," Kolkar reminded.

"They'll never agree to that demand, you know that, Kolkar. Their offer of 5,000 liters is as high as they'll go, and is more than fair in my opinion," Born advised.

"Well, maybe with the help of Grakar, we'll find a water pocket on this water seeking expedition, and we'll not even need to pursue the ransom anymore. Or maybe they can locate that Rhonar pocket," Kolkar said, as his attention seemed to drift off, and a dreamy look came across his face. "A Rhonar pocket. The elixir of youth and vitality, - I still can't believe she found one! What a rich discovery that would be, if we could find it again," he said with a sigh.

.

Members of the Treech community stood outside of Kolkar's quarters, and listened intently for any tidbit of information that they could spread. Jenny stormed out, catching them off guard, and ran past surprised citizens.

"That was Jenny! She looks angry."

"What could've possibly happened in there to upset her?"

Jenny ran all the way to her residence and slammed the door shut.

"I can't believe they're not letting me go," she said, as she paced around the apartment. "It's not fair."

Born soon joined her after the meeting had ended and tried to console Jenny.

"Can't you see it's for the best? It would serve no purpose to put you in harm's way."

Jenny had cooled off a little, but still didn't agree with the decision.

"I just want to go. I feel I could be of some help. But, whatever, I'm not going to drive myself crazy over it," Jenny conceded. But Born knew Jenny too well, and he looked at her suspiciously.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just don't think you're done yet... Grakar," Born intentionally used the Treech word for stubborn.

Jenny shifted her eyes sideways towards him, and smiled mischievously, while Born just shook his head at her.

"Born? Can I borrow your communicator for a few minutes please? Mine isn't working, and I'd like to call my family," Jenny asked.

"Yes, of course, " Born said as he detached the components. "No psychic connection this time?"

"No, not this time. I need to talk to my Dad, just to let him know I'm okay."

"That's a good idea... but please, don't give him too many details," Born said, as he handed his communicator to Jenny. "Pass me yours, and I'll see if I can repair it."

Jenny smiled as she passed Born her device. "Don't worry, I'll keep it vague. Excuse me for awhile."

Jenny closed the door to her bedroom and sat down on the edge of the straw mattress. It crackled and crunched from her weight.

"Obos?"

"Yes, I'm here. I heard through Born's instrument that you'd like a connection with your home on Earth. I've initiated a transmission, but it may take a few minutes to complete. Please standby," Obos informed Jenny.

"Thanks, Obos. As efficient as ever," Jenny said. "Hey, Obos? Thanks for the words of encouragement and reassurance a few weeks ago, when I first got lost in the tunnel system. It helped a lot. So much has happened since that discussion. It seems like years ago now."

"You're welcome. My objective was to comfort you and bolster your confidence, but the words were genuine. Everything I said is true, as you, yourself, have reinforced by your actions. I'm pleased you're safe."

"Thanks, Obos. Any advice on how I can get Kolkar to let me go on this water seeking expedition?"

"I think things will take care of themselves. They always seem to when you're involved. Just be yourself, is the only counsel I can offer... which you'd do even without my guidance."

"True, but thanks anyway."

"The connection through space has been completed," Born informed, and Jenny could hear her telephone ringing in her living room, several astronomical units away.

.

Jenny's brother Martin was sitting in a comfortable chair watching a hockey game, when the phone rang beside him.

"Hello?"

"Hello there. Your name has been selected from the Spacemark Four library of candidates, to receive free of charge, and with no obligation to you, a spiffy new toilet bowl scrubber! Do you accept the terms?" Jenny kidded in an official sounding voice.

"Jenny? Is that you?" Martin blurted.

"Hey Martin, how's it goin'."

"I can't believe it's you. Where are you?"

"Oh, I'd say right around the corner really, speaking in galactic terms. I'm only several million kilometers away," Jenny joked.

"What're you doing there? What're the aliens like?"

"Before I tell you, are Dad and Relli home?"

"Yeah, you want me to get them?"

"Please, and put me on speaker so I can tell you all at once."

"You got it. Hang on," Martin said, and he ran out of the room.

"Jenny's on the phone in the living room," Martin bellowed at the top of his adrenaline charged lungs.

"They're coming. You're okay, I guess? You sound okay," Martin said.

"Yeah, I'm fine, and I'll have to keep this short. Long distance charges you know," Jenny kidded again. "No, but I can't reveal everything or Dad'll have a bird. Keep that to yourself though," Jenny confided.

"Yeah, of course. I guess Relli knows the whole story though, huh?"

"Most of it, and probably more than I do, knowing her."

Just then Relli and Mr. Thompson came running in from different areas of the house.

"Jenny? Is it really you?" her father asked excitedly.

"Yep, it's me, the galactic traveler. How are you, Dad?"

"Never mind me, how are you?"

"Really good. I'm meeting lots of new people, and learning about different cultures. It's very educational," Jenny said truthfully.

"Are you home-sick?" her father asked.

"Yeah, I miss you all, and I miss Earth... and home."

"What about the aliens?" Martin wanted to know.

"Well, I don't think of them as aliens. Just as different people. It's like traveling to different countries back on Earth, and seeing a variety of different customs. You'd be surprised how much they're all like humans, when you get right down to the basics."

She told them about the two different races she'd met, and their physical characteristics, but was careful to steer clear of any information that may reveal her real adventures.

"Wow, it sounds like you're having a fun time," Relli said, tongue-in-cheek.

"Yeah, Relli, real fun," Jenny said dryly.

Mr. Thompson caught the subtle, secretive exchange, and scowled. "You two always seem to have some sort of inside story that I'm not aware of."

"It's girl stuff, Dad," Jenny knew this explanation would put an end to his curiosity.

"Well, I guess I should go," Jenny said after answering a few more questions about her trip.

"Okay, honey. Take care. Don't forget to brush your teeth," her father mentioned.

"Don't worry, Dad, I'm fine."

"Peace out, Jen." Martin said.

"Peace out, K-Mart."

"Follow your heart, Jenny," Relli said.

"You..." Jenny said in mock annoyance, to which Relli smiled and Mr. Thompson rolled his eyes.

"Bye guys, love you all," Jenny concluded.

As soon as the transmission was concluded, Jenny closed her eyes, and concentrated her thoughts back to home. The mental connection to Relli was quicker than usual, because Jenny had already been concentrating on home.

Relli instantly picked up Jenny's weak signal, and as usual it startled her. "Oh, oh my! Umm, please excuse me for a moment."

"What? Is that Jenny again?" Mr. Thompson asked.

"Umm, I'm not sure. I'll just be a few minutes," Relli said, as she left the room.

Martin and his Dad looked at each other. Mr. Thompson's face was lined with concern. He quietly followed Relli upstairs, while Martin just shrugged his shoulders, and turned the hockey game back on.

Relli closed the door of her room and sat on her bed. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the wave of thought energy Jenny had initiated.

" _Hi, Jenny."_

" _Hi, Relli. Man, that was hard, trying to avoid any details that would've made Dad worry."_

" _You did fine. How are you, really?"_

" _Well, I'm alive. That's the main thing. Wait till I tell you what I've gone through."_

" _I already know. As time goes on, it's as if I can see and experience what you're encountering. You are amazing, Jenny. I don't think there are very many people who could've endured what you've just gone through. I know I couldn't have."_

" _I don't know, you'd be surprised what you're capable of when you have no choice. Basically I just tried to survive, and thankfully, things worked out."_

" _Anyway, good job."_

" _Thanks, Relli."_

Mr. Thompson tiptoed up to Relli's door, and listened intently, but of course heard nothing. He scowled and shook his head, feeling a little guilty for snooping, and walked away.

" _So, do you think I'll be able to change their minds so they'll let me go on this water seeking expedition? Or do you think my job is done. After all, I did provide the Treech with a tamed water-seeking snake. And, we found a Rhonar pocket, even though we don't know where it is. Maybe that's all I was here to do. Even though, I really want to go on this mission. It's kind of eating at me."_

" _I think your strong desire is clue enough that your work there is not yet completed. And, I sense within myself that you still have a task or two to perform."_

" _Any ideas on how to get them to change their minds?"_

Relli laughed, _"You're asking me? You're the expert in_ _that_ _field. But, maybe you won't. Maybe your remaining task is separate from the water-seeking mission."_

" _Well, is it? You probably already know."_

" _Maybe I do, and maybe I don't. You know me, I like to let things take their natural course, without my interference."_

" _Yeah, I know you, full of information, but not willing to share. How're you coping with the connection you're feeling towards this place?"_

" _Oh, alright I suppose,"_ Relli said with a sigh. _"I try not to burden you with it, because you have so much on your plate right now. But every time you mention the name or the description of something you've experienced, I get this strange feeling I've heard of it before. However, I always dismiss it as a vague recollection from a dream or a vision that I must've had. At any rate, it's not important. You, and your assignment are all that really matter. Just follow your instincts, Jenny. That's my best advice, and the only guidance I can offer. You're doing well, and are helping many people in the process. You should be proud of yourself...I know I'm extremely proud of you."_

" _Thanks, Relli. I'll try to do what I think is right, but it's so hard. Sometimes my survival instinct is in conflict with whatever is guiding me to do the irrational things I've been doing. It's so difficult to know what to do sometimes, while other times it just seems so clear."_

" _I know, honey, just hang in there. It'll be over soon. Keep in touch, when you can."_

" _I will. Bye, Relli,"_ Jenny broke her concentration and lay down on the bed, exhausted.

Relli walked out of her bedroom and was met by Mr. Thompson in the hallway.

"That was Jenny, wasn't it?" he asked calmly.

"Yes, it was, but it's nothing. She really is fine. Please, don't worry. There are just some things that she only feels comfortable talking to me about... You know, feminine stuff," Relli fibbed a little, but it seemed to pacify Jenny's concerned father.

.

"Here's your communicator back, Born. Thanks," Jenny said as she passed it to him.

"And here is yours back, all fixed up," Born said as they exchanged units.

"Did you tell your father all about your adventures here?"

"Well, kind of. I left quite a bit out though."

"Wise choice."

.

Word of Jenny's exploits, and her discovery, traveled through the town like wildfire. Many of the Treech saw Jenny storm out of Kolkar's residence, and soon found out why, which put them in an uproar.

"She's destined to save us from extinction, and Kolkar keeps her out of the water seeking expedition?" many Treech questioned why.

"Did you hear? Jenny found a Rhonar pocket!" rumor spread.

"Kolkar wants to make sure Jenny's safe, so he can continue to use her as a hostage for more water from the surface dwellers," some defended their leader.

"But we still have the Soilan water trader as a hostage, and it's obvious to us all, Jenny's the one whose coming was foretold in the Masta. She's our best chance to find a water pocket. It is ordained! Kolkar has no right to prevent her from going. We need to speak out. We need to do something before it's too late!" The townsfolk worked themselves into frenzy, and soon a mob formed and they stormed Kolkar's quarters.

"Kolkar! Come out and face us!" they shouted, to which he calmly obliged.

"Good citizens of K'Lund. I understand your concerns, but I think this is the best decision. Jenny has provided us with a tamed wild snake, with natural and exemplary water seeking senses, and Hekki's our best and most experienced water seeking Treech. As a team, the two of them, are our best chance to find a water pocket. In my opinion, Jenny would just be along for the ride. Why take the risk of losing a valuable hostage when it's not necessary. After all, there's no guarantee we'll find a water pocket, and we still may need Jenny for bargaining with the Soilan water traders. You elected me as your leader, and this makes the most logical sense," Kolkar explained.

"But what of the prophecy?" one shouted, and all murmured their agreement.

"Look, if the prophecy is to come to pass, and Jenny is the one, do you really think my decision can alter fate?" Kolkar paused, as the mob pondered the thought.

"Jenny may have already fulfilled the prophecy, by taming the wild snake that Hekki will ride to find a water pocket," he suggested.

"We've heard that Jenny found a Rhonar pocket. Is their any truth to that rumor?" another asked, as the crowd of Treech continued to grow.

"That's a claim we have no way of substantiating at this time. Jenny found something, but she may have been delirious from dehydration at the time, and she doesn't remember where it is, so we have to assume it doesn't exist."

"We still feel Jenny should go. She's our only hope. She is the prophecy, as foretold in our holy book! You must allow her to go! You're denying our religious beliefs, and condemning us to die of thirst!" a Treech woman yelled.

It was beginning to get ugly, and Kolkar was starting to lose control of the unruly mob, who were now demanding he change his directive. Kolkar was becoming concerned for his safety, as the mob yelled, shook their fists in anger and closed in on him in a threatening manner. He shrank backwards as he desperately tried to reassure the mob that all would work out. Just as violence was about to break out, the attention of the disruptive rabble was directed upwards. They immediately fell silent and stopped advancing, as a diminutive but commanding figure floated down, like an angel of mercy from above, landing gently between Kolkar and the throng of Treech. Jenny had heard the commotion from her lodging, and had come out to see what the disturbance was all about. She realized, with the noise the crowd was making, and the need for immediate action, trying to make her way through the mass of Treech may cause her to be too late to prevent any harm coming to Kolkar. She decided on a more dramatic and direct approach, by skirting the swarming multitude and leaping on top of Kolkar's home. Jenny used her gravity displacement suit to slowly drop down, which immediately defused the volatile situation. She didn't say a word at first, but glanced from face to face with a look of disappointment, which made them feel ashamed, and they began to slowly back away. The only sound that could be heard now, was the slow shuffling of many feet.

"I'm surprised and disappointed by your behavior," Jenny admonished.

"Kolkar is your leader, chosen by you, the proud and noble Treech of K'Lund," she added, which embarrassed them further, and their heads drooped in humiliation.

"He deserves your respect, and mob violence won't do anything but tear you apart, at a time when you need to stick together the most. Please have faith in the wisdom of your leader and the power of your religious beliefs. Now, return to your homes, have confidence, and keep hope. I promise, everything will work out in the end and you've got nothing to fear," Jenny wasn't so sure of her reassuring words, but her main objective now was to disperse the assembly, which she did. Her words and her intervention had a profound impression on the Treech, demonstrating the power she now had over them. They quietly and orderly went back to their homes, still unsure of their future.

"Thank you, Jenny," Kolkar said with relief, as he stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder. "I know you really want to go on the water seeking mission, and are angry because of my decision to keep you here. That's what makes what you just did all the more special. Do children of your planet mature much more quickly than the children of this planet?"

Jenny laughed at his serious question. "I don't think so. I know what you mean though. I sounded like my father, or an actor in a play or something. But my words worked, even if they did sound a little beyond my years."

"Everything you do seems beyond your years, Jenny. And, thanks again."

"No problem, sir," Jenny replied respectfully. She'd gotten over her little temper tantrum and was taking her own advice, to accept Kolkar's decision.

"Now go and get some well deserved, and I'm sure much needed sleep, Jenny," Kolkar said, and he went back inside his dwelling, happy and thankful to still have life and limb.

Jenny watched as the last of the Treech vacated the area, leaving one solitary figure standing in the dust.

"Jenny to the rescue, again."

It was Born. He'd witnessed the entire ugly scene, and listened to Jenny pacify the disruptive mob. Jenny walked towards Born and smiled.

"Yeah, I guess. It sounded like Kolkar needed some help, and for some reason, these people listen to me."

"They listen to you, because you're wise, bold and true, and they admire you for those qualities," Born said, as they turned and walked away together. He proudly put his arm around her shoulder.

"And the fact they think you're their long awaited savior doesn't hurt either," Born added.

Jenny frowned, "Don't remind me"

"And by the way, nice touch, slowly drifting down between Kolkar and the mob. It was quite the sight to behold."

Jenny chuckled, "Yeah, it was the best I could come up with on the spur of the moment."

"Very effective," Born praised, as they slowly walked back to their hut.

#

Chapter Twelve: The Water Seeking Expedition

A large group of the Treech populace of K'Lund were congregated around the snake stables in anticipation of the departure of the water seeking team, led by Hekki and the wild snake, Grakar. There was quite a commotion in the corral, where all of the riders were saddling their snakes. All but one, that is. Not surprisingly, Hekki was having trouble with Grakar.

Grakar wanted nothing to do with Hekki or his saddle.

"Why don't you ride him bareback like Jenny does?" heckled one of the onlookers.

Hekki ignored the comment and continued to try to saddle up Grakar, who was beginning to bellow in anger.

.

Jenny paced impatiently within the hut she and Born occupied, like a caged lion. Born watched her suspiciously out of the corner of his eye. Jenny stopped and listened intently for a few moments at a time, and then continued her itchy, back and forth march. Finally she and Born heard what Jenny had been eagerly waiting for. "Oh oh, that's, Grakar," Jenny said, perking up. "I'd better go see if I can help."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? You know you won't change Kolkar's mind on this matter," Born warned.

Jenny had expected, and hoped for this happen, but she tried to hide her delight. "I know, but I don't want anyone to get hurt, and it sounds like Grakar needs me."

Born shook his head and scowled, as Jenny got up and hurried to the stables. Born followed close behind.

The townsfolk continued to murmur amongst themselves. Kolkar, who was on hand, stood and watched impatiently as Hekki tried to mount Grakar.

"I thought he was saddle broken. Jenny rode him without any difficulty, so what's the problem, Hekki?" Kolkar said, sounding frustrated.

"Do _you_ want to give it a try?" Hekki challenged, as Grakar snapped at two of the handlers.

"Here we go again," one of the handlers said, as Grakar lived up to his name.

"Grakar!" came a voice from the outskirts of the corral area, and everyone knew who was coming. They all breathed a sigh of relief, as they turned to see Jenny striding towards them.

"Thank goodness," a handler said. "Here comes, Jenny."

"She'll calm him down," some in the crowd stated confidently.

Grakar heard his buddy's voice, and immediately relaxed. He uttered a relieved and contented guttural sound.

"Jenny, what a relief it is to see you," Hekki said, as he glanced over at Kolkar. "He seems to be a one person snake, as I guess we should've realized he may be. Just the sound of your voice has calmed him down."

"Well, he heard it enough over the past few weeks. I talked to him non-stop. Hello boy, I missed you. You need to be good for Hekki. He won't mistreat you," Jenny assured Grakar in a soothing voice.

The Treech were enchanted at this show of affection between girl and beast. Grakar scooped up Jenny by hooking his lower tusk between her legs and lifting his head. Jenny sat there as comfortable as could be, and hugged Grakar's snout. The crowd was touched and amazed by this, and they all turned their gaze to Kolkar, who felt the eyes and anger of the Treech burning through him. Kolkar looked from face to face, and back at Hekki, who was also looking at him intently.

"All right, all right. It's obvious this snake will respond to, and obey none other than Jenny, so I rescind my original decision, and will allow Jenny to take part in this water seeking mission," Kolkar conceded, and all of the Treech cheered in approval.

"Now we will certainly be saved!"

"It's the prophecy coming to pass!"

"Jenny is the one! I can feel it!"

"We are saved!"

"The Masta be praised!" were the sentiments and words from the crowd.

Jenny had temporarily forgotten about the prophecy. She just wanted to go along for the ride, and try to help if she could, but now she felt the heavy pressure of responsibility again.

"Don't they understand, Hekki? If we do find water, it will have been from a team effort, and not just by me," Jenny whispered, as she helped Hekki mount water containers onto Grakar.

"They won't care what the circumstances are. If we do find a water pocket, it will be because you were along, as it is written in the Masta. - And who am I to argue with that? There are more powerful and mystical things at work here than we can even begin to understand."

"You mean you're starting to believe this myth too?"

"Myth?" Hekki snapped.

" _Oops,"_ Jenny thought, realizing she'd just stuck her foot in her big mouth.

"Don't you have religion and a holy book on your planet?"

Jenny hung her head. "Yes, many of them."

"And don't the people who worship these religions believe in them, devotedly?"

"Yes."

"Do you respect all of the different religions, even if they aren't your own?"

"Yes, I do, and I am sorry, Hekki. You're right, I do respect all religious beliefs, and I do respect yours, but in my defense, none of them has _me_ in it, as yours does. I'm just not comfortable being referred to as a savior," Jenny defended.

"Understood. I suppose it would be difficult for any of us, to put ourselves in your position. - And we _are_ loading a huge amount of pressure and responsibility onto your young shoulders. For this, I'm sorry. Let's just try to ignore the people's comments, and the Masta's predictions. Let's try to just live for the moment, and whatever happens, happens," Hekki suggested.

Jenny smiled at Hekki's comforting words of advice. "Okay, sounds good to me. Now let's go find us some water," Jenny said, as she leapt aboard Grakar.

Hekki grinned, pulled himself up onto his own snake, and gave the command to move out.

The crowd cheered, and jumped up and down.

"Born, I'm going!" Jenny stated the obvious.

Born grimaced, "I knew you would be," and he heaved a heavy sigh. "Just be careful!" He shouted through his hands as the water seeking party moved off, and soon disappeared into a tunnel.

.

"I sure hope we don't meet up with a pack of Rachars again," Jenny mentioned to Hekki, as they rode along a wide passageway.

"If we do, I pity the Rachars, with the fearless battle queen Jenny, and her fierce battle snake Grakar along," Hekki joked, smiling at her as he spoke.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Jenny said, blushing slightly.

.

The group of four snakes, optimistically laden with many empty water containers, continued their journey for eight hours before stopping for a rest. A little bit of water and food was dispensed to the riders.

"What about the snakes, Hekki? - Aren't we going to give them some water too?" Jenny asked.

"No. - Sorry, Jenny, I forgot to explain the procedure to you. We've found that on a water seeking expedition, the snakes' senses for finding water are more acute when they're deprived of water. The more they crave and need it, the more likely they are to find a water pocket."

"That sounds logical, but kind of cruel. What if you don't find water for weeks? Do you ever have a snake die of dehydration?"

"It does happen occasionally, but we're careful not to push them that far."

"Hmm, I don't particularly like it, but if that's what you do, then I guess I'll have to accept it," Jenny conceded, as she took her share of water.

"And I suppose I can't share my water with Grakar?" Jenny asked, realizing it was a stupid question as soon as she asked it.

"That would defeat the purpose of depriving him of water, especially considering he's our best chance of finding water. I admire your devotion to Grakar, but it is the best way."

Jenny sat down and felt guilty as she sipped her water in front of Grakar, who seemed to look longingly at the scarce liquid. Jenny got up and walked over to Hekki.

"Here," she said, passing Hekki her water. "If Grakar doesn't drink, neither do I. I understand and accept your strategy, but we have a bond of trust and sharing, that I don't want to break," Jenny said, and she turned and went back to Grakar, who watched her every move.

"-And the savior will become one with the wild snake. The snake's hardships will become the chosen one's hardships, and they will endure," one of the water seekers quoted the Masta from memory.

"Amazing, isn't it? I never dreamed I'd witness it all," Hekki responded.

They rested for a few hours before continuing their journey.

"I'd like to go to the general area where we found each other during the Rachar attack.

To find that Rhonar pocket again would be brilliant, but if Grakar leads us to any water pocket it would be incredible," Hekki waited for Jenny's approval.

"You're the boss, Hekki," Jenny said.

Hekki smiled. "No, I think you're the boss. You just don't know it, and won't accept it. Whatever you say, goes on this trip, Jenny. I want you to feel free to do whatever, and go wherever you want to go. Let Grakar lead you, become one with him, and lead us to a water pocket."

Jenny looked over at Hekki and scowled.

"I know, and I'm sorry this burden has been laid upon your shoulders. But you're here for a reason. I can now plainly see it, and I can feel it, Jenny. Just empty your mind and lead us down the path waiting for you and you alone. We'll follow you to glory, Jenny of Earth," Hekki said solemnly.

Something in Hekki's words stirred feelings inside Jenny that she'd never experienced before, feelings of omnipotence and immortality. She let these feelings wash through her being, and felt the odd sensation she was floating above all else. Not like when she floated gravity free, but as if her soul had vacated her earth bound body, and was searching for something, such as eternal peace and contentment. As Jenny's spirit soared, she felt the reinforcing presence of something beside her. She looked over and beheld Relli's essence.

Relli nodded, and smiled, _"There are important things in store for you, Jenny. Things written in the stars, and things you'll find amongst the stars. You're destined for greatness, my sweet girl, I can see it, and I can feel it. Let your heart guide you."_

Jenny soon regained her composure, and shook her head to bring herself back to reality. "Whoa, that was weird," she said to herself.

"Thanks, Relli," Jenny whispered, and Hekki glanced over, but said nothing to interrupt her thoughts.

"Okay, Hekki," Jenny said with conviction. "I accept this responsibility, and if it's to be, then it's to be. And I'm confident, if there's a water pocket in here, Grakar'll find it."

"That's my girl. I have faith in you," Hekki said, and they rode on in silence.

.

The hours of travel dragged into days, and Jenny was getting very thirsty. Hekki constantly pleaded with her to drink, but she wouldn't.

"Just take a drink in secret. Grakar will never know!" Hekki said.

"Oh, he'll know."

"You know, Grakar can go longer without water than you can," Hekki pointed out. "He can obtain miniscule amounts of moisture trapped within the soil he eats, and he retains it more efficiently than we do."

"Then he'll sense my need, and find water for me."

Hekki just shook his head and threw his arms up in frustration.

"The both of you deserve each other," he'd shout. "You're both so stubborn, Grakar one and two, just as Born suggested!"

Jenny and Grakar were now in the lead, but no tunneling had yet taken place.

"Jenny, you know to find a water pocket we'll need to tunnel at some point," Hekki said, sounding frustrated.

Jenny was starting to look glassy eyed and barely alert. Dehydration was starting to set in, and Hekki recognized the signs.

"Jenny, you must drink!" he begged.

"Water, we must find water," Jenny mumbled back.

Grakar moaned mournfully, and continued to lead the way.

One of the Treech seekers glanced at Hekki and shook his head.

Jenny felt scared, weak, and not in control of her senses, but she needed to be aware, at a crucial time like this. Through the semi-conscious haze, Jenny remembered that mystical moment when her spirit had vacated her body, a few days back. She relaxed and let herself go, allowing the very essence of her being to separate from her physical shell. Her spirit again vacated her body and soared above. Now free of its earthbound needs and restrictions, Jenny's inner life force gazed around, and felt invigorated by an unseen authority that urged her on, and filled her soul with a feeling of power. She looked over, and again saw and felt Relli's comforting spirit beside her. Looking back at the following company, Jenny noticed uncertain faces, and she urged them to follow her. Jenny's earthbound body followed suit, and waved at them to follow. "This way," she yelled, in a feeble raspy voice.

Hekki and the other water seekers looked at each other and shook their heads piteously.

Unlike her body and mind, Jenny's spirit was alert and intuitive, as it kept pace with Grakar. It floated down and looked into the dazed eyes of its natural, physical form, and then onward to Grakar.

Grakar felt Jenny on his back, but also, felt her presence directly beside his face, traveling along with him. At this crucial moment in time, the two became one, and Grakar's senses were heightened.

Directed by her liberated life force, Jenny hollered in a fragile voice, "There it is Grakar, go right! Kritch!" she uttered the command to tunnel. "Follow us!" she waved to the following group, as she ducked for cover under Grakar's protective neck armor.

Grakar sensed the moment too, and before Jenny had finished her words, he opened his powerful jaws wide, and hammered the right side of the tunnel, tearing out a huge chunk of the wall.

The Treech riders looked at each other skeptically.

"Do we follow?" one asked.

"Of course!" Hekki answered gruffly, not feeling very confident in their 'savior' at the moment.

Grakar tunneled like a snake possessed, and the rest of the seekers followed, for hours.

Jenny was in a dream world. She pictured herself entering a gigantic black hole in space. Within the black hole was a swirling mass of energy, spinning through time and space at light speed. She was careening through a wormhole, created by a gravity induced collapsing of space. Pure energy cascaded down the tube, creating a kaleidoscope of color. Jenny pictured herself in the Traveler, but, strangely, it was shaped like Grakar. As they reached a speed too great for Jenny to withstand, and just as she felt as though she was losing consciousness, they were spewed out of a white hole, back into the peace of endless space.

"You did it! Jenny, you did it!" Jenny could faintly hear Hekki's voice in the distance.

"Here, drink, you marvelous child," Hekki said as he pulled Jenny out from under Grakar's hood, and poured water past her peeling, chapped lips.

It was the first time Grakar had allowed anyone on his back other than Jenny. She coughed and sputtered as the water dribbled down her chin.

"Sorry, I shouldn't waste any. Um, I shouldn't be drinking," she remembered.

"Drink all you want! Look!" Hekki helped Jenny to her feet and turned her around.

She opened her drowsy, heavy eyelids and focused on a monstrous underground lake. There was water as far as the eye could see, and as far as the Zorbite lamps would penetrate the darkness. The other Treech water seekers were jumping up and down and hugging each other in elation.

"You did it, Jenny! You've saved the Treech from dehydration and extinction just as the Masta said you would!"

"Water." It was all Jenny wanted right now. Celebration would come later.

Hekki smiled a warm, gentle smile of affection, appreciation and admiration as he raised his canteen to Jenny's parched mouth. Grakar and the other snakes already had their faces in the cool water and were drinking deeply, scooping up sand and pebbles from the bottom as they did.

"It's not a Rhonar pocket," Jenny said.

"No, but it doesn't matter. A Rhonar pocket would've helped the sick and dying to recover more quickly, but water, and a huge amount of it, is just wonderful. This lake will last our people hundreds to thousands of years, depending on its size and depth."

It was easy for Jenny to see the difference between this water pocket and the one she and Grakar had discovered weeks before. The Rhonar pocket was alive and glowing, almost magical in appearance. This one was dead in comparison, with no light or plant life. But it was water; the substance from which all life emerged, and the substance required to sustain that life. There it was, right where it had sat, undiscovered for thousands of years. This tranquil body of water would now help to sustain already established life, and aid in the growth of new life as well.

"We'll rest here for awhile, to allow you to recover and regain your strength. And then we'll return home to K'Lund, in glory," Hekki said, beaming with satisfaction.

"We'll fill our water containers just before we leave, but let's get the empties off of the snakes now," Hekki instructed.

Jenny lay on the narrow shoreline and gratefully supped on water for a few hours, re-hydrating her body. The snakes all slipped into the water, and swam and played, while Jenny and the Treech sat quietly and watched. Jenny was starting to feel better and decided to go in for a swim.

"Is anybody else coming in?" Jenny asked.

The Treech all looked at her with stunned faces.

"You're going into the water?" Hekki asked.

"Yeah," Jenny said, noticing the shocked looks.

"I guess you've never been swimming before, have you?" Jenny asked.

"No, nor would we ever! We'd drown! You can't breathe water you know!" Hekki stated matter-of-factly.

"I know. You've gotta keep your head above water, or hold your breath when you go under," Jenny explained.

"You sound like you know what to do," Hekki said skeptically.

"Of course, I've been swimming since I was five years old," Jenny assured them, as she took off her gravity displacement suit.

"Man, I don't know how you can stand this gravity," she said, as she struggled her way to the water. All of the Treech riders had looks of concern on their faces as Jenny slipped into the cool water.

"Whoa, it's chilly," she said. "Not like the warmth of the Rhonar pocket at all."

She walked out a short way, feeling the bottom with her feet.

The water got gradually deeper, until there was a sudden drop off, where Jenny dove in.

Grakar noticed Jenny and came over to play. She swam underwater for a while, giving Hekki and his men a bit of a rush of anxiety, until she finally surfaced. Grakar dove down and came up under Jenny, lifting her onto his head.

"Grakar, let's play that game we played before! Toss me in to the water."

Grakar obliged by throwing Jenny high into the air. She squealed, as her arms and legs flailed, until she splashed down in an awkward position. Hekki and the rest of the riders watched and laughed at Jenny's antics.

"The savior and the wild snake will become fast friends and devoted companions. They will play and make joy together, and they will fight and bring death together, such will be their relationship," one of the riders quoted the Masta, and all grunted in agreement.

#

Chapter Thirteen: One Last Dip

"We'll fill up the water containers later and secure them to the snakes just before we go, but we should get some sleep first," Hekki instructed.

"You'll remember how to get back here?" Jenny asked.

"Oh yes. I have the location engraved in my memory."

"What happens now, as far as the future, and transporting water back to the village?" Jenny asked.

"We'll start a village here. It will be a transport village. We'll have to excavate out a cave, which will grow in size and population as the years progress. Water will be transported to K'Lund, as it's required. There won't be a shortage of water for a very long time now, thanks to you," Hekki said gratefully.

Jenny sighed, "That's good."

"What's wrong, Jenny? You should be full of joy right now."

"Oh, nothing. I'm just sorry we couldn't have found that Rhonar pocket. That would've been perfect."

"Yes, it would've been ideal. But we now have a bounty of water that will sustain us for centuries. That's all we needed, and it was our objective and hope when we struck out on this water seeking mission," Hekki comforted.

"Now, let's get some sleep before we head home," he said, and all of the Zorbite lamps were turned off.

They all settled back for a short sleep. - All but Jenny. She waited for of the others to fall asleep, then quietly got up and tiptoed over to Grakar. She grabbed one canteen full of water, tied as many empty water containers to Grakar as she could, and silently leapt onto Grakar's back. With a gentle nudge, Jenny guided him towards the hole in the wall of the cavern he'd made only hours before. They slunk away from the group and into the passageway. Once they had gone, Hekki got up and walked to the tunnel Jenny and Grakar had just disappeared into.

"Good luck, Jenny of Earth," Hekki whispered to himself, and then went back to try to sleep.

Jenny was taking a chance, but she felt so confident and in tune with Grakar, she didn't see it as a risk at all.

"Grakar, remember when you were hurt, and you found the healing mud that saved you, and the Rhonar pocket of water? I need you to find it again. Just _some_ of that water would go a long way in helping the sick Treech. So if it's okay with you, please take me there one more time."

Jenny hoped Grakar would oblige her. She knew, he would never have taken the Treech water seekers there. The site was too precious to him, and he'd never jeopardize it. She was so close to this creature, she felt as though she could read his thoughts and emotions, and he could read hers. When she'd been in her dehydrated delirium, Jenny dreamed she saw what was taking place through Grakar's eyes and thought as he thought. Just a dream perhaps, but upon coming out of the dream, she felt closer to Grakar than ever before.

They traveled for days. Jenny slept, but Grakar didn't. She was awake when they passed by several scatterings of Rachar bones, and Jenny recognized it as the area of the first encounter. It wasn't a fond memory. Jenny recalled her fear for Grakar's and her own life. Jenny thought about how things had changed so much since then, only about two months past. Now she was confident she could find water whenever she needed it, or find her way home whenever she needed to. She chuckled at how she thought of K'Lund as home now.

It wasn't long before Grakar was tunneling, and Jenny was sitting safe and comfortable under Grakar's neck hood. Soon they emerged into the beautiful and mystical looking Rhonar pocket.

"Wow! I don't think I'll ever get used to this place, Grakar! It's the most beautiful place I've ever seen! - Except for when I got back home after moving the Killer Comet off course. That was pretty special too."

Grakar's head was poking out of the wall of the cavern. He turned and stretched to reach one of the tasty fruit trees he loved so much. His long spiky tongue curled around the tree trunk, and jerked it out by the roots. Chunks of earth fell into the tranquil water below, creating ripples that pulsed and rolled outward, and then faded away.

Jenny chuckled, "No wonder you don't want to share this place with too many people, that would mean there would be less for you." Jenny felt honored Grakar had shared his special place with her.

"Hmm, I've got to fill up these water containers, but it's going to be tricky. Maybe if we go into the water it would be easier."

Jenny removed her gravity displacement suit and guided Grakar into the water. Once there, it was easy to manipulate and tip the containers to fill them with the precious liquid. Jenny tied them together and secured them to one of the trees on the bank, so Grakar would be free to swim without hindrance.

"There, all of the work is done. Now we can play and enjoy the surroundings for awhile before we have to leave. I have a feeling this is the last time I'll experience this place again. Thanks for bringing me here one last time, Grakar."

Jenny recognized that the Treech had plenty of water now, so they'd have no reason to keep her and Born as hostages any longer. She suddenly realized she'd be sad to go. She had forged some very valuable friendships since she'd arrived a short time ago. It constantly amazed her... she'd only met Born several months ago, but it seemed like years. Jenny figured she got that impression because the time was filled with exciting experiences. Jenny looked at Grakar and felt melancholy, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Come on Grakar, let's play!" she said, wanting to enjoy whatever time she had left with him. They played their usual games of swimming and diving, and hiding and seeking. Jenny loved to hang on to Grakar as he powered through the water. She had always thought how cool it looked when she'd seen someone hanging on to a dolphin's fin as it swam through the water, but this was even better. They ate their fill of the succulent fruits and fruit trees, and floated without a care in the world. Jenny lay on her back, stretched across Grakar, and had the peculiar feeling her job was done here.

"Do you know what's weird, Grakar? I've never thought I had a job to do here, but here I am with the odd feeling my work here is complete," Jenny pondered the thought, while she lay there relaxing.

She didn't want to leave their special place, and lingered as long as she could, but she knew the Rhonar water they had just collected would save many Treech lives.

"Time to go Grakar, I'm sorry to say. We need to get this water back to K'Lund," Jenny announced. She guided Grakar to the shore and secured the full water containers to his sides.

#

Chapter Fourteen: Triumphant Return

"I have mixed feelings about returning to K'Lund," Hekki mentioned to his fellow water seekers as they approached their village.

"Why so, Hekki?" Paknor asked.

"Because we're returning triumphantly with the marvelous discovery of a huge water pocket, but we're returning without the one responsible for the find. It feels like a hollow victory, returning without Jenny. And Born's going to be all over me for allowing Jenny to slip away."

"You don't seem very concerned about Jenny being lost again. Why is that?" Paknor asked.

"Jenny went through a transformation while on this water seeking mission. She's always had the knack of skillful snake handling, it's as if she was born for it. But she didn't have tunnel and directional experience. Something happened to her on this last trip that completed her conversion to a full-fledged, tunnel-smart, Treech snake-rider. Jenny recognized the transformation, or else she would never have left on her own. I have full confidence that she'll find her way back to K'Lund... hopefully with a few canteens of Rhonar water," Hekki said as he looked over at Paknor and raised his eyebrows.

Paknor's eyes opened wider and a hopeful smile brightened his face.

Hekki added, "As the final chapter of the Masta stated, 'The one will knock on death's door two times, but death will not answer, and the one will become stronger as a result of these brushes with mortality, and transform into a full-fledged Treech.' "

Paknor chuckled, "You, quoting the Masta?"

Hekki smiled back at his friend. "I've been reading it with renewed interest lately."

.

Several hours later, the water seekers entered the cavernous village of K'Lund.

They were spotted immediately, and it wasn't long before fellow Treech surrounded the group. Kolkar came along before the crowd grew too dense, and the citizens parted to allow him through. Kolkar and the Treech looked at Hekki and the rest of the seekers. Their eyes darted back and forth from them to the water containers, looking for a clue as to whether the trip was a success or not. And where was Jenny they all wondered. Kolkar shook one of the water containers on Hekki's snake and felt it was full. The next was full as well. Hekki and his men had agreed to remain stone faced, so as to add to the suspense of the moment, but they couldn't hold back their enthusiasm any longer.

"Yes, they're all full!" Hekki announced proudly, raising his voice so all could hear.

"With great courage, and a seeker's sense far beyond her years and experience, Jenny has single-handedly delivered us from dehydration! Jenny became one with her great snake Grakar, and together they discovered a huge water pocket, the biggest I've ever seen."

The crowd cheered and hugged one-another, crying in joy and relief.

"Where is Jenny?" Kolkar asked suddenly, and the gathering went silent.

"Right here!" came a voice from behind the mob of Treech.

Jenny had entered the cavern undetected, from another direction.

They all turned to see Jenny and Grakar moving towards them. The cheers went up again, and the Treech surrounded Jenny as they jumped up and down in jubilation.

" _You_ made good time!" Hekki shouted over the noise, after Jenny had finally made her way over to him.

"I thought we may have to come looking for you again," he kidded.

Hekki had actually taken his time coming back, hoping that Jenny may catch up to them. His instincts had paid off.

"So how did you make out?" Hekki asked hopefully. The tables had suddenly been turned, as now _he_ was the one anxiously awaiting word of Jenny's cargo. He glanced down to the water containers strapped to Grakar.

"Good. Grakar took me back to the Rhonar pocket," Jenny revealed.

A collective gasp was heard within the front ranks of the crowd, and the exciting news was quickly passed back through the packed gathering. Some Treech jumped for joy, while others stood in flabbergasted silence once the news had reached them. Jenny looked out over the crowd and smiled with satisfaction.

"But he won't reveal to you where it is, and I must respect his wishes. It's a special, private place for him, and he doesn't want to share it, or chance losing it, or have it altered in any way. He's a smart snake."

"He chose you for a friend, didn't he?" Hekki said, and Jenny blushed slightly.

Jenny looked at Kolkar, who for once, looked lost for words. His mouth gaped open, and his eyes looked distant. He noticed Jenny looking at him with a glowing face, and snapped out of his stupor.

"This is amazing," Kolkar said, as tears welled up in his eyes. "Jenny, how can we ever thank you enough."

"This, is all the thanks I need," Jenny smiled, as she gazed out at the happy Treech populace.

The crowd was buzzing, and animated with excitement. Many of the Treech had sick loved ones, who would benefit from the medicinal water.

Kolkar wiped a small tear from the corner of his eye, and waved his arms to calm the crowd.

Jenny caught a glimpse of a proud looking Born making his way forward.

Born looked at the wall of sturdy Treech, and thought he'd never be able to make it through.

"Excuse me. Can I get through?" he asked meekly.

"Make way for Jenny's companion!" someone shouted from the rear of the assembly.

The crowd began to part, but they were too jam-packed. Soon Born was engulfed in a sea of burly bodies.

From his vantage point, atop his snake, Hekki noticed Born's dilemma, and shouted, "Please, let Born pass!"

The Treech tried to make way, but it was too difficult.

"We'll get you up there, little fellow," a husky Treech man said.

He grabbed Born by the shoulders, and effortlessly lifted him above his head.

Born shrieked with surprise.

"Here, pass him to the front," the husky fellow instructed, and Born body surfed his way to the front, wailing and flailing all the way.

Jenny looked over at Hekki, and they laughed at the funny scene.

Born was placed gently on the ground in front of Kolkar, who also had a grin on his face.

"Welcome to the festivities, Born," Kolkar said, while Born straightened out his twisted clothing.

"My, that was unexpected," Born said.

Jenny tried to keep a straight face, but a suppressed smirk was still visible. "Hey Born, have a good ride?"

Born scowled at her.

"Welcome back, by the way," Born said, still collecting his wits.

"Thanks Born, it's good to be back," Jenny responded.

"Help me up, Hekki," Kolkar requested, as he began to climb up the side of Hekki's snake.

Jenny could tell Kolkar didn't do too much snake riding any more. He looked frail and awkward climbing up. A few of the villagers came to his aid and boosted him up, and Hekki reached over to grasp Kolkar's hand.

Once atop the snake, Kolkar took an out of breath puff, and then again, tried to calm the crowd.

"Quiet!" Hekki yelled.

Once more, word was passed through the crowd. It took a few minutes, but the excited chattering calmed to a buzz, mellowed a murmur, then complete silence.

Kolkar spoke directly to Jenny first. "We're eternally grateful for what you've provided, Jenny."

He then turned to address the congregation.

"Good, and patient Treech people," he yelled in a strong voice that echoed within the cavern. "Today is a day of salvation. Its coming was predicted in the Masta many centuries ago. The Masta foretold of two travelers, visiting us from distant worlds. One of the travelers would come among us, and adopt our ways and customs as if they were their own. The one would be kind, courageous, and compassionate, and would deliver us from dehydration. It told us the savior would possess supernatural powers, and wisdom beyond their years. The one has come, and fulfilled the prophecy. She isn't quite what we'd come to expect," Kolkar said, as he glanced over and smiled at Jenny. "For we'd built up our champion in our collective imaginations to an almost god like status, so it took us a long time to realize and accept that this little girl, was the one whose coming was foretold. She's humble in her greatness, and we the Treech people, thank you, Jenny, for all you've done for us," Kolkar turned to face Jenny, but still spoke for all to hear.

"Jenny, you've left us no doubt, that you're the one whose coming was foretold in the Masta. The identity of our savior is no longer a mystery, and the name, Jenny of Earth, will be honored forever!" Kolkar shouted, and a mighty cheer echoed throughout the cavern of K'Lund.

Kolkar allowed them to cheer for a moment, and once more silenced them so he may continue. Again he spoke directly to Jenny, in a loud voice so all could hear.

"Jenny, I know you'll humbly accept our eternal gratitude for all you've done for us, because that's your way. We love, and admire you for what you've accomplished in your brief time here. We wish you could stay with us forever, so we may honor you for years, but alas, we know you must leave. So, I here and now officially release you as a hostage... which now sounds kind of ridiculous, that we held our savior as a hostage while she went about saving us," Kolkar gave his head a quick shake of disbelief, and the assembly all smiled at the absurdity that would only add to the richness of the tale.

"The Masta is a historical account of the Treech, as well as including predictions of our future, and is always evolving. Jenny's name and exploits will be added to our holy book, as this amazing chapter comes to a close. Please join me in thanking Jenny, for her bravery and selflessness. She is a hero, and will always be welcomed by the Treech people. Her name will be honored in the Masta forever!" The volume of Kolkar's voice rose even further with his last words.

The crowd exploded into a loud and enthusiastic cheer, which continued for several minutes, and slowly evolved into a chant for a speech from their savior. Jenny looked over at Hekki, and down to Born, who both had proud smiling faces as they joined in on the applause. They urged her to address her adoring admirers, and she shyly obliged. Jenny, standing on Grakar, raised her arms, and the multitude immediately went silent, like a speaker had suddenly been switched off.

"Umm, thank-you. I'm glad I could help. I just want you all to know that I'm a living, breathing person just as you all are. I'm not supernatural or anything, and I don't consider myself a hero at all, just a kid who tried to do what I thought was the right thing to do. I guess I just followed my heart," Jenny said, and she suddenly came to the realization that she'd subconsciously taken Relli's advice. "I've realized in my brief time among you, that we're very similar. We may come from different worlds, but in all that's truly important, we're exactly the same. We care about our loved ones, we love to laugh, we want and deserve a good quality of life, and we feel compassion for people less fortunate. I had luck, fine training, and technological assistance on my side... and an incredible water seeking snake," Jenny said, and she looked at Hekki and Born. "I only did what I felt was right and necessary, and luckily it all turned out for the best. I hope the water we've found," Jenny motioned with her arms to include all of the seekers, "will bring the Treech people a better quality of life. Please live your lives with honor and integrity with regard to your Treech brothers and sisters. Thank you," she concluded, and again the Treech erupted in jubilation. A true hero had finally emerged.

Hekki urged his snake closer to Jenny and hopped over onto Grakar.

"Congratulations, hero," he said and he gave Jenny a big hug.

"You're as much a hero as I am, Hekki."

Born yelled up, "This is getting to be a habit with you isn't it?"

Jenny laughed, "I think I've had enough for awhile. I just want to relax and not worry about anything."

Kolkar overheard and said, "Well, you do deserve a rest Jenny, but not until we've had a celebration in your honor."

It took Kolkar awhile, but with Hekki's help, he managed to quiet the crowd enough to make an announcement.

"I hereby declare tomorrow a holiday. We'll feast and celebrate for the entire day, and every year on this day we will celebrate "Jenny of Earth day," in remembrance of her amazing accomplishments!"

And again a deafening cheer echoed throughout K'Lund.

Hekki removed one of his smaller water containers and held it aloft, and all again went silent. Hekki bellowed, "Now everyone go home and get your water urns. Water for everyone, compliments of Jenny - now, and for the rest of ours and our children's, and their children's lives!"

They all cheered and ran off in excitement. The water seeking team jumped down from their mounts and unloaded their precious cargo of water. The Rhonar water Jenny carried was given special care and attention, and kept separate from the regular water. A few of Kolkar's officials set up a dispersement table, and fetched family lists so they could keep track of how much water each household received, depending on the number of family members.

"We won't have to do this much longer," Kolkar happily mentioned. "As soon as we get a good supply of water transported back here, there'll be no more meager rations. The bounty will be shared by all."

The water was also dispensed to officials, whose job it would be to water some of the essential crops. A small portion of Rhonar water was carefully transferred to smaller containers and given to the medical practitioners of K'Lund, so they could administer it to the sick.

The water-seeking group walked their snakes to the stables, and Born tagged along too.

"Oh, what a week... no wait, make that the last few weeks... correction, last several months, this has been," Jenny kept correcting herself as her memory quickly worked back over recent events.

"My life has changed so much, and so many things have happened," recalled an exhausted Jenny as she tended to Grakar.

"Yes, it has been exciting," Born agreed. "A little too much so for my liking."

"This was an expedition, and a period in my life that I'll always treasure the memory of," Hekki said. "And my people will remember it, and it will be passed on for future generations in the Masta. I'll finish up here Jenny; you should go and get some well-deserved rest. We have a big day planned for tomorrow. You don't want to be too tired to enjoy it."

"Okay, thanks, Hekki, but you need your rest, too, so don't work too late."

Jenny and Born watched the water being passed out for a while. It was rewarding to watch the happy smiling faces, and to know they had helped in its discovery. Even Born felt in a small way, because he had brought Jenny to Spacemark Four, that he'd played a role as well. They returned to their hut where Jenny fell into a deep, contented sleep.

#

Chapter Fifteen: Training for The Majak

Jenny and Born awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and rested. Born got in touch with Obos.

"Obos, I need you to contact my superiors, and the mayor of the domed city."

"I've already informed both that your ordeal is over. I made our people aware of the reason, but thought it best not to let the mayor know of the discovery," Obos informed.

"Good. If necessary we can let the Mayor of Cheshneer know about the water when we return to the surface. I'm not sure when we'll be back, but I assume we'll be leaving within the next few days. I'll keep you posted."

"Hey, Obos, how ya doin'?" Jenny asked.

"I, and the ship are well. Soilanglobe finally authorized the repair of the damage to the ship, caused during the Treech raiding mission. So, we're ready to go as soon as you return."

Born sounded happy, "Good, I'm looking forward to be away from here, and on my way home."

"Speaking of home, can you get in touch with Earth for me, Obos?" Jenny asked.

"The transmission has already been initiated, please wait for completion."

"It's like you're psychic or something, Obos," Jenny remarked.

"Just logical. And, congratulations on the completion of your task," Obos added.

"Thanks. I'm glad it's over."

"The telephone is now ringing at your home, Jenny."

"Okay, thanks, Obos."

Relli was in the laundry room separating laundry when the phone rang, and she hustled upstairs to get it.

"Hello," she said, a little out of breath.

Jenny put on a nasally voice, "Hello, I'm with the local psychic society, and we have information leading us to believe that you don't have any spiritual insurance. I'm sure you realize the seriousness of this issue."

Relli put her hand on her hip, rolled her eyes, and shook her head at Jenny's antics.

Jenny continued, "If any of your clients ever had any, shall we say, psychological issues because of your predictions, the results could be financially devastating. I'm prepared to offer you full coverage, for a mere, let's say, five hundred dollars a month. Payable to the youngest member of the household of course."

"Of course. The youngest, and most twisted of the household," Relli corrected.

Jenny laughed.

"Hello, Jenny, how are you? I get the feeling your task is completed and you've fulfilled your destiny on Spacemark Four," Relli said.

"I have, thank goodness! What an ordeal! I'm so glad it's over. _That,_ is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

"Harder than going out to meet Born for the first time?"

"Okay, that was pretty hard, but yeah, I think this was more difficult. Hey, were you really with me in spirit, when I was dehydrated and delirious a couple of weeks ago?"

"I'm always with you, in essence - doing what I can, to try and guide you in the right direction. That was the only time you've noticed me, because of your super heightened state."

"Then you know we found water?" Jenny asked

"Yes, I know. Congratulations, Jenny. I was very worried about you, but that delirious condition was necessary. It permitted you to pass into a supernatural state of mind, so you could become one with your water-seeking snake. I'm so happy, things worked out for the best."

"Thanks for all of your help, Relli. We should be leaving soon, I think, although I'll be sad to go. I've made so many good friends here. Why does everything have to be so difficult? Even when my task is done, and I should be happy, something else comes up to make me sad."

"I'm sorry, dear. You didn't choose your life, your life was chosen for you... which isn't really fair. Just enjoy the happy rewarding times when they present themselves. There'll be many more of them than the challenging, difficult times. Your work in the cosmos is very important, and essential. Many people are depending on you, although some won't know it, before, and maybe even after your effort is completed, as was the case here on Earth. Hang in there kiddo. Love and respect will follow you wherever you go, and that's something to be proud of."

"Thanks, Relli. You always have a way of making things better."

"That's the task that was handed to _me_ , and I'm honored to take it on," Relli said with conviction.

"Then, I'm honored to take on the tasks presented to me, too. Bring on the next one! Not too soon though," Jenny said.

Relli laughed, "Don't worry, dear girl, you'll have lots of time to relax and enjoy before the next one, I sense."

"There's going to be a next one?"

"I believe there'll be many more. As I mentioned before, I foresee the name 'Jenny of Earth' emblazoned across the cosmos, and held in the highest esteem. You've already begun to fulfill that prediction."

Jenny gave her head a shake, "That's a little too much for me to comprehend. I think I'll take your advice and just live for the moment, and today is going to be a fun day of celebration. I wish you could be here. You've played such a key role in helping this to happen, and these people don't even know of you."

Relli smiled slightly, "I'm just happy everything worked out for you, Jenny."

Jenny sensed a remorseful tone in her voice.

'I'm sorry, Relli, I'm so tied up with myself, I forget about you sometimes. Are you still feeling some sort of tie to this planet?"

"Yes, but I've accepted the fact that it's because you're there, fulfilling a vision I've experienced for decades. It's amazing how accurate that dream was."

"Scary accurate. You have an amazing talent. I don't think there's another person on Earth with your clairvoyant ability. Actually, I know there isn't. You're one of a kind, Relli."

"Yes, a real freak of nature," Relli said, in a depressed tone.

"Aww, come on, Relli. Like you just said, my life was mapped out for me, so yours must be, too! And thank goodness for me, it is. Because, I couldn't have achieved what I've achieved without you, guaranteed. These accomplishments are as much yours, as they are mine." "Thanks, Jenny. I just feel like there's a mysterious hole in my life that I'm aching to fill, and I was hoping and sensing, that this was it - But it seems like it's not. I suppose I'll have to take my own advice, and just live for the moment. So, what festivities are planned for the day!" Relli said, perking up.

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm sure it'll be fun! These people are just so relieved to have water again. They really were in bad shape."

"But not any more! Thanks to you."

"You mean, thanks to us. Good job, Relli.'

"Thanks for sharing," Relli said.

"Hey, is Dad home?"

"No, he's at work, and Martin's at school."

"I don't have a clue what day it is, or even what time of day it is," Jenny said.

"Yes, the Treech don't have a calendar, do they?"

"No, how'd you know that?"

"Oh, just a hunch I guess. No sun, no day or night, so no need for a calendar," Relli surmised.

"Yeah, well, tell Dad and Martin I called, and give them my love. Bye for now, Relli."

"Good bye, dear. Have fun at the celebration, and call again when you get back to the surface, if you can."

"I will."

.

During breakfast, Jenny noticed Born staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

Born smiled affectionately, and slowly blinked his eyes. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking how proud I am of you, and I'm just beginning to realize how special you really are."

Jenny blushed and looked downwards. "Aww, come on."

"No, really, I'm serious! Very few individuals would be willing to put themselves in harm's way for others, as you have. You are a real hero, Jenny. I wish I was more like you."

"You're a hero, too! You saved Earth from destruction, didn't you?" Jenny reminded.

"Yes, but that was because of your persistence. You pushed me into that situation."

"But you still did it! You could've refused, but you didn't. Isn't that what a true hero is, someone who puts themselves in danger for others, contrary to their own survival instinct."

Born smiled warmly, "You certainly know what that's like."

Jenny rolled her eyes upward, "Man, don't I!"

"And look, now you're considered a hero on Soilanglobe, for saving their best water supply planet! Remember, that's why I'm going there with you, so that they can thank us both."

"Yes, but I'm not brave like you. You were born for this. It's amazing, how this entire destiny scenario is just falling into place. I'm starting to believe it myself."

"That's just it, things just sort of happen, and I just go with the flow. Even when my common sense tells me to do one thing, something else is guiding me, pulling me in a different direction. So, it's not me, it's outside forces. I'm just an instrument in a bigger plan. I just hope I don't misinterpret the signs one day, and mess up."

"Don't worry, there seems to be lots of mysterious energy looking out for you. It really is uncanny.

.

Kolkar and Hekki dropped in on Jenny and Born while they were having breakfast, and informed them of the day's itinerary. The day was to be full of festivities, and Jenny and Born were the guests of honor, although Jenny was the star of the show.

"We want to start with a parade. I'll be in the lead, with Born on my snake." Kolkar said, and Born grimaced at the thought of having to ride on a snake again. "Jenny and Grakar will be on one side, with Hekki on the other side, then the rest of the water seekers bringing up the rear. We'll circle the village, and then stop at the town square, where there will be several hours of traditional Treech entertainment. We'll then have the Majak match, followed by a feast, with water being the main and most sacred course. A few drops of actual Rhonar water will be ceremoniously placed into the main water container. After the feast, the festivities will likely carry on into the evening."

"Sounds like fun, but I've got one question. What is a Majak match?" Jenny asked.

"Majak is an ancient Treech sport," Hekki answered, "requiring excellent snake riding skill, experience, and a good fast snake. It involves two teams, with four players a side. The object of the game is to advance the Majak towards the other team's goal, by passing it to teammates, and attempting to score on them. The rules aren't very complex, but it requires expertise to be able to play well."

Jenny was immediately intrigued by the game.

"What's the Majak? A ball of some sort?"

"No, it's a large block of stone that weighs ten tons. The snakes toss it back and forth, while the other team tries to intercept a pass, or steal the Majak from their opponents," Hekki explained.

Jenny's eyes opened wide at the thought of such an exciting game.

"Wow, that sounds like quite the game. I sure wish I could play," she hinted.

Born, Hekki and Kolkar all looked at each other. Hekki had predicted Jenny would ask to participate in the game, and it certainly came as no surprise to Born, who just shrugged his shoulders and turned away, leaving the decision up to Kolkar and Hekki.

"It can be bit dangerous, as you can imagine, what with a ten-ton chunk of rock flying through the air. Not to mention that you have no experience, which would add to the hazard. Why don't you just sit back and relax, and enjoy the game?" Kolkar suggested.

"If I do that, I'll be restless the entire match, wishing I was out there participating!"

Hekki smirked, "I told you so."

"But you have no training," Kolkar appealed.

"Hekki can show me the basics. I know I won't be very good, but at least let me join in."

"The people _would_ love it, Kolkar. They'd be delighted to see their hero on the field of play, on _her_ special day," Hekki supported Jenny.

Born looked at Kolkar with a little grin now on his face. "Have you not learned yet Kolkar? You may as well give in."

"Oh all right, I give up, but you must go and learn the rules, and practice immediately after the parade. But, if Hekki tells me you've not mastered the basics well enough to be safe out there, then you cannot play. This is my condition. Do you agree with it?" Kolkar asked.

"Of course, and Grakar must learn to play as well." Jenny added.

Kolkar shook his head. "That will be too much, for you, and for Grakar to learn as well, don't you think Hekki?" Kolkar looked for some help for a change, and for a change he got it, at least momentarily.

"I must agree with Kolkar on this one, Jenny. It's too much to ask of Grakar to learn the game, while I'm trying to teach you as well. Riding a snake already experienced in Majak will give you a better chance to learn the game in such a short time."

Born again turned away, shaking his head as he whispered to himself, "Will they never learn?"

"But Grakar's the main reason we found the water pocket. I think he's earned the chance to play in the game. What if the same conditions applied? If Grakar and I, as a team, don't learn the game to Hekki's satisfaction, then we won't play. That's fair isn't it?" Jenny challenged.

"I'm not so sure I like being the one who has the final word on this matter," Hekki admitted.

"It sounds to me like Jenny's already got this thing twisted in her favor. Surprise, surprise," Born said.

"Okay, we have a deal. You have four hours to learn and to practice after the parade," Kolkar said.

"Cool, thanks Kolkar!" Jenny said, hopping up and down and clapping her hands.

"Now, if you're finished with your breakfast, we should walk over to the stables and mount up for the parade. All has been prepared, and the Treech people are buzzing with excitement," Kolkar said, and he led the way to the door.

The four of them exited the hut to a multitude of Treech, waiting to get another look at their long awaited hero. They erupted into a loud cheer.

Hekki took the initiative to clear a path for them. "Make way please, make way! Jenny will be around all day for you to see!" he yelled forcefully.

"Make way for Jenny!" several of the crowd shouted to their comrades, and a narrow corridor opened up.

"Sheeshk, I don't think I could ever get used to this," Jenny confessed.

Once clear of the mob, they progressed to the stable area, with a procession of Treech close behind.

The other members of the parade party were already mounted and waiting for the guest of honor.

Grakar and Hekki's snake, Taknor, were out in the corral, and Taknor was already saddled. Grakar saw Jenny coming and he let out a low contented moan, his big dark eyes open wide with enthusiasm.

"Hi Grakar, how're you doing, boy?" Jenny greeted.

He lowered his head to greet her, and she gave his head a big hug. Grakar lovingly nuzzled her back.

When all were mounted, the parade began.

Everyone cheered as the group left the stable area and rode towards the town. Adult Treech walked quickly in order to keep up with the party, while younger and more energetic Treech ran alongside and up ahead, jumping and dancing in jubilation as they ran. Jenny laughed at their antics and waved in appreciation. The other members of the assembly sat tall in their saddles, with a look of pride and contentment on their faces.

Jenny could see Treech citizens lining both sides of the narrow town street up ahead, and she too, felt an intense feeling of satisfaction wash through her.

The crowd was deafening, and they threw colored pebbles in front of the honored group as they passed. The spectacle ended in the town square, where the parade halted at a colorfully decorated stage. The group dismounted and climbed the stairs of the stage, and Kolkar addressed his people.

He intentionally spoke in a solemn tone, calculated to get a sudden rush of emotion out of the gathering. "Good people of K'Lund, my brothers and sisters, we've waited a long time for the mystic's prophecy to come to pass, and we've endured much sickness and hardship to get to this moment."

The sea of blond heads nodded their agreement.

"We never gave up hope, but we were preparing for the worst, the demise of the noble Treech race."

Suddenly his tone changed and he bellowed out, "But here we are, and here we will stay!"

To which the assembly erupted in a tumultuous cheer.

Jenny giggled to herself at the heartwarming sight.

Kolkar quieted the congregation before he continued, now in a more animated tone. "We've been blessed with a large supply of life sustaining water, and a small but precious supply of sacred Rhonar water, thus answering our desperate prayers. As predicted in the Masta centuries ago by the mystic of that era, a champion would come from a far away place, and display heroic acts of courage and compassion. The one would be small of stature, but stout of heart, and would exhibit amazing supernatural feats. Our savior would come amongst us as a friend, adopt our ancient customs, and become one with the environment. Well, I give you that person now in the form of Jenny of Earth! Our champion, our hero, our savior!"

Jenny blushed a vibrant shade of red at all of the fuss, and Hekki, Born and Kolkar turned and applauded their friend. Their faces beamed with pride, and tears flowed down Hekki's face.

The crowd cheered their deafening appreciation and admiration for their hero. Nothing like this had ever been experienced before in the cavernous, echoing, underground village of K'Lund.

It took Kolkar several minutes to quiet the crowd this time. Every time he got close to getting their attention back, someone would yell something like, "Hooray for Jenny," causing the crowd to burst into another long cheer. When he finally succeeded, he again addressed his people. "Today is a long awaited day of celebration. There will be festivities taking place throughout the day. Included in the merriment will be a Majak match. Now I don't want to get your hopes up, but Jenny has expressed an interest in taking part in the game." This immediately created a murmuring of excitement. Kolkar raised his voice above the buzz. "But of course, she has no experience in the art of the Majak. She and Hekki will have to leave immediately so that Jenny and her wild snake Grakar may learn and train for the match. I make no promises, but if Jenny can learn the game to the point of it not being a danger to her, I'll allow her to play."

Jenny waved to the adoring crowd, and leaped from the stage onto Grakar's back, with the assistance of her anti-gravity suit. All of the crowd "ooed and awed" at her seemingly miraculous gravity defying feats. Hekki looked at her, smiled and shook his head, as he took the more traditional route of dismounting the stage, and then climbing aboard Taknor.

The mob of Treech cleared a path for them, while they cheered and shouted encouragement, and many followed.

Hekki turned to Jenny. "We can get started right away. I had a bunch of Majak stones dropped off at the field next to the stables."

"You did? How'd you know I'd ask, and how'd you know Kolkar would agree to it?"

Hekki just glanced over at her and snickered.

"Yeah, I guess that was a pretty silly question. You're getting to know me pretty well," Jenny realized.

"You don't go through all we've experienced together, without getting to know one another fairly well. You're amazing, but not very complicated," Hekki said with a smile.

Jenny laughed, "Yeah, I guess I am pretty easy to read."

Hekki and Jenny rode to the stables, and were soon surrounded by admiring Treech men, women and children, who felt some sort of satisfaction just being close to Jenny.

"Want to learn how to play a game, boy?" Jenny asked Grakar.

Grakar bellowed his enthusiasm.

Hekki guided Jenny to a large open area behind the stables, where Jenny noticed a large pile of stone blocks stacked up to one side of the field. Hekki escorted Jenny directly to that heap of stones.

Jenny's eyes opened wide at the size of each rectangular block of stone. "Yikes, are these Majak stones?"

"Yes, these are Majak stones, often referred to as, 'The Majak.'"

"Why so many?" she asked, still intimidated by the size of just one stone.

"The first rule, and one of the hardest lessons for a rookie snake to learn, is not to crush the Majak. If a snake crushes the stone, it's a penalty. That's why it would've been easier and given you a better chance to be able to participate, if you'd accepted an already experienced snake. You wouldn't reconsider would you?" Hekki asked hopefully.

Jenny directed a sour facial expression towards Hekki.

"That's what I thought," Hekki said, understanding the look.

Jenny gulped,"So, show us what to do."

"Okay, but you two may not be ready in time," Hekki warned.

"That's a chance we'll have to take. I can't exclude Grakar from this, Hekki, you know that."

"Yes, I know, but I had to try."

"We'd better get started. We've got a lot of work to do, and we _will_ be ready in time," Jenny stated emphatically.

Hekki nodded his head in acceptance.

"The snake must be very gentle with the Majak, which is difficult for a snake to do, because they love to crush rock. It's instinctive. It's what they were born to do. That's why I had so many stones placed here. I figured you'd want to ride Grakar, and no amount of arguing would convince you otherwise. So these are in anticipation of Grakar crushing most of the stones as we train him to be gentle with them."

Jenny smiled at Hekki. "Just another example of how well you know me."

Hekki returned the smile. "Yes, I'm proud to say that I do. Now I'll pick up one of the Majak stones and place it over to the side to demonstrate to Grakar that the stone must be kept intact."

Hekki prompted Taknor to pick up one of the stones from the top of the stack. Taknor easily picked up the heavy stone and placed it softly on the dry ground, which created a puff of dust around it.

"Now you try, but when he crushes it, and he will crush it, let him know in your own way that this isn't what you want him to do. I won't offer you any suggestions on disciplining Grakar. You two have a special bond, and you have a unique and effective way of communicating with him that I've never seen before, so I'm confident you'll get him to do what you want."

"Okay, boy, pick up a stone, and take care not to crush it," Jenny instructed, and she guided him to the pile of stones.

Grakar bit hard into one of them, fracturing it into two pieces and proceeded to crush and eat the piece in his mouth.

"Grakar! Don't eat it," Jenny gently admonished.

Hekki and the Treech audience, which was continuing to grow, laughed heartily.

"You wanted to prove me wrong, didn't you?" Hekki said expressing his amusement.

Jenny scowled at him. She'd unrealistically hoped Grakar would do it on his first try.

"Don't be discouraged. No snake I've ever trained for Majak has ever mastered this fundamental immediately. Like I said, it's instinctive for them to crush rock. He thinks you've placed a few morsels of food here for him to munch on."

Hekki got Taknor to remove the half a stone that had fallen from Grakar's mouth and discard it off to the side, where it landed with a heavy thud.

"Try again."

"Okay, Grakar, try again, boy, but don't crush it. Remember it's not food, it's a game, and the stone needs to be kept intact," Jenny explained, and again she got him to pick up one of the Majak stones. He placed his tusks on either side of the stone and raised it off the stack as Jenny directed.

"Good boy," Jenny congratulated prematurely, because as soon as Grakar had raised it, he gave the stone a little chuck so as to readjust it deeper into his mouth, where he again crushed it.

"Grakar! You can't crush it, boy. Just place it on the ground," Jenny pleaded.

Hekki and the audience only smiled to themselves this time, in respect of Jenny's obvious frustration.

"Don't worry, Jenny, he'll get it sooner or later. Patience is the key," Hekki advised. "You trained him to be a formidable battle snake, so I'm confident you can train him to play Majak."

"The difference is, I had plenty of time then. I don't have that luxury now. And this is totally different. In training him to be a battle snake, I used his natural aggressiveness to our advantage. I didn't want him to be gentle or passive in any way... but with this, I've got to teach him to be gentle, which is the total opposite of his nature," Jenny grumbled.

"That's the beauty of the sport. The snake needs to be taught to be gentle in one aspect of the game, but it also needs to be aggressive in a controlled manner, in order to be effective. It's a difficult balance to achieve, and it can take a snake, years of experience before it becomes a good solid player. Just keep in mind, it's only a game, and if you aren't ready in time, it's not that vital," Hekki explained.

"Oh, we'll be playing the game alright," Jenny said stubbornly.

"Try again. That's why we have so many Majak stones at our disposal," Hekki reminded.

"Grakar did one thing right though. He adjusted the Majak deeper into his mouth. It's more secure in this position, and it should be in that spot when he carries the stone."

Jenny leaned forward to whisper in Grakar's ear. "Come on, boy. You can do it. Just pick it up and place it over to the side without breaking it. I have faith in you, Grakar."

Suddenly Jenny was struck with a great idea. She guided Grakar to the Majak stone, but just as he was reaching for it, Jenny clamored over his head and hopped down onto the stone he was about to pick up.

"Jenny! What're you doing?" Hekki shouted, and the crowd of Treech gasped in horror.

"He won't crush it if I'm on it. Come on, boy, pick it up," Jenny urged.

Grakar looked slightly confused, but did as his partner asked of him and delicately picked up the stone with his tusks.

"Atta boy, Grakar," Jenny said from her lying position on the Majak stone as she looked into his gullet of razor sharp teeth, and felt his hot breath on her skin.

"Now place the stone carefully on the ground," Jenny said, feeling confident and rather pleased with herself.

Everyone else was silent and looked concerned. Grakar placed the Majak gingerly on the ground and released it from his grip. The audience cheered their hero, as much for her bravery and ingenuity, as for their thankfulness she was still in one piece.

"Atta boy, Grakar! I knew you could do it!" Jenny cried out, as she jumped up onto Grakar's head and hugged him vigorously. Praise and affection was all she needed to do to reinforce what she wanted Grakar to do with the Majak stone. He would never again crush another Majak.

"Well that's a new one for the books, for which you seem to be writing your own chapter," Hekki said, sounding very relieved.

"Now, see if he can do it without you on it," Hekki challenged.

Jenny guided Grakar to pick up stone after stone, and transferred the entire stack from its original location, over to a new spot, intact. The crowd applauded again.

"Very impressive. I must admit, that is the fastest I've seen a snake pick up that skill," Hekki approved.

"Now pick one up and move about the field," he instructed.

Jenny urged Grakar to pick up another stone and proceeded to move around the dusty area. Hekki took off after them and called out. "Now, we're going to try to take the Majak away from you. Try to avoid us. We want Grakar to adjust the stone deeper into his mouth, so it's not so vulnerable to be stolen from you. Are you ready?"

"Bring it on!" Jenny called out, anticipating the competition.

Hekki smiled, and urged his snake forward to try to take the Majak out of Grakar's mouth, where it stuck out from the front of his fangs.

"Don't let him take it, Grakar! It's ours!" Jenny yelled, as she steered him away from Taknor and Hekki.

Grakar sensed what was happening, and instinctively adjusted the Majak stone deep into his mouth, so as to protect it from their opposition.

"Good boy, Grakar!" Jenny praised.

"Very good!" Hekki yelled.

From the sidelines, the Treech shouted their approval and support.

Jenny and Grakar were naturals at keeping the Majak away from Taknor, who was an aggressive and experienced Majak snake.

"Okay, Jenny. Good job. Come back over to the pile," Hekki instructed.

"He's good, as I expected he would be. He's fast, he has good mobility, he's got excellent instincts for the game, and, he has a terrific rider and trainer. You never cease to amaze me, Jenny," Hekki proudly commended.

"Thanks, Hekki."

"Now to the next facet of the game, throwing and passing. There's definitely a fine art to be proficient at this. Throwing is one thing, while throwing accurately is quite another. I use a voice command to initiate a throw or pass, and point Taknor in the direction of where I want him to throw. An experienced snake gets accustomed to who his teammates are by the colors the riders wear. If the rider points him towards a teammate and calls out the voice command to pass, a snake will throw a pass to that snake, and if he's close to the goal and the rider calls for a throw, the snake will throw at the goal. There are so many intricacies to the game that a rider and snake develop over time with experience. A Majak rider and snake are a team, and work as one within their own team of four players. Let me demonstrate a throw," Hekki said.

Taknor proceeded to hoist one of the Majak stones and Hekki called, "Huk."

Taknor reared back, and then powerfully flung his head forward, releasing the large stone as he did.

"Wow!" Jenny exclaimed as the huge Majak twisted and turned through the air. It landed with a thud in a cloud of dust.

"Simple as that," Hekki said.

"The trick, like I mentioned before, is to find an open teammate, and guide your snake to toss the Majak in that direction. I'll demonstrate a few more throws, and hopefully Grakar will pick up on what we want him to do," Hekki explained, and he commanded Taknor to hurl several more Majaks down the field.

"Did you get that, Grakar?" Jenny asked, and then she directed him to pick up a stone.

"Whoa! Hold on a minute," Hekki said, as he and Taknor scrambled to a safe spot behind Jenny and Grakar. The Treech onlookers also quickly ran to a more secure position.

"What? Does no one trust us?" Jenny said, gesturing with her arms outstretched and palms up.

"Better safe than sorry," Hekki explained.

"Okay boy, let's show them. Throw it way out in the field. Ready - huk!" Jenny shouted.

Grakar had studied Taknor and already recognized the command. He was beginning to recognize this was a game of some sort, and he wanted to please Jenny, so he flexed his mighty neck, and flung his head forward, releasing the Majak. Unfortunately, he released it too soon, and at the wrong angle, causing the stone to bounce and tumble along the ground, crashing through a fence, and continuing for a couple of hundred more feet, kicking up dust and chunks of earth as it went.

"Oops," Jenny said sheepishly.

"That's okay, try again," Hekki said from his safe position, and with a bit of a smirk on his face.

"Good try, Grakar, but it needs to go straight ahead, and up in the air," Jenny calmly pointed out.

Grakar knew from Jenny's less than enthusiastic reaction that it wasn't exactly what she'd wanted from him.

Grakar picked up another stone, and Jenny called, "Huk!"

This throw was straighter and had more loft, but again Grakar knew from Jenny's feedback that it still wasn't satisfactory. He picked up one Majak stone after the other, and hurled it every time he heard Jenny's command. The throws became more accurate, and the praise more emphatic, until Grakar knew he'd gotten it right.

"Good boy, Grakar! That was perfect," Jenny commended, much to Grakar's contentment.

"Well, you got that mastered promptly. Now let's try the tail punch. Follow me," Hekki instructed, and he guided Taknor to place a Majak onto the ground in front of them.

"A tail punch is sometimes an effective move for passing or shooting, especially in a scramble for a loose Majak. Observe," Hekki positioned Taknor and called a command. "Kreen!"

Taknor smacked the Majak with his tail in response, and the stone block was sent careening down the field.

"We should be able to manage that move without too much trouble," Jenny assured.

"But we'll use a different command this time if that's okay?"

"Yes, of course. Any way you can get your snake to do what you want him to do is acceptable," Hekki said.

Jenny positioned Grakar and called out her own command, "Tail whip right!"

Grakar smacked the Majak down the field with perfect form, just as he'd been previously trained by Jenny in order to help fight the Rachars.

"Ahh, I forgot about your battle training. Good technique," Hekki approved.

"Now, the catching of the Majak. This is the most difficult skill for the rider to get comfortable with. It takes a lot of courage to be a good pass receiver," Hekki revealed.

"You're right. This is the one I've been dreading, and I still have a hard time imagining what it'll be like, having a ten ton block of stone flying right at me," Jenny admitted.

Hekki produced two helmets with attached goggles. The helmet was a little different from the tunneling helmets, in that they didn't have a Zorbite lamp built into them.

"Here, put this on. Strap it tight, and make sure to always use the eye protection. When you progress and are receiving long passes, splinters of rock may fly into your face, so the goggles are a safety precaution," Hekki explained.

"I'm going to go downfield fifty meters or so, and we can have a game of catch," Hekki said, smiling at Jenny's uneasy look. "Don't worry, you two are doing great, much better than I expected. Grakar will get the hang of it rather quickly I expect," Hekki predicted, and he moved downfield.

"Okay, throw one to me," Hekki called from across the dirt field. "Make sure Grakar makes eye contact with me."

"When I call "huk," you throw to Taknor and Hekki," Jenny pointed out their target, and instructed Grakar to pick up a stone.

"Huk!" she called.

Grakar flexed his powerful neck, and hurled the great stone slab.

The Majak was a little off target and Taknor instinctively took off after it. The stone produced a dull thudding sound in Taknor's mouth, as he clamped down on it and made the catch.

"Wow, Good catch!" Jenny yelled.

"Thanks. Now it's your turn. Here, catch," Hekki said, and he instructed Taknor to fake a throw.

"No!" Jenny yelled waving her arms. Hekki burst out in laughter at her reaction, very pleased with himself for his dirty trick.

"You stink," Jenny insulted playfully, only slightly perturbed.

The audience was enjoying this, and clapped in approval of Hekki's joke.

"Throw me another one," Hekki called.

Jenny continued throwing until her stack of Majak was exhausted.

"Come over here now," Hekki called.

"I'll toss you some really short passes at first, and once you and Grakar get the hang of it, we'll gradually increase the distance between us. Okay?"

"Okay. That sounds like a good plan," Jenny agreed.

"And don't worry, there's no way Grakar would ever let a Majak past him, because then it would be a danger to you," Hekki reassured.

Taknor picked up a Majak and lightly tossed it to Grakar, who easily made the catch.

"Good catch, Grakar!" Jenny commended.

"See, he already knows what to do," Hekki said. "Now after each successful catch, move further away another few feet," Hekki instructed.

Grakar made catch after catch, seemingly a natural. The distance between passer and receiver continued to grow, and the approaching Majak was looking increasingly ominous as it flew towards them, but Grakar was having no trouble. He continued to catch the Majak very easily, while Jenny cringed, and quietly shrieked to herself at the sight of the mammoth block of stone hurtling through the air towards them. As the passes increased in distance, so did the force of the throws, and Jenny felt the sting of splintered rock on her exposed skin every time Grakar made a catch. Hekki began to make the throws more difficult, by purposely flinging it away from Jenny and Grakar, but Grakar continued to make outstanding catches, and the spectators cheered louder for each increasingly difficult grab.

"Wow. You're good, Grakar," Jenny praised.

"Good job, you two! Grakar is a natural at this game. Now, let's move about the field and pass a Majak back and forth while in motion, and we'll slowly pick up the pace until we're at game speed," Hekki suggested.

"Sounds like fun," Jenny agreed.

They traveled up and down the field of play, and passed the Majak back and forth.

"Try a tail punch," Hekki suggested, and Taknor slid the Majak along the ground towards Grakar.

"Tail whip left," Jenny ordered, and Grakar whapped the stone back over to Taknor.

Kolkar and Born strolled over to the practice field, to see how Jenny was making out. They could see a cloud of dust over the playing area, and the sound of commands being shouted out by Hekki and Jenny: "Huk!" "Kreen!" "Kritch!" "Tail whip!" and the sounds of applause and cheering from the appreciative fans.

"It sounds like things are going well," Kolkar said.

"Yes, it sounds positive," Born agreed.

They found a spot from which to observe the lesson, and watched intently.

"Can you show me how to do that fake throw you did on me earlier?" Jenny asked. "It looks like a handy move to know."

Jenny understood from her own sports background, a fake pass or kick was very effective for confusing her defenders and advancing an object towards the other team's goal.

"It's kind of a tricky and confusing thing for a snake to learn. Maybe we should just stick to the basics," Hekki suggested.

"But I don't just want to play the game, I want to play well," Jenny pleaded.

Hekki laughed, "I think I want you on my team. Okay, so for a fake pass, the rider calls huk, for a throw or a pass, but the hold back command cannot be verbal, or it will tip off the defender of your motive, so it must be a silent command. Knee or heel pressure is the best way to let your snake know, he must make it look like a pass or throw, but not to release the Majak, and this is the confusing part for the snake. And it must be a very subtle command, or the defender may catch on to your fake. I use a slight scraping with my heel on the side of the snake, but like I said, it must be imperceptible to your opponent. Grakar is a very intelligent snake, and he's a quick study of something that can be demonstrated, but this move is something that must be worked out between snake and rider," Hekki explained.

"Can you demonstrate a few times for us, and then you can leave us to practice on our own for awhile," Jenny suggested.

"Okay, if you say so," Hekki agreed, and he showed them a fake pass.

"One more thing I forgot to mention, and I'd better let you know, so if it happens during the game you'll know what's going on and won't be totally surprised by it. You're allowed to tunnel if you want during the game," Hekki stated.

"Oh, really, I'm glad you mentioned it. It sounds like a fairly important fact," Jenny mildly reprimanded.

"Actually, it's a very tricky and risky tactic, because it takes the burrowing player off of the field of play, and the player is blind to what's happening on the field of play over top of him. It's used to try to shake off your check and get open, but it's a seldom-used maneuver. All experienced Majak snakes are trained to pick up the vibration of a tunneling snake, thus effectively countering this move. I thought it worth mentioning, because you and Grakar are new and inexperienced, so your check may use this maneuver on you."

"Well, thanks for letting me know. In case somebody pops up in front of me all of a sudden, I'll know what's going on now, although I'm sure it'll still startle me if it happens," Jenny admitted.

"I have a few things to attend to for the game later today, so I'll leave you two on your own to practice for a while. I'm really happy with your progress thus far. You're definitely ready to play in the game, and to be honest with you, when you insisted on riding Grakar, I had my doubts that you could be ready in time, but you two are an amazing team. I don't know why I ever doubt you, because you always prove me wrong. Don't wear him out," Hekki advised. "I'll see you later," he said, as he rode away and over to where Kolkar and Born were monitoring progress.

"Well, how's she doing?" Kolkar asked.

"Amazingly well. I'd say, she's definitely capable of playing in the Majak match today," Hekki assured.

"Okay then, if it's all right with you, Born, I suppose she's playing," Kolkar said.

"Just try to stop her now," Born challenged.

Kolkar shook his head vigorously back and forth. "No thanks, not me."

Hekki laughed, and they looked out to observe Jenny diligently practicing her Majak moves.

#

Chapter Sixteen: The Majak Match

Jenny practiced for almost two more hours in preparation for the big Majak match later that afternoon. She had an audience the entire time, as Treech came and went from other festivities taking place. Hekki stopped by to see how she was making out.

"Hey, you'd better rest him for an hour before the match or you're going to wear him out. All of those fancy moves you've been practicing won't be worth anything if Grakar is too tired to take advantage of them," Hekki warned.

He looked out over the practice field and recognized mounds of dirt scattered over the area.

"You've been tunneling? What for?" he asked suspiciously.

"Oh, no reason. We just got a little bored practicing and wanted to do something different," Jenny said innocently.

"Uh huh, whatever you say," Hekki said, not buying a word of it.

"And, you're missing the rest of the celebration. This is your day, you know," he reminded Jenny. "It's not just about the Majak match."

"I know," Jenny said lowering her head. "I just don't feel comfortable with all this fuss over me. I'm much more comfortable out here."

Hekki smiled warmly. "I know. You're a reluctant hero, but a hero you are. Try to make the best of it. Now, give Grakar a rest before the match. Do you feel prepared?"

"Not as prepared as I'd like, but I think we're ready. Just don't expect too much. Remember we're rookies," Jenny reminded.

"Don't worry, it's just for fun, and at any rate, you can do no wrong in the eyes of the Treech. As a matter of fact, any player that fouls you or steals the Majak from you, will probably be exiled," Hekki joked.

"We'll be on the same team won't we, Hekki?" Jenny asked hopefully.

"Yes, it's already been arranged," he assured her. "Here, I'll help you with Grakar, and then escort you to the town center."

They cooled down Grakar, and gave him some well-deserved food and water.

"There you go, boy. I'll see you in an hour or so," Jenny promised.

Hekki led Jenny back into the village, where festivities were in full swing. Music and the happy buzz of contented Treech filled the cavern, and the delicious smells of cooking foods filled the air. It was an atmosphere that hadn't been experienced in K'Lund for a long time, and Jenny felt satisfied and fulfilled to have had a part in its revitalization. There were games and dances taking place all around the town, however, as Jenny walked by, every Treech momentarily dropped everything to cheer their hero. Hekki felt proud and honored to be walking with her, and to be able to call her his friend. Tears filled his eyes when he thought about Jenny having to leave them soon, and he knew he would do anything for this wonderful little creature with the golden heart of a champion.

"What's wrong, Hekki?" Jenny asked, taking notice of his uncharacteristic show of emotion.

"Oh, nothing. It just warms my heart to see my people so happy, and to know our period of drought is over. And I'm thankful and honored to have known you, even if it was only for a brief time. I'm just very, very contented. But I'm also a little sad at the prospect of you leaving us," Hekki revealed.

Jenny smiled at her friend. "I feel exactly the same way, Hekki. I know I have to leave, and I do want to, because of my family and my obligation to go with Born, but I've made so many wonderful friends and experienced so much in such a short time here. So it's going to be very difficult... I'll especially miss you and Grakar."

Born and Kolkar saw them and came over to say hello.

"Hello, hero," Born greeted. "So, what's it like to be treated like a goddess?"

"A little uncomfortable, but it's kind of nice to be fussed over, although, it is hard to find any privacy. And being an alien makes it impossible to blend into the crowd. Now I know what a famous movie star must have to go through!" Jenny added, and she looked from blank face to blank face.

"Famous what?" Hekki asked.

"Oh, never mind. So how long until the Majak match?" Jenny asked.

"Actually, the horn will be sounding in about fifteen minutes, so you should go and get ready," Kolkar suggested.

"I didn't realize it was so late. Come, Jenny, we must prepare for the match," Hekki acknowledged.

Jenny suddenly felt a nervous sensation in the pit of her stomach.

They hustled back to the stables, where the other players were already in their bright team colors and saddled up. Hekki grabbed two brilliant blue jerseys, and two Majak helmets, covered with material of the same shade of blue as the sport shirts.

"Here, put these on," he instructed, as he rushed into the stable and saddled up Taknor. Jenny hastily slipped on her pullover, strapped on her helmet, and hopped aboard Grakar. They had just moved out of the stable area with the rest of the players when the horn blared, notifying all that the match would soon begin. Hekki led the way with Jenny at his side. Four players were decked out in vivid blue, and their opponents were wearing vibrant crimson.

They all rode into the stadium to a fanfare of trumpeting. The bleachers were already full, and the field was lined with spectators. Jenny gulped at the size of the audience, and she silently asked herself why she wanted to do this, when she _could_ be relaxing out there in the stands. Hekki glanced over at her.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"Yeah, a bit," she admitted.

"Yes, me as well. I always get nervous before a match, but don't worry; it will disappear once you get into the game. Just have fun," Hekki comforted. His words of assurance relaxed her somewhat.

"We'll warm up for a few minutes before the game. Try taking some shots on goal," Hekki suggested.

Jenny hadn't seen a Majak goal yet, as the practice field wasn't equipped with them. At opposing ends of the field, towered two, rounded and smoothed, iridescent stone shafts made of pure Zorbite.

"To score a goal, the Majak must pass through the goal posts by any means possible. One point is awarded for a goal, but if you get a wide open opportunity, you're allowed to carry it through for two points," Hekki notified.

Jenny got Grakar to pick up one of the stones and throw it towards the goal. It sailed right through, and landed with a thump beyond the posts.

Hekki smiled, "Good throw. Hopefully you can do that during the game."

There were two referees on the field, who also doubled as goal judges, one for each side of the field. They soon called the team captains to midfield.

"So, do I tell my teammates to take it easy on her?" the captain of the crimson team asked Hekki.

"No, play as hard as you normally do. Jenny wouldn't have it any other way."

"So you don't mind losing then?" he bragged. "After-all, you'll be playing shorthanded," he continued with a smirk on his face.

Hekki's eyes narrowed, and his brow furrowed in anger.

"I wouldn't underestimate your opponent, Shikar, especially this opponent. And if nothing else, she deserves your utmost respect and undying gratitude," Hekki scolded.

Shikar lowered his head in shame.

"Yes, of course, you're right. I'm sorry, Hekki. You know how I get caught up in the game."

"Yes, I know. Play hard, but play clean is my advice, because if any of you foul Jenny, the wrath of the Treech people will fall upon the perpetrator. He would likely be shunned for the rest of his life. Make no mistake, this crowd is going to love Jenny's team and hate yours, until the game is over, so don't do anything to extend the hate beyond the game itself. Please let your teammates in on this and pass on my warnings," Hekki advised.

"I will. Good luck, Hekki," Shikar offered.

"Same to you, Shikar. May the best team be victorious," Hekki replied.

One of the officials raised his arm, and a horn sounded to signal the start of the game.

"Jenny, you play forward with us. Just do the best you can, and remember, it's just for fun, and all the fans are behind you," Hekki reminded.

"Okay, thanks, Hekki," said a nervous Jenny. She'd never been involved in such a large sporting event before, and she was finding it exhilarating.

Hekki and his snake Taknor moved up to midfield for the punch-off, for the start of the game. He backed his snake up to the Majak stone positioned on the ground, and Shikar did the same. A Majak match always started with a tail punch face-off at mid-field. The referee raised his arm and everyone readied themselves. He threw down his arm and the horn sounded for the match to begin. "Kreen!" both Hekki and Shikar yelled, and the two snakes reacted immediately with a tail punch, each one trying to gain possession of the Majak by batting it to one of their teammates. Both snakes hit the Majak stone at once and it popped into the air. Taknor batted the stone out of mid-air over to Jenny's side.

"Get it, Grakar!" Jenny shouted.

Her adrenaline was pumping with the excitement of competition. The Majak stone flew high above Grakar's head. He stretched his neck and body and deftly grasped the stone block in his jaws. The spectators, just as Hekki had predicted, went wild as soon as Jenny and Grakar got possession of the Majak.

"Krut!" Jenny called out immediately, and Grakar took off towards the opposing team's goal. They didn't get far before they were blocked. Hekki and her other forward were well covered, so Jenny turned Grakar around.

"Huk," she instructed, when she and Grakar had made eye contact with the rearguard, and Grakar passed the Majak to him. The audience loved it, and their cheers of enjoyment were deafening. As soon as she'd passed off the stone, Jenny looked for open space so she could receive a return pass.

"Huk!" the rearguard passed to the right forward and, " Huk!" he then passed to Hekki.

"Krut!" Jenny hollered, and Grakar raced for the opposing goal. Grakar's speed was without equal, and he managed to create some separation between them and their check. The crowd observed Jenny's rush for the goal and jumped out of their seats. Jenny made eye contact with Hekki as Grakar sped down the field. "Grakar! Look to the left!" she shouted while simultaneously directing him with pressure from her left leg. Jenny waved an arm in the air to make sure she got Hekki's attention. Hekki saw her racing up. "Huk!" he shouted to Taknor, who hurled a perfect lead pass. Grakar didn't even have to slow down. He skillfully took the pass at full speed and they had a wide-open goal in front of them. They passed through the goal posts still carrying the Majak, and placed it on the ground once past the towering pillars of glowing Zorbite.

"Two point goal!" the referee announced, and the spectators exploded into jubilant pandemonium.

Hekki was the first to reach Jenny for the after goal celebration and congratulations.

"Wow, what a passing play! Your first Majak goal in your first game, on our first possession! I told you that you two were naturals! Good job, Jenny!" Hekki praised as the rest of the team arrived to join in on the excitement. They rode back to midfield for another punch-off.

The Majak was again placed at midfield, while Hekki and Shikar backed their snakes in for the punch-off. The referee raised and dropped his arm, and the horn sounded. Both handlers simultaneously shouted "Kreen!" but this time the red team got possession of the Majak. Jenny picked up her check, and tried to stick to him with tight coverage. She glanced at the Majak carrier, and turned back to her check, but he was gone. Nothing but a hole in the ground remained.

"Oh, oh," Jenny thought to herself. She didn't want to be responsible for a goal against her team.

"He'll be heading for the goal! Krut! Try to feel him, boy," Jenny said to Grakar. She wanted Grakar to feel the vibrations created by a tunneling snake through the ground, and she had no choice but to put her trust in him. Grakar went to the front of their goal and stopped. A few moments later the opposing team's rider and snake popped out of the ground right beside them. He looked surprised to see Jenny there waiting for him, and a grimace revealed his disappointment that his tactic hadn't worked.

"Good boy, Grakar," Jenny spoke in Grakar's ear.

This tunneling tactic appeared to be a set play by their opponents. The Majak was already in the air, in anticipation of the tunneling player having disposed of Jenny, and waiting in the open for a pass and an easy goal. But this wasn't to be, as Jenny and Grakar were in better position to intercept the pass.

"Krut!" Jenny called, but Grakar was getting the knack of the game, and he was already reacting to the sight of the Majak spinning through the air towards them. Grakar understood more of what was expected of him, and as always he was driven by the desire to please his partner. Jenny saw the Majak heading straight for them, and shuddered at the intimidating view. She ducked and closed her eyes, just as Grakar reached and opened his mouth to receive the flying block of stone. Jenny felt the force of the impact, as well as the sting of particles of splintered rock as they made contact with her face. She was afraid Grakar had broken the Majak, which would result in a penalty, but he hadn't. Hekki immediately bolted downfield, effectively catching his opponent off guard. The red team hadn't expected this scenario when they drew up the play. Jenny saw Hekki drawing clear from Shikar, and called "Huk!" to Grakar.

"As hard as you can, boy!" she shouted.

Grakar drew back his head, and unleashed a mighty heave. The crowd watched in astonishment as the Majak sailed over all of the players including Hekki. It landed, bounced and rolled in front of the speeding Taknor who was the closest to it. He scooped it up and raced for the goal, on a clear-cut breakaway. Hekki and Taknor carried the Majak through the goal posts for another two points, and the crowd jumped up and down with delight.

"Nice interception, and that was a perfect lead pass Grakar threw to me. They sure didn't fool you with the tunneling strategy. Good Job," Hekki yelled his praise over the din of the spectators.

"See? It's a good thing you mentioned that move to me," Jenny said.

"Yes, you're right," Hekki admitted.

They lined up for the next punch off. The crimson team was beginning to look dejected. They found themselves four points behind, and the game was still young.

Shikar's red shirted team gained possession of the Majak again, and neatly passed the stone around with well-practiced precision. Utilizing an interweaving pattern of attack, they slowly advanced downfield towards the blue team's goal. They were obviously a very well trained team. A final pass to Shikar in front of the goal, and his snake tossed the Majak lightly into the air, as he turned in one fluid motion and tail punched it between the goal posts. The crowd went silent, and didn't react to the skillful and impressive display of precision passing. Jenny didn't like their lack of enthusiasm in the least. She rode over to the red team's subdued after goal celebration, and congratulated them on their fine play. Jenny then stood on Grakar's back, and raised her arms up and down, insisting the crowd do the same. This was unheard of in Treech Majak. The games were very competitive, to the point of hating the opposing team. This went for the players as well as their fans, and all of the fans today were rooting for Jenny's team. After a few brief moments of confusion, the crowd got the message from their beloved savior and begrudgingly began a weak applause for the red team's successful score, but Jenny wasn't satisfied. She continued to cheerlead for her opponents, until she'd achieved a satisfactory level of noise for their achievement, and then she held out her arms, palms upwards, as if to say, _"There, was that so hard."_

Hekki just sat off to the side, arms crossed, and shook his head in amusement at the whole unusual scene.

"That's, our Jenny," he said to himself.

Jenny was always finding new ways to fill him with pride. From that moment on, the game was much more relaxed, friendly, and ultimately more enjoyable for all involved.

The game went back and forth, with the opposing team scoring another six points and Jenny's team another three. Time was running out with the score tied at seven apiece.

Hekki had control of the Majak, and their strategy was to maintain possession for one last shot before time ran out. The defensive coverage by the red team was intense and stifling, and the blue team was having trouble advancing the Majak downfield. Jenny's check took his eye off of her for a moment, and Jenny seized the opportunity.

"Kritch," she quietly called to Grakar, and he quickly disappeared into the soft ground. Her opponent was shocked when he noticed she was gone, and he immediately bolted for the goal and tried to pick up her vibration through the loose earth, but Jenny had instructed Grakar to stay motionless for a few moments, so they didn't give away their location. She realized time was running out though, and directed Grakar to a spot she thought would be beside the red team's goal. She and Grakar popped out of the ground, much to the delight of the crowd who all pointed and yelled, "There she is!"

Jenny's check saw her as well, and sped over to provide coverage. Hekki and the rest of her teammates were still stuck far up field, unable to penetrate the tight red team defense. He saw Jenny at the same time as Jenny's check, and he hurled the Majak in her direction. Jenny waited as the Majak and her opponent raced towards her. Jenny's check thought he could get to it first, but just as his speeding snake reached for the airborne stone, Grakar lunged forward and snatched the Majak. The anticipated impact of the stone didn't occur, and the opposing snake's jaws snapped closed into thin air. Jenny and Grakar spun away and headed for the goal as their rival rushed by. But before they could get into good position for a shot, another opponent had peeled off their check and sped back to help out. He'd blocked their way, and only a few seconds remained on the time clock. Jenny effectively faked a pass to a hard charging teammate. Her challenger unwisely went for the trickery and committed himself, which left Jenny with a clear shot.

"Huk!" she called, and Grakar threw the Majak between the goal posts just as the clock wound down to zero. There was pandemonium throughout the stadium, as the Treech jumped up and down in delight. Jenny was surrounded by her teammates as they celebrated their victory, and the opposing team waited patiently to offer their congratulations to the winners. The multitude poured out of the stands, and flooded onto the field, surrounding the blue team and chanting, "Jenny, Jenny, Jenny!"

"All of that practicing paid off! You managed to pull off a fake pass. Amazing job, Jenny, amazing job," Hekki yelled.

Jenny beamed with exhilaration, "Thanks for your help, Hekki," and she absorbed the adoration and enjoyment of the moment.

The players made their way back to the stables, followed by a horde of pumped up Majak fans. They had never before seen a rookie player and an inexperienced snake have such an impact on a game. The fact that it was Jenny just added to the experience.

All of the riders from both teams came over to offer Jenny their congratulations for a well-played game, and to thank her personally for all she'd done for the Treech people.

At the stables, Born and Kolkar finally made their way through the mob to offer congratulations as well.

"My, my, you never cease to amaze us, Jenny. How could you get that good, so fast. To think we doubted you'd be ready for the match," Kolkar praised. "How about this girl, eh Hekki?"

Hekki smiled, "We should never doubt Jenny's determination to succeed, but we always seem to."

Jenny blushed and smiled appreciatively.

Born put his hand on Jenny's shoulder and sighed. " _That_ was nerve-wracking. I'll tell you one thing for sure, there's no way we're going to tell your father what you've been up to down here. He'd have a nervous breakdown, but not before I have one first. Actually, he probably wouldn't even believe it."

Jenny laughed,"Yeah, let's keep it to ourselves, at least until I get back home. Then I'll have to share all of my experiences with my family."

.

Jenny and Born joined in on the festivities for most of the remainder of the day. They stayed and were involved in the water ceremony. Jenny was selected as the one to place a few drops of Rhonar water into a large container of water, which was meticulously distributed to all present. The quantity for each Treech would only be a meager portion, but it was enough to make a toast to the now bright future of the Treech people. Jenny and Born retired to their hut early. Jenny was worn out after a long day of training and playing, and Born was exhausted after another day of worrying about Jenny's safety.

The festivities lasted long after Jenny and Born had gone to bed. The Treech were letting out years of fear and uncertainty of their future as a race. The unrelenting pressure of possible extinction had been lifted from their collective shoulders, and their relief was obvious.

.

"I've talked to the mayor of the domed city and notified him of recent events," Born said to Jenny. "He said he'd call off the search for us, if indeed there was still any effort being made, which I somehow doubt. He sounded pleased we'd be coming back soon, and he vowed to bring to justice those responsible for our kidnapping."

"I hope you told him it wasn't necessary, and that we were well-treated."

"I did, but only because I knew it's what you'd want me to say. I must admit, I still hold a grudge for being put through all of this," Born confessed.

"I know it wasn't right, but it seems like the end justifies the means. After all, we saved a race from extinction," Jenny said.

"Well, actually you did, but thanks for the undeserved credit."

"Well you at least know what it feels like, because you saved my race from extinction," Jenny reminded.

"Yes, it does leave you with a feeling of satisfaction," Born admitted.

"The mayor was also very intrigued when I told him you'd discovered a water pocket. The tone of his voice noticeably changed, and he asked me if I knew the location," Born continued.

Jenny's eyes narrowed and a scowl came across her face. "I don't trust him, Born."

"I know. Neither do I, but I have no idea where it is, and I'm sure you've no intention of leading him there. I'm just happy we leave tomorrow."

"So soon? It's going to be so hard to leave," said Jenny.

"I know, but I've got to get my cargo home. We're already months behind schedule," Born reminded.

"Yes, of course, you're right, it is time to go, but," Jenny didn't continue. She knew there was no point. It would just make her sadder to voice her reasons for not wanting to leave so soon, but she knew it must be.

Kolkar had already informed Hekki, and instructed him to arrange a group of riders to return Born and Jenny to the surface the following day. Hekki, too, was saddened by the news, as he'd become very attached to the likeable visitor from a far-away world. Savior and Masta aside, he admired Jenny as an individual, and he was very fond of her. He knew her departure would leave a void in his life, but he also knew, this day was inevitable, so he grudgingly made the necessary arrangements.

#

Chapter Seventeen: The Old Mystic Breaks Her Silence

Jenny and Born awoke after a good sleep and peeked outside. The lights were on and the Treech were already out and about. After breakfast, Kolkar greeted them at their door.

"Hello, my friends. I hope the late night revelers didn't disturb your sleep. I'd hate to think the celebration in your honor was keeping you awake."

"No, we slept well. They were quite considerate," Born answered.

"Actually Born, after I spoke to you following the Majak match, and you expressed your desire to leave as soon as possible, we told the Treech people of your imminent departure. Unfortunately the news put a damper on the festivities. Although by then it was fairly late, and time to disperse the celebration. - But now, we have a new reason to be jubilant," Kolkar said, which immediately peaked their interest.

"While you slept, there has been a very significant development. Our mystic has broken her thirty-five year silence! And her first words, were to make a request," Kolkar paused for a moment for dramatic effect, and he studied Jenny's face.

"She wishes to speak to you, Jenny," Kolkar revealed.

"Me? Why me?" Jenny asked in a surprised tone.

"I don't know for sure, but I suspect it has something to do with the prophecy," Kolkar guessed.

"Come with me," Kolkar beckoned, and Jenny followed.

Jenny flashed a look that indicated she was a little uncomfortable with the situation, and Born just shrugged his shoulders in a return gesture.

Many of the Treech people had received the news that the old mystic had finally broken her long silence, so, many curious citizens followed Kolkar and Jenny through the town, to a far corner at the rear of the cavern. The mood of the populace was a total turnaround from the previous day. All were quiet and pensive.

"I can't imagine why she'd want to talk to me," Jenny stated.

"She probably wants to congratulate you for fulfilling the prophecy, and for saving the Treech. This is a huge honor for you, and another milestone for us. To have the benefit of the mystic's wisdom again will be very helpful to my people, although her remaining time with us will be brief. And then the line will be broken, and we'll never again have the advantage of the next mystic's insight," Kolkar said sadly. "Has Hekki told you the story of why the mystic has been silent for thirty five years?"

"Yes. She was heartbroken after she lost her child to the surface giants' treachery. The baby was presumed killed, but nobody knows the fate of the kidnapped baby for sure," Jenny recounted.

"Yes, it was a sad and significant time for all of the Treech. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the start of the progression, leading us to this momentous time in Treech history," Kolkar talked as they walked, and the following congregation swelled as they went.

They made their way to a modest stone dwelling, carved into the wall of the cavern. The front face of the residence had a wooden door, with small windows on either side of it.

Kolkar knocked, and a feeble old woman's voice from within answered.

"Enter."

Kolkar opened the door and they entered the dwelling. Kolkar bowed low and Jenny followed his lead.

"As was your request revered one, I've brought to you Jenny of Earth," Kolkar introduced.

"Thank you, Kolkar. Now leave us, please," the old woman requested.

"Please, have a seat, my dear child," she motioned to an empty chair, as Kolkar departed and closed the door behind him.

The room was dimly lit with the dull glow of Zorbite lamps. As Jenny's eyes became accustomed to the lighting, she could make out a very plain interior, with a few simple pieces of furniture. Jenny looked around at shelves full of knick-knacks.

"I've been waiting a long time for this moment," the mystic revealed. "Thirty-five years."

The old woman's hair was mostly gray, but Jenny could still see traces of black that revealed its color when she was younger. She was the only Treech Jenny had ever seen that didn't have blond hair and blue eyes.

"You knew I was coming, thirty-five years ago?" Jenny asked, recognizing the time frame as the same amount of years as the mystic's self-imposed silence.

"Yes. Longer actually, because there were years of preparation and waiting, before the events of that fateful day thirty-five years ago could begin the journey towards salvation today."

Jenny's brow furrowed at the reference, and her mind tried to work out what the mystic seemed to be hinting at.

"You mean all of this has been planned for over thirty-five years, even before I was born?" Jenny asked, staggered by the scope of what was being suggested.

"Not so much planned, but ordained. I could see this great water shortage looming in the future, and I could also see an intended path, that if followed, would lead to the resolution of this problem. The path led to a yet to be born Earth girl, who would possess all of the qualities required to save her own people, and the Treech race from extinction. The path was comprised of a long and convoluted series of events, that would naturally take their intended course once initiated. I know it's a difficult concept to grasp, but the journey is finally complete... and now, here you sit before me, the hero and savior, as it has been predicted for centuries in the Masta, and I've envisioned for so many years. It's my privilege, and honor, to finally make your acquaintance face to face."

Even after everything Jenny had experienced, with Relli's clairvoyant predictions, and Jenny's coming foretold in the Masta, this revelation still came as a surprise to her.

"And I'm pleased and honored to meet _you_ , and happy you'll again be available to your people for guidance," Jenny responded.

"Ah, but my time is almost done here. It's almost time for my daughter to take my place as the Treech mystic," the old woman divulged.

"Your daughter? But I thought she was kidnapped thirty-five years ago by the giants?"

"And so she was, as was predestined. I trust she's well?" she asked, and a sly smile spread across her wrinkled face.

Jenny's mind swirled in confusion, and searched for the answer to her question. All of a sudden, things Jenny felt should've been obvious to her, but weren't, because of the excitement of the times, came crashing down in one moment of realization.

"Relli! Relli's your daughter!" Jenny blurted, and the woman nodded and smiled in response.

"It all makes sense! She's strong and sturdy, like a Treech. And she's got those thick fingernails, like a Treech. Her clairvoyant abilities are definitely too advanced to be human. Her gift was passed on from you, so she could be the next Treech mystic. She still doesn't even know she's a Treech. She thinks she's from Earth."

"No, all is a mystery to her still. She must have been very confused as she grew up, and even more so now. She's probably been receiving images through you while you've been here, because she's very close and emotionally attached to you."

Jenny recognized the concern of a loving mother in her eyes.

"It must've been so hard for you to go to the surface with your baby thirty-five years ago, knowing she'd be kidnapped, and you may never see her again."

"It was extremely difficult, but I knew it had to be done, and I knew I would see her again. I've missed her dearly, and my heart was truly broken, but it's on the mend now, and I'm looking forward to being reunited with her."

"How will she get back?" Jenny asked.

"The same way she left, on a Soilan space vessel. I can count on you to spread the news to your Soilan companion and to my daughter, I expect?"

"Of course, you can count on me!" Jenny promised, already eager to spread the surprising news.

"But how did Relli get away from the Spacemark Four giants, and all the way to Earth?" Jenny asked.

"A brave Soilan space traveler recognized the danger my baby was in, and took it upon himself to protect her from the unpredictable giants. He knew the Treech closely resemble the people of your planet, Earth, and that she'd be well cared for in an orphan facility there," she revealed.

"Wow, what amazing news! I was kind of sad to be leaving here so soon, but now I feel excited to spread the news. And hopefully, I can return with Relli. That would be majorly cool!"

"Yes, you've forged a lot of friendships in your short time with us, and are revered by all of the Treech. Well done, Jenny of Earth, you have played the main part in fulfilling the prophecy, and saving the Treech."

"Like you said, there were a lot of people involved, and it was a team effort, even though none of us knew it," Jenny laughed, and the woman smiled too.

Jenny could now recognize the resemblance between Relli and her mother. The shape of their faces was the same, and Relli had the same dark hair and brown eyes as her mother.

"I can't say for sure when Born will return here. It'll be at least a year before he returns me to Earth," Jenny added.

"I've waited thirty-five years, so another year or so is of little consequence. Now tell me a little bit about my daughter."

Jenny gladly obliged, and they talked for several hours about the events leading up to the present.

"Have you told Kolkar the news?" Jenny asked.

"No, I thought I would leave that up to you. Can spread the good news for me?"

"I'd love to. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces."

The old woman smiled, "Good, have a fun time with it. Now go and distribute the information. It's been a pleasure to finally meet you, Jenny of Earth. I hope we shall meet again, in the future."

"It's been an honor and a wonderful surprise to meet you. Bye for now," Jenny said, as she got up and left the stone abode with an uncontainable grin on her face.

Kolkar was pacing nervously when Jenny emerged from the dwelling.

"So, how did it go?" Kolkar asked.

"Really good," Jenny said.

"What did she say?"

"You were right. She just wanted to congratulate me."

"And, that was it? You were in there for a long time."

"Well, there was a little bit more. I'll tell you when we get back to our hut. Is Hekki available, too?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, of course. Someone run and find Hekki! Tell him to meet us at Jenny's quarters. Tell him it's urgent!" Kolkar yelled, and several young Treech men sprinted off to find Hekki.

The crowd of Treech murmured amongst themselves, speculating as to what the news might be.

There never seemed to be a dull day in K'lund when Jenny was around. It just added to the amazing events of the last few of months, that their mystic would finally break her long silence in order to speak with Jenny.

Jenny had a little smirk on her face, and she couldn't wait to divulge the information brimming within.

Hekki was already at the small hut with Born. He had sprinted there immediately after receiving the message. He'd been unhappily preparing for the trip back to the surface.

"Good, we're all here. I've got some amazing news that'll shock you," Jenny started.

Born was sitting, while Kolkar and Hekki remained standing. Their eyes were wide and attentive as they awaited the news.

"You guys are _not_ going to believe this! The mystic's long lost child is safe and sound back on my planet, Earth! And even more amazing, she's my housekeeper! We've had an alien living amongst us for thirty-five years without knowing it!" Jenny said with a bright face, although she felt funny referring to anyone as aliens at this point.

Kolkar and Hekki's mouths gaped open, and they looked at each other in stunned silence.

"What are we talking about?" Born asked, and Jenny recounted the tale of deceit from thirty-five years past.

Kolkar added tidbits of information after he'd snapped out of his stupor, but he and Hekki were both anxious for more details. Jenny noticed a puzzled or concerned look on Born's face as she told the story.

As soon as Jenny had finished her history update, Kolkar asked, "How did she survive, and get away?"

"Apparently, on a Soilan space vessel. The Treech assumed she'd been killed by the giants, but, she was actually saved and taken to Earth, and left on the doorstep of an orphanage, where she was raised, never knowing about her heritage. Isn't that amazing! It was all part of a plan or fate, that she'd find me, and guide me along the right path, which would eventually lead me here!" Jenny explained enthusiastically.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Born's face, as he moved forward in his chair.

"What's wrong, Born?" Jenny asked.

"I was just thinking back to my first voyage as a Soilan space engineer, thirty five years ago."

"There's that number again," Jenny said, and they all inched closer to hear what Born had to say.

"I was an apprentice, on a water collection and trading mission. Our first stop was here, and then we were to go on to Earth to fill our water tanks, and finally return home. I was riding with a veteran Soilan engineer with more than twenty-five years experience. His name was A'live. I was nervous, as it was my first trip, and it was my first encounter with the giants. I was aware something was amiss in the politics of the giants, and it had something to do with another race that lived within the planet, but I wasn't informed of the exact nature of the dispute. I remember leaving Spacemark Four suddenly, before our scheduled departure, and my partner wasn't his usual self for the remainder of the expedition. He seemed...distracted. I recall hearing strange sounds from within the ship. I thought they were malfunctions, although I didn't recognize the noises as anything I'd ever heard before. And they sounded to be more of a biological nature, than mechanical. I also remember when we got to Earth, A'live landed uncomfortably close to a large Earth city, and then disappeared for a few hours without explanation. I didn't hear the strange sounds anymore after that stop. Hearing your account, Jenny, I suspect A'live took the baby, concerned for its safety, and deposited it somewhere in that Earth city. And now that I think about it, Alive was forced into retirement after that mission, and I never heard of him again," Born recounted.

"Wow, what a brave thing to do," Jenny said.

Hekki and Kolkar glanced at each other with astonished expressions.

"So while they were negotiating with us for the safe return of the mystic baby, they didn't even have possession of her," Kolkar realized, as his mind went back to the events of thirty-five years past.

"They were sly not to let on the baby was missing. But they must've suspected the Soilan water trader had taken the baby," Hekki added.

"That's probably why A'live was suspended, or fired," Jenny surmised.

"Yes, likely to soothe the anger of the giants, for the interference of the Soilans in their affairs," Kolkar added.

"What an incredible turn of events!" Jenny marveled. "And the most incredible thing about it is, that it was all planned out. And Born, you'll end up being the hero that saved the baby, and the hero for returning the long lost, presumed dead mystic!" Jenny suddenly realized.

"What do you mean, bring her back? I can't do that. How will I get a grown woman past the giants, and back to the Treech?" Born rejected the idea.

"I don't know, but we'll work something out. Relli's got to come home. Her people need her, and she deserves it. She's been through so much. She deserves some answers and some closure to that part of her life, and to begin a new chapter of her life: to continue the work of her ancestors, and the continuation of the line of Treech mystics. The line hasn't been broken! She's alive, and working as my family's housekeeper back on Earth!" Jenny shouted excitedly, and laughed at the absurdity of the whole story.

Kolkar and Hekki both joined in on the laugh and enjoyment of the moment, now that the shock had worn off, but Born was deep in thought, as he tried to absorb his role in all of this, and the responsibility he felt was being unjustly laid on his shoulders.

"Now I'm not as sad to be going, because, hopefully, I can return with Born and Relli someday," Jenny said, looking over to Born and recognizing the look on his face.

"Don't worry, Born, everything will work out. It has to. It's destined to be," Jenny said.

Hekki chuckled at Jenny's statement. "So now _you_ are a believer in destiny and fate?"

"I've been fully converted," Jenny said with a shrug of surrender. "How could I not be, after all that has happened over the last thirty-five years? It just boggles my mind," Jenny said, with a shake of her head.

Kolkar suddenly perked up, "I must call a town meeting, and inform all of the Treech people of this wonderful and unexpected news! They'll be elated. After they get over the shock of the news of course. You and Born are welcome to come, Jenny, but I'd suggest that you prepare for your trip. When did you plan for departure, Hekki?" Kolkar asked.

"In about two hours, if that meets with everyone's approval? We're a little behind schedule as a result of the amazing revelations this morning."

"That's fine with me. Okay with you, Born?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, that's fine," Born answered. He was still a little distracted by the news.

Before Kolkar and Hekki left the hut, they clasped onto each other's arms, and grinned from ear to ear.

"The Treech race is back! And we'll be as strong as ever! The Masta be praised," Kolkar said, as he and Hekki departed, patting each other vigorously on the back.

Jenny felt invigorated, "Wow, what a turn of events, eh, Born?"

"Yes, it is good news for them," he said somewhat absently.

"Aww, come on, Born, snap out of it. Why worry about something so far in the future. And besides, everything will work out, it's destined to be," Jenny reminded.

"I wouldn't rely too much on destiny, Jenny. It's risky just to think things will work out on their own," Born cautioned.

"Yeah, you're right, Born, but still, why worry about it. Let's just enjoy the moment. And at the moment, we're soon going back the surface, and then on to Soilanglobe!"

Born perked up a little bit. "Yes, that is a good thing. I just wish we didn't have to ride those disgusting snakes to get there."

"Oh, Born."

Suddenly Jenny realized, "Hey, I've got to call home, and let Relli in on the news! She'll be so relieved. Excuse me for a few minutes, Born."

"Yes, but don't be too long. We're leaving soon," Born reminded.

"And please, don't go into detail about our misadventures. There's no point in concerning your father now. There'll be plenty of time to tell him the tale when you get home next year," Born instructed.

"Don't worry, I'll just tell him the repairs took longer than expected and I'm safe and sound," Jenny promised.

"Thank you. I don't want him to think his trust in me was unfounded," Born said.

"But I've got to tell him _something_. He's not dumb you know. He'll know something must've happened," Jenny said.

"Okay, but please, try to keep it vague."

."I'll try," Jenny said, and she went to her room and closed the door.

"Hey, Obos, you there?" Jenny asked.

"As always, at your service."

"Did you hear the exciting news?"

"Yes, it is an interesting development," Obos replied.

"Hey, Obos? Something that keeps puzzling me are these time frame translations. You'd said that you were just making rough guesses when you converted Treech time references over to English. But, this thirty-five year time frame that keeps popping up, when the Treech mystic's baby was kidnapped, seems so precise. Why is that?" Jenny asked.

"It's precise, because I know in Earth years, exactly when this took place."

"But, how do you know that?"

"Because the Traveler was the ship used to transport the baby to Earth," Obos revealed.

"Oh, my, goodness. How long have you known?" Jenny asked.

"After you were kidnapped by the Treech, I did some investigating into the electronic files of the giants. They have a section on the Treech, including their religious beliefs. The passage from their holy book, 'The Masta,' referred to a time of great need, and a savior coming from a far away place, and I recognized that it bore a striking resemblance to current events. And knowing you as I do, I realized, you were capable of being the one whose arrival was prophesized. But, the final piece of evidence that proved my theory was Relli herself. You see, although the Treech are very much like humans physiologically, there are some subtle differences. I'd noticed these discrepancies when I first scanned your home back on Earth, but I didn't relate them to this situation. I checked and compared Relli's genetic makeup to that of the Treech, and as I suspected I would, I got a match. I also had a genetic file on the baby that was briefly on board. So I compared that to Relli's, and it was a perfect match. So I knew, Relli was the Treech baby that was kidnapped thirty-five years past. Hence the exact reference in time," Obos explained.

"Wow, the circumstances, and the mystic planning that went into this are amazing! Why did you, a logical computer, suspect that an illogical prophecy like this, could actually be possible?"

"I may be a computer, built to react logically, but I also recognize indisputable clues. And as this situation developed, it was obviously premeditated."

"But, by who, or what?" Jenny asked.

"It's beyond our comprehension, what governs the universe. Natural law, we can understand and explain, but there are also things we cannot understand, and perhaps never will. Or maybe, once our intelligence grows, these things we call mystic now, will seem as natural as gravity," Obos offered.

"Hmm, maybe you're right. I like that explanation. Maybe it's just something that's beyond our understanding right now," Jenny said thoughtfully.

"I know this is probably an unnecessary request, but could you please get a hold of Relli for me?"

"The signal was sent several minutes ago, and I anticipate a response soon."

"Of course, why did I even have to ask."

"Hey, Obos? If you'd figured all of this out months ago, why didn't you let me in on it?" Jenny asked.

"I thought it best to let things take their natural course without my interference. Like you, divination is something I don't understand, so I didn't want to disturb the expected progression."

"You're wise, Obos. We're lucky to have you as a friend."

"I was designed to be your electronic servant, but as an advanced piece of machinery, with over fifty years of personal experience, I do seem to be able to develop a fondness and loyalty to certain individuals," Obos admitted.

Jenny smiled, "You see Obos, you do have a personality and feelings."

"Please, do me a favor and keep it to yourself."

"Don't worry, Obos, your secret is safe with me," Jenny promised.

"The transmission to Earth has been received, and the Earth audio unit is signaling for attention," Obos informed.

Jenny could hear the phone ringing, and wondered who would be home.

"Hello," Jenny's father answered.

"Good day, sir, could I interest you in a well-traveled kid, with loads of personality, and lots of attitude," Jenny joked.

"I've already got one of those in the house right now, minus the well-traveled part, and multiply the attitude. But sure, I could use another one. When can I expect delivery," Jenny's Dad played along.

"Not for a while, I'm afraid. We're at least three months behind schedule, Dad. I'm really sorry, but it couldn't be helped."

"I know, honey. I'm so relieved to hear your voice. It kills me when I miss one of your calls. Everything went all right?"

"Yes, thank goodness it's over. It was quite the adventure," Jenny finally divulged.

"Yes, I'm sure it was. I'm not sure if I'm ready to hear all of the details. Was it... dangerous?" he asked.

"Yeah, a bit... well, yeah it was. But try not to worry, Dad. I've come to understand that I've got a pretty good team on my side. Some I can see, and some I can't. But I always feel secure and protected. It seems to be my destiny, and I'm just beginning to accept that."

"Well, I'm still struggling with it," Mr. Thompson admitted.

"I know, Dad. But we saved a good and noble race from extinction. It was all worth it. You wouldn't believe how long this entire sequence of events has been planned out. It really is amazing. And, actually, I've got some incredible information for Relli. You won't believe this, Dad. Is she home?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah, I'll get her and Martin and put you on speaker. Hang on," he said, and rushed out of the room.

"Jenny's on the phone downstairs!" he yelled throughout the house.

Immediately the sound of pounding feet was heard, as Martin and Relli rushed to the living room.

"It boggles my mind, to think that you're actually on another inhabited planet within our galaxy," Jenny's Dad said.

"I know, I sometimes find myself reflecting on all that's happened over the last few months, and it's almost overwhelming. How's Earth, any new things happened?" Jenny asked.

"No, nothing new. Everyone on the planet is still recovering from the terror of the comet. There's still a feeling of utter relief. It's nice to see all of the countries getting along so well though. There's nothing like imminent disaster to bring people closer together. Too bad we couldn't behave like this all the time, but we seem to need a common objective, like survival, to bring us together. The countries are working diligently to be more prepared for this if it ever happens again. Unfortunately they're under the misconception that their puny little nuclear explosives caused the comet to veer away from its collision course with Earth, although scientists still can't comprehend how this was possible. And believe it or not, they have _me_ working towards coming up with a theory as to why this phenomenon occurred. Can you believe it?" her father explained, and Jenny chuckled.

"But we know the truth, don't we, dad?"

"Yes, it was Jenny in space," he announced, in reporter like fashion.

"Actually, Jenny and Born in space, and Obos too," she corrected, "But I'll still take top billing, whether I deserve it or not."

"Oh, but of course," and they both laughed.

"I miss you, Jen," her father said softly, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"I miss you guys, too. How's everyone else?" Jenny asked.

"Here they are now. You can ask them yourself," he said, as he wiped a teardrop from the corner of each eye.

"Hi, Jenny," Relli greeted.

"Hey, sis, how ya doin'," Martin said.

"Hey, guys. I'm good. I've got some amazing news for Relli, but I wanted all of you to hear it," Jenny began.

Relli's eyes opened wide in anticipation.

"Hi, Relli."

"Hi, honey, what's up?" Relli asked.

"I just wanted to thank you again, for all of your help and guidance during this ordeal. You have an amazing gift, and I'm glad you were chosen to help me along. I don't know how I would've made the right decisions without you," Jenny admitted.

"Don't sell yourself short, Jenny. I don't profess to know what's guiding us along this path, but I'm sure you would've made the right choices on your own. I'm just here to provide a little comfort, and a guiding hand," Relli humbly stated.

"You mean, a kick in the pants," Jenny corrected.

Relli smiled, "I realized this was of the utmost importance, but it never required more than a gentle nudge in the right direction. You instinctively knew the appropriate path to follow."

"Thanks, Relli. Umm, Relli?"

"Yes, dear, what's wrong?"

"I've got some very interesting and life altering news for you."

"I thought you may, although I can't seem to get a handle on exactly what I'm feeling. But ever since you got there, and increasingly over the last few weeks, I've had a very peculiar sense that I still had a role to play in all of this. I've felt strangely connected to what you've been doing and experiencing on that planet. I can perceive an association with the people you've met, and quite frankly, I feel so restless at this time of my life, it's almost overwhelming. I hope talking to you now will calm me down a little," Relli confided.

"Well, I don't know if it'll calm you down, but at least it will re-channel your emotions in a slightly different direction," Jenny said.

"Oh, and how will it do that?" Relli asked.

"Well, my news will provide some answers to the mystery of your life, and I think will help to soothe your frayed nerves, but it'll also excite you beyond anything you've ever experienced," Jenny revealed.

Relli could feel her heart rate increase as it pounded in her chest.

"You're not from Earth, originally. You're from this planet, Spacemark Four," Jenny said, and then paused momentarily. "You're the daughter of the current Treech mystic, and the next in line of a succession of mystics, who are revered by the Treech people. Your entire life has been mapped out for you by the powers of fate and destiny, as has mine, as I've finally come to accept. You were taken from this planet in order to save your life, and ultimately to come to my aid, and guide me along the right path to save humans on Earth, and the Treech race from extinction," Jenny stopped and waited for a response from Relli.

Martin stood with his mouth gaping open, and his eyes almost as wide. But his dad just shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, _"What, how can anything surprise us anymore!"_

It took a few moments for Relli to speak as she absorbed the information. The doors of secrecy that had been closed for decades, were suddenly flung open for her.

"Thank you, Jenny." Relli said with a sigh of great relief. "It all makes sense now, in a confusing mixed up way. But you were right, the information has calmed me, and I can now see past the fog that has shrouded my visions for years. How is my mother?"

"She's well, and she assures me, you'll see each other again. She hasn't spoken for thirty-five years... ever since the day she let you go. It was a very difficult thing for her to do. She loved you very much, but she knew it had to be, and that I'd need your guidance and support when the time came. I'm sorry, Relli," Jenny said, suddenly feeling partly responsible for the path of Relli's life.

"For what?" Relli asked.

"For not being strong enough to be able to make the right decisions on my own."

"Oh, my dear girl...don't you see? You were chosen _because_ of your strengths. I was just insurance. After all, you are only thirteen, and just a budding hero. Now, you are a full-fledged experienced hero. You won't need _any_ guidance for your next adventure," Relli comforted.

"Oh yes I will!"

Relli smiled, "You'll see. Even with this task, you were gaining the experience to be able to do things on your own. And I could tell by our conversations that you were following your instincts, and trying to let fate guide you, even when your common sense was telling you the contrary."

"Yeah, I guess things just kind of happened, although I did have lots of help," Jenny admitted.

"Yes, but your courage and strength of character are what made things happen. I don't regret my small role in this at all. It's been my privilege to serve you, and it's an honor to be able to call you friend. You seem to have been chosen as an instrument of liberation, and I believe no better choice could've been made. I can't wait to see you, and to return to my place of birth, to take my rightful place as the mystic advisor to _my_ people. How long do you think it will be, and do you foresee any challenges or difficulties?" Relli asked.

"Hmph, that's a switch, the next mystic of the Treech, able to see far into the future, asking me, if I foresee any difficulties," Jenny kidded.

Reli laughed, "Hey, I'm still trying to digest all of this information, let alone trying to predict my future."

"Well, there will be some diplomatic difficulties I'm sure," Jenny said, and she began to explain about the relations, past and present, between the Treech and the Spacemark Four giants.

"And Born's a little concerned about how we're going to pull this off. But, it'll work itself out, I know it will," Jenny assured.

Relli looked over at Mr. Thompson and Martin. "So, what do you two think about having had an alien in your house for so long, without even knowing it?"

Martin had gotten over his initial shock and shrugged his shoulders. "I find it hard to believe you're an alien. You seem so much like an.... Earthling?"

"Well, I guess I am, in a way. Seeing as I was raised here," Relli said.

"I suppose we're all getting a new insight into other intelligent life within our own galaxy. It seems we're all very much alike in a lot of ways, right, Jen?" her father asked.

"Yeah, you're right. When you put aside any physical differences, technology differences, and cultural variances, in all that's important, we're all exactly the same. It's just like different countries on Earth. Skin color may vary, cultures are different, but deep down inside, we're all equals," Jenny said.

They all remained quiet and thoughtful for a few moments, until Relli broke the silence.

"What else can you tell me about the events when I was a baby, Jenny?"

"Ha, it's funny. Remember when you first met, Born? And you said that you had a strange feeling you'd met him before, but you both agreed that wasn't possible?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, I recall that conversation. At the house, after you and Born had moved the comet off course," Relli recalled.

"Well, you had met a Soilan before, but not Born, although he was on board the space ship that transported you to Earth. It was the Traveler by the way, and Obos of course was the ship's computer. He actually figured out this whole thing, months ago, but kept the information to himself. He's an amazing computer, and friend. That was Born's first mission, and the Soilan he was traveling with recognized the danger you were in, once the giants had kidnapped you. So he managed to sneak you away and off the planet. A'live, was his name. Then he dropped you off at the orphanage in Romania where you grew up. A'live is the real hero. Isn't that amazing?"

"My, I knew it was destiny that brought us together, but I had no idea of the scope of it," Relli marveled after hearing the account.

"I know! And your mom says this was all mapped out, even before you and I were born. She realized the passage in The Masta, that predicted this critical water shortage, was going to happen soon, and she could foresee the supernatural events that were already mapped out to resolve this issue, as well as the Killer Comet concern that was going to effect Earth. We're all just pawns in a greater plan to save worthy civilizations from extinction! And I'm proud to be just one of those servants."

Jenny's father shook his head, and smiled proudly. "My, you've grown up so much since I last saw you. I feel as though I've missed so much of your development."

"I know, Dad, but you're a part of this, too, we all are. If you hadn't let me go, none of this would've been possible. I've come to realize, that it's not just me, but it's all of us working towards a common and worthy goal, even if we don't know it at the time."

"So, we're all heroes," Martin piped in.

'Yep," Jenny agreed, and again there was a moment of silence.

"And I've figured out your dream, Relli," Jenny divulged.

"You have? Please fill me in."

"Well, you mentioned you envisioned a young girl, that was me of course," Jenny said with pride.

Relli smiled, "Yes, that was you, go on."

"And you pictured desert-like conditions with light but no sun. That must've been confusing."

"It was."

"Well, that was because it was underground, so you couldn't see a sun. And the desert-like conditions, referred to the lack of water. The difficulty I was experiencing in moving, because of the soft sand? Well, that was created by the intense gravity within Spacemark Four. The gravity displacement suit provided my sudden burst of speed and energy. The oasis was a water pocket, and the ancient holy book, with the reference to a savior, was their holy book, called, 'The Masta.' And the passage you memorized and copied, looks exactly like Treech lettering from the Masta. It all makes sense now that I've experienced it," Jenny explained.

"So it does. To think of all the time I've labored and racked my brain to try to find an explanation to that dream, and now it all seems so simple," Relli marveled.

Relli continued, "I'm sure I'll have a lot to learn, and a lot of catching up to do once I arrive home. - Home, what a strange sensation it is to utter those words, but I'll enjoy every moment of it. Hopefully, I won't let my mother down."

"Don't worry about that. Your mother is so proud of you, and she can't wait to see you and to get you into the training you were born for."

"Thanks Jenny, that makes me feel better."

"Well, I'd better go. We're leaving soon, and it'll be a long trip back. I miss you guys, and I can't wait to see you again. I just hope there won't be any more delays. Do you foresee any, Relli?"

"Sorry, my information isn't that detailed, other than knowing there will be many more adventures for you. But, unfortunately, I can't say when, or what they'll be," Relli confessed.

"Bye sweetie, take care of yourself, we all love you. And, keep in touch. I need that," her father said.

"I will, I promise."

"See ya, Jen. We're all proud of you," Martin said.

"Thanks. Love you guys," Jenny concluded, and Obos disengaged the connection.

#

Chapter Eighteen: Return to the Surface

Jenny used the side of her index finger to wipe a stream of tears from her flushed cheeks.

"Is everything okay at home?" Born asked.

"Yeah, they're all fine," Jenny replied.

"How did Relli respond to the news?"

"She was really happy. I think she kind of expected something fairly important to happen, but she didn't have a clue what. So yeah, I definitely surprised her with the news."

"Well, I'm ready to go. How about you?" Born asked.

Jenny extended her arms. "Considering the only things we came with were the clothes on our backs, I guess we're pretty well packed up."

"You seem anxious to get going," Jenny commented.

"Yes, other than the ride back, I am very eager to leave."

"Don't worry, you'll be riding with Hekki. He'll watch out for you. And the ride back will be more leisurely, compared to the hectic circumstances on the way down," Jenny said.

Jenny's attention was diverted, and she had a puzzled look on her face. "Sounds like a crowd is forming outside, more so than usual I mean," she said as she walked over the window and peered out the curtains.

"Holy smokes! It looks like the whole village is outside! I hope we can make our way to the stables. We'd better leave now, Born, this may take awhile."

Born came over to have a peek, "Yes, I see what you mean. By all means, let's go now."

They opened the door to a thunderous cheer.

Jenny shouted in Born's ear, "Wow, what a going away party!"

Immediately, six brawny Treech men greeted them. "Hello, we're your official escort to the stable area. Kolkar suspected you may need some assistance."

While Jenny was busy waving and smiling at the crowd, Born raised his voice and answered. "Yes, it appears we will, thank you."

The escort formed a wedge. "Keep close, and we'll forge our way through. Make way please!" they shouted, as they pushed their way into the sea of Treech citizens.

Jenny could make out phrases over the commotion.

"Thank you, Jenny!"

"Jenny, please don't leave us!"

"We love you, Jenny!"

It was pandemonium, as Treech people pushed forward for a closer look at their hero, and they stretched out in an attempt to touch the young star.

Jenny and Born stayed close to their escorts, but were still getting jostled about.

"Wow, this is crazy!" Jenny commented.

"Yes, I agree, they are all crazy," Born raised his voice over the crowd.

It took longer than normal to cover the distance to the stables, and Jenny and Born were happy to reach its sanctuary.

"My, what a noisy procession," Kolkar said. "It's a good thing I arranged an escort for you."

"Yes, I fear we would've been trapped within our quarters if you hadn't," Born said.

Jenny continued to reach out and touch the outstretched hands of her adoring fans.

The group of snake-riders that was to return Jenny and Born was already saddled up and ready to go. Hekki was busily attending to last minute details.

"Born. We've filled up some containers with as much water as we originally borrowed. I'm sorry about the damage we inflicted on your ship, and for any inconvenience we caused by kidnapping you and Jenny. Please accept these gifts as a token of our apology," Kolkar motioned to one of his aides to produce several items, and the crowd quieted down.

"These containers hold a quantity of the richest Zorbite from within Spacemark Four," Kolkar said as he motioned to the metal containers being carried by his aide. He then took a small vessel and held it out reverently.

"Enclosed in this small vessel, is some of the precious Rhonar water provided to us by Jenny. We want you to have it. It's beyond cost. For us, it's a sacred and mystical liquid. Please use it wisely, and keep its existence a secret from the giants, for they would kill for just a drop of the life extending elixir," Kolkar offered to Born.

"And finally, I offer this flask of the same liquid to you, Jenny. You have lovingly provided a larger quantity to us, and we return a smaller amount to you, but with equal love and appreciation for all you've done for us," Kolkar's voice rose, so all present could hear. "We'll miss you Jenny of Earth. In your short time with us, we've come to know you as a great and noble warrior. Your acts of selfless bravery are the stuff of legend and even the Masta couldn't portray the detail of the person you are. It predicted the final outcome of your visit, but we've come to know, there's so much more to you. You're not at all the image we'd built up in our collective imaginations. You're a living, breathing person, just as we are. You blend in, yet when all is said and done, you stand out. You experience all of the feelings we experience, but in some way you're different. It's not something one can put their finger on, but a special gift you have that I've never encountered in another individual before. It's the perfect mix of certain qualities, like courage, compassion, and strength of character. I liken it to the perfect conditions required to produce a pocket of Rhonar water. Everything has to be in the perfect mix and quantity to produce a very rare substance that has the ability to save and extend lives. Whatever recipe of personality, emotion and courage that's required to produce a person such as yourself, has been blended perfectly to create you, Jenny Thompson of the planet Earth. We're grateful you were sent here to us, in our time of great need, to not only save us from extinction, but to also demonstrate and reinforce to us the importance of caring about those other than ourselves. It's been an honor to know you. The pocket of water you've provided will sustain us for centuries to come, and will now and forever be known as, 'The Thompson Pocket'. Thank you, Jenny," he concluded.

The quiet crowd again erupted into a loud cheer of appreciation, and tears flowed freely. Jenny felt as though she should say something, but she was too emotional now. Hekki recognized this and took charge of the situation.

"Let's ride!" he shouted, and everyone mounted up.

Born took his usual place behind Hekki, and Jenny, of course, was atop Grakar.

"I hope you'll return someday. You both are always welcome here," Kolkar offered, as the group of snakes and riders began their journey.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Born returned.

Jenny finally found her voice, and shouted, " Thank you, all! I'll never forget you or the time I've spent here!"

And with that, the party rode off, with the Treech people waving and sobbing as they watched the riders enter a hole in the wall of the cavern. Some followed into the tunnel for a short distance, while most just stood, and blankly looked at the hole the riders had just entered. Then slowly and quietly, they dispersed. The Treech had waited centuries for their savior to arrive, and now, only a short time after discovering Jenny was indeed the one, she was gone.

After the excitement of the departure had worn off, Jenny felt the same letdown as the Treech populace.

The riders traveled for hours, continuously climbing upwards through the labyrinth of intertwining tunnels, with not a word spoken. They rode three abreast until the tunnel narrowed to the point where they had to ride in single file, with Hekki always in the lead, and Jenny close behind. After several hours of non-stop travel, the group stopped for a break.

"We'll rest here for a while, and ride for a few more hours before we stop again for some sleep," Hekki informed. "The following ride will take us far enough to be able to enter the giant's tunnel system."

"Try to cheer up, Jenny," Born suggested. "You know there's no way we can stay here. We have duties to perform and your family is waiting for you."

"I know. It's just so soon. I think if I could've stayed for a week or two longer, maybe I'd be more ready to leave," Jenny sadly stated.

"A week or two would've stretched into a month or two, or three or four. I think it would've taken a long time for you to finally start getting homesick. It's obvious you love it here. As much as I hate to admit it, you do seem to belong here. It's as if you were destined to come here and be involved with these people," Born admitted.

Jenny's head snapped around, revealing a look of disbelief.

"Yes, I said destined. I know I've always maintained there's no such thing as destiny, and nothing is pre-ordained. - But it's almost eerie the way the events have unfolded since I met you," Born admitted.

"Born, I'm shocked," Jenny said, breaking her gloomy expression into a smile.

"Yes, I know, I know. I'm not fully converted or convinced yet, but the last few months have certainly opened my mind up to different viewpoints. Actually, the last thirty-five years," Born corrected himself.

Hekki walked over to the pair. "That's a refreshing sight to see," he said, referring to Jenny's infectious smile.

"Born just admitted there may be something to this destiny theory," Jenny enlightened.

Hekki threw his head back and laughed heartily. "You see, Jenny, if you can convert stubborn old set in their ways people like Born, there must be something to the presumption."

"I guess no one will ever know for certain, because there's no definite way to scientifically prove it," Jenny said, reverting back to her scientifically logical education and upbringing.

"Some things are beyond science, I feel. But you're right, if it's beyond science, it is pretty hard to prove," Hekki admitted. "It's best for us to just go with the flow, thinking about it too much only serves to frustrate us."

Jenny had always been surprised by the intellect of Hekki and all of the Treech people. When she and Born were first kidnapped, she thought they were an uncivilized and unintelligent race. She'd come to understand that she was absolutely incorrect in her assumption. Maybe they didn't have industrialized aptitude like the surface dwelling giants of the planet, but they were very astute. They had 'street smarts,' as Jenny referred to it. Well maybe 'tunnel smarts' in their case.

The group rested one more time in accordance to Hekki's plan. He studied maps of the area, and eventually notified everyone it was time to tunnel. Hekki took the lead and commanded Taknor to penetrate the wall of the corridor. "Kritch!" he called, as Born cowered beside Hekki under the shelter of Taknor's protective hood. This was still Born's least favorite part of snake riding, not that he liked any aspect of it. The rest of the group followed Taknor, and after less than an hour of tunneling, they emerged into one of the massive Spacemark Four passages. There was a considerable and overwhelming difference from the narrow rough tunnels they had just left, to the spacious paved and tiled tunnels of the giants. Jenny looked up and down the wide passageway stretching as far as the eye could see. They spread out and rode side by side for the remainder of the journey. The grade wasn't steep, but constant, and the snakes had to stop to rest frequently as they worked against the strong gravitational pull of the planet. This tunnel appeared to be the main artery with other smaller veins running off from it. This main artery began to widen even more, and trees and vegetation began to show up with increasing frequency until all was green and lush.

"We're now at the base of the giant's domed city," Hekki alerted. "I'm not sure how the transfer is going to occur. We'll continue to ride until we make contact."

Up ahead in the distance a group of the giants loomed ominously. Noises of snapping branches and heavy clumsy feet could be heard off to either side of the returning group, and Hekki had the group slow down. He looked behind, and an assembly of armed soldiers closed off any escape route for the riders. Soon they were surrounded.

"What're they doing? This isn't necessary," Jenny stated.

Hekki knew they could escape by tunneling into the soft ground, but his job was to deliver Jenny and Born safely to the giants, and he'd not yet completed his task.

"You're under arrest, for kidnapping and water theft!" announced one of the soldiers.

"We are returning hostages, good condition, we replace water borrowed," Hekki motioned with his hands as he spoke in broken giant language.

"My orders are to take you into custody. Your judgment will be decided by others. Take them!" he ordered, and his men rushed forward and took the Treech as prisoners.

Jenny came to their aid. "We don't want to press charges, and we're safe and unharmed. We were treated well, and they are returning what was taken. Can't you just let them go?" she pleaded.

"I'm sorry, it's beyond my authority," he said flatly.

The Treech were shackled and taken away.

"What about the snakes?" Jenny asked.

"They will be cared for, until a sentence is handed down."

"Born, can't you do something?" Jenny appealed.

"Not with the soldiers I can't. They obviously have their orders, but I'll talk to the mayor about the situation as soon as we see him," Born assured.

"Hekki, I'm so sorry!" Jenny said.

"Don't worry, Jenny. I half expected this. Water theft is an offense punishable by death with the giants, and they also know we've found a water pocket. They'll want to interrogate us as to its whereabouts," Hekki said, as he was escorted away.

Jenny was beside herself with anger and frustration, but there was nothing she could do.

It was obvious to her, by the way the giants handled the snakes, that they were not comfortable with them, and the snakes didn't like the situation much either. Grakar was very confused, and he looked over to Jenny for guidance. She broke free from her escort and ran over to him.

"It's okay, boy, I'll see you later," she reassured him, and tears began to roll down her cheeks. She remembered the snake tusk trophies she'd seen in the mayor's office, and the stories she'd heard from Hekki, about how the giants have hunted wild snakes to near extinction, for their coveted fangs. She wondered if she was doing the right thing, and almost alerted Grakar to fight and escape. If she was wrong, and Grakar and the other snakes ended up being killed for their tusks and teeth, she could never forgive herself.

"Don't worry, Jenny, I'll make sure they aren't harmed," Born promised.

Jenny was very upset now, as she and Born were led to a hovercraft, and transported up into the domed city. A short time later, they were in an audience with the mayor.

They entered his office, and he extended his arms to welcome them.

"Born, Jenny, I'm so glad to see you again, safe and sound. How did you get those dirty little ground dwellers to let you go?"

Born saw the rage in Jenny's face, and spoke up before Jenny could respond.

"Jenny found a water pocket, so there was no need to detain us further. They now have all the water they need. As far as the charges against them, I would like to defend them by saying we were treated well, and never harmed or threatened."

"They're a good and noble race, and they deserve your respect!" Jenny blurted in obvious anger.

Born motioned for Jenny to hold her tongue. Born felt he was calmer at this point and the Treech captives would be better served if he handled this delicate diplomatic matter.

"The water Jenny located is a rather large cache, and because of your need, and their abundance of the essential liquid, it would be in your best interests to deal with the Treech in a more respectful manner, and, as in the past, open up trade negotiations with them. Like Jenny just mentioned, they're a decent and noble race, and I'm sure they'd be willing to share their good fortune with you."

" _You_ found the water pocket, Jenny? What an incredible accomplishment! You must tell me the story behind the discovery. Do you remember the location of the pocket?" the mayor asked.

"I certainly wouldn't tell you, if I did know. You're so greedy, you'd steal all of it, and let the Treech die of thirst!" Jenny challenged.

"I fear the Treech have poisoned your mind with lies about us, Jenny. We're not the monsters you seem to think we are," the mayor defended himself.

"Then, let my friends go!" she shouted.

"I'm afraid that's not possible, at this point. You must understand, they've broken our law, and must be punished accordingly. We will of course take into account any cooperation we receive, whether it be from them, or from you," the mayor explained.

Born responded, calmly, "I can guarantee, they won't disclose the whereabouts of the water pocket to you. They just don't trust you."

"They'd die first," Jenny added.

"So if you want some of the water, the only way you're going to get it, is through negotiation and diplomacy," Born suggested.

"I'll take your advice under consideration. You seem to have become fairly close to these creatures, who, may I remind you, so selfishly kidnapped you and held you captive for months. I'd be curious to know how this all came to be. There appears to be quite a story behind it," the mayor pondered curiously.

"There is an amazing tale to be told, a legendary tale, of prophecy and deed. If you treat the Treech well, maybe one day they will tell you," Born said.

"I don't know if I'm that curious," the mayor scoffed, as he sat down in his chair.

"Your new friends have given you some meager parting gifts, I see," the mayor mentioned, referring to the Zorbite lamp helmets, and the ornate flasks slung around Jenny and Born's necks.

"If you call Rhonar water, a meager parting gift," Jenny shot back, and then suddenly realized with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, her emotions had caused her to let slip, secret information.

The mayor sat bolt upright in his chair, and his eyes opened wide.

"Rhonar water? You mean to say the grubby little ground dwellers still have Rhonar water?" the mayor questioned.

"Well, Jenny also found a Rhonar pocket, and managed to retrieve a few canisters of the water for the sick Treech. And, as a memento, they gave us both a small flask of it," Born said, trying to down play the significance of it.

Jenny realized her anger was putting her off her guard, and she'd have to be smarter and more controlled about the information she offered to the mayor.

"And I suppose you don't remember the whereabouts of the Rhonar pocket either?" the mayor asked skeptically.

"No, as a matter of fact, I don't, and the Treech don't know either. Only my snake Grakar knows the location, so you'd better make sure he isn't harmed, because if he dies, the secret dies with him," Jenny said, glancing up at the snake tusk enclosed in a glass case.

"My, my, a water pocket, a Rhonar pocket, and your own personal snake. You've been a busy girl. I find it difficult to believe, you could have achieved so much, in such a short time," the mayor challenged, hoping to goad more information out of Jenny.

"You believe whatever you want to believe, I have no more time for you," Jenny said flatly, and she crossed her arms stubbornly in front of her.

"Just keep in mind, the Treech are your only hope of getting some of the water, and if you treat them badly, starting with your prisoners, you can say goodbye to any chance of sharing in what they have in their possession," Born reminded the mayor.

"Now, what of my ship? Is the Traveler ready to go?" Born asked.

"It's ready. The repairs were completed weeks ago. I was hoping we could settle the bill today. Maybe instead of fresh water, you could see fit to part with some of your Rhonar water," the mayor suggested, with a greedy look in his eyes.

"I'll consider it, but Jenny's is hers to keep. She's provided enough water, considering all the water on board the Traveler came from her lake, and she found both the fresh water and the Rhonar pocket," Born made clear.

"Of course, she _is_ the water goddess," the mayor said sarcastically.

"Well, sarcasm aside, to the Treech she is just that. I'd like to see my ship now, please," Born directed.

"Yes, of course. Do you intend on leaving immediately?" the mayor asked.

"Not immediately, but soon. I think we'll clean up and rest for a few hours before we leave. It's been a long trip to get back to the surface, and I'm aching all over," Born said, rubbing his saddle sore backside. "And I'm sure Jenny will want to say her final goodbyes to her Treech friends, if you don't object. This all happened so unexpectedly, they didn't have an opportunity say their final farewells."

"Farewells to kidnappers, that has to be a first. Yes, that will be fine. I'll leave a driver and a transport vehicle at your disposal. I'll send a water collector to receive payment from you now as well. Let me know when you're leaving, so I may see you off," the mayor requested.

"Of course. Thanks you for your hospitality, and for your rescue efforts, " Born said politely.

The mayor nodded. His thoughts seemed to be elsewhere at the moment. Born and Jenny turned and left his office.

The mayor's assistant stepped closer and waited as the mayor pondered the situation.

"So, what do you think Kon-Knive? Do they tell the truth, or are they toying with me?" the mayor asked.

"Oh, I have no doubt what they say is true, and having listened to the unexpected tale, it reminds me of old Treech lore, predicting the coming of a stranger from a far-away world. This stranger would appear during a time of desperate need, and save the Treech race from dehydration. I'm sure they feel that Jenny is destiny's provider, and by the sounds of the tale, she is."

"Hmm, all of that studying of Treech customs certainly comes in handy from time to time. Good job, Kon-Knive," the mayor said.

"Well, I do find them to be an interesting study, even if they are a constant annoyance to us," Kon-Knive admitted.

"Yes, well said, for here they are again, making my life difficult. I'd like to beat the information out of them, but then that's just me, and I'm not sure it would provide the best results. What's your advice on this matter, Kon-Knive?"

"That's a difficult question. On one hand, torture may get one of the weaker Treech to reveal the whereabouts of the water pocket, but they may have been clever enough not to send any Treech to the surface with that knowledge, except for the leader, but I can guarantee, he would die before revealing its location. The location of the Rhonar pocket, if it exists, and I believe it does, is, in my opinion, not information they have. So, that leaves negotiation," Kon-Knive said, and the mayor groaned and turned up his nose at the thought.

"I realize this is the last thing you want to do, but our best chance of recovering some of the water they've found, may be opening the lines of communication and trade," Kon-Knive suggested.

"Arrgh, the thought of being nice and diplomatic with those little vermin rubs me the wrong way. That water pocket and every other natural resource within this planet belongs to us, and I don't want it wasted on those worthless groundhogs!" the mayor fumed. "I'll think about it for awhile, and make my decision after Born leaves. The less he knows, the better. It really is none of his concern, or Jenny's for that matter, although she seems more worried about the fate of the prisoners than Born does."

"Yes, Jenny seems to have formed a strong bond with the Treech and their snakes. Rather curious and interesting," Kon-Knive pondered.

.

Jenny and Born jumped into the transport vehicle.

"I don't trust him, Born. Isn't there some way we can make him release the Treech? How about refusing to pay the fee for the repairs on the ship, until he lets them go?" Jenny suggested.

"Then _we_ wouldn't be allowed to leave. I'm sorry, Jenny, I have no leverage in this matter. I can advise what I think is best, which I've done, but I have absolutely no authority on this subject," Born explained.

"I can't leave this planet knowing my friends are imprisoned and in danger. I think the mayor is capable of anything," Jenny agonized.

"I think you're over-dramatizing the situation Jenny. He may hold them and question them for awhile, but I don't believe he'll harm them," Born assured.

"And what about the snakes?" Jenny asked.

Born was silent for a moment, recalling the much coveted snake tusk trophy in the mayor's office.

"He has to give them their mode of transportation back when he lets them go, or they won't be able to make it home," Born finally answered.

"That is, if he lets them go, and if he cares that they make it home," Jenny added.

She was thoroughly frustrated by the whole state of affairs. She wished Hekki had just dropped them off before entering the dome, and she and Born could've walked the rest of the way, allowing Hekki and the rest of the company to return unmolested.

"I'm sorry Jenny, there's nothing more we can do," Born said.

"Can we stay a little longer, at least until this situation is cleared up? We can help in the negotiation process, or maybe just our presence here may discourage any prisoner abuse," Jenny suggested.

"Jenny, we're already months behind, and my people need the water we're transporting," Born answered.

"But you said it wasn't desperately needed. No one will die if it's not there immediately. Right?"

"True, but my company is in the water trade. They use water to deal for other goods, and for commerce. Without the water, they can't do business, and they pay me to follow their orders, and right now, they want me to get home with the water and the Zorbite I've traded for. And, they also want me to make one more quick stop, to trade for some components they also sell for a profit. So we must leave tomorrow," Born explained.

"Staying here longer will have no effect on the outcome of this unfortunate situation, and we have to keep in mind, the Treech did violate the giant's laws."

"Arrgh! This is so frustrating!" said an exasperated Jenny.

They were silent for the rest of the trip to the Traveler, and it was long enough to allow Jenny to cool off a bit.

The hovercraft entered the repair bay and there she was, big, sleek, magnificent and fully repaired. Both Jenny and Born's pulse quickened at the sight of it.

"What a wonderful sight," Born exclaimed. "I didn't know if we'd ever see it again. I didn't know if I'd ever see Soilanglobe again!"

Jenny smiled along with Born, sharing in his enthusiasm, but she'd feel much better about leaving, if her friends weren't under arrest at the moment.

They leaped from the vehicle, and ran up the stairs of the Traveler, Jenny in the lead.

"Hello, Obos! Long time no see!"

"Hello, Jenny Thompson," Obos replied.

Jenny plunked herself down in one of the comfy chairs. "Ahh, it's good to be home," she said.

"Obos, are all the repairs completed?" Born asked, as he followed into the room.

"Yes, all of the repairs are satisfactorily completed. The ship is space worthy."

"I'm going to inspect some things," Born said.

"Obos, could you connect me with Earth again? I need some advice from Relli about this prisoner situation," Jenny asked.

"The call was initiated minutes ago, and I anticipate a response momentarily."

"Sometimes I think _you're_ psychic, just like Relli," Jenny commented.

"No, just logical, and observant. The audio unit at your Earth residence is signaling for attention," Obos notified.

"You mean, my phone is ringing?"

"Yes," Obos replied.

"Hello?" Relli answered.

"Good day, Ma'am. I've heard through the cosmic grapevine, that you have a supernatural gift of clairvoyance. Could I interest you in helping a race of people, in dire need of a mystic, spiritual advisor? The job doesn't pay very well, but would be ever so gratifying!" Jenny quipped.

Relli put her hand on her hip, and smirked at Jenny's antics. "Oh, I don't know. I'm pretty busy with a young headstrong teen-age girl right now, who seems to be some long lost savior of the cosmos. She really is quite a handful."

Jenny laughed and stomped her foot, "I'll bet deep down, she's an angel though, right?"

"Yes, if you say so. Hi, Jenny, how are you? Are you back at the Traveler?" Relli asked.

"Yep, we're back, but things aren't going too well. The stupid mayor has arrested my friends for water theft, and I don't know what's going to happen to them!"

"Yes, I had a vision of this occurring, but don't worry, Jenny. The mayor is selfish and cruel, but he's also diplomatically shrewd. He'll realize that his best and only chance of sharing in the bounty of water discovered, will be to treat the Treech with more respect. The giant species as a whole, are not bad. They're just prejudiced and misguided by their leader. I think the final remnants of your influence, will lead to better relations between the two races. And I hope to be a part of that healing process. I'm sorry, that's all the information I have, but I'm sure all will work out for your friends, and my kinsmen. I don't think the giants will risk angering my people. My people... that sounds so weird, but really cool to say," Relli said.

"Well, that's a relief. I hope you're right. Thanks Relli. Hey, any more clues as to what's in store for me?" Jenny asked hopefully.

"I just see your task as completed there on Spacemark Four, but regarding your future, I've been getting some odd images over the last week. Your work is not yet done in the cosmos, and there are more adventures for you still to come. You were born to execute and achieve the objectives set out for you, but that's all the information I'll divulge, because it's all I've got," Relli disclosed.

"Not that you'd tell me if you did. Especially if it would scare me," Jenny repeated what Relli had previously admitted to her.

"Don't be anxious. Just live for the moment, because there are still lots of exciting and rewarding moments in store for you," Relli counseled.

"Okay, thanks for the advice, Relli. Is Dad around?"

"No, he took Martin to his hockey game, but I'll tell them you called."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later."

"You bet, dear. Try not to worry about your friends."

"I'll try not to, thanks, Relli."

And Obos disengaged the two.

"I wasn't homesick before I made the call, so why am I now?" Jenny asked.

"Space travel seems to have that effect on beings like yourself," Obos informed.

"I guess you don't get lonely, do you, Obos?" Jenny asked.

"No, as a computer, I have an advantage where emotions are concerned, but I do miss the company of certain individuals, like you, for example," Obos explained.

"That's nice of you to say. You're a lot nicer and more polite than some _people_ I know. It sure is nice to have you to talk to, not to mention all of the information you've got stored in your memory banks," Jenny said.

"Glad to be of service to you," Obos replied.

Born came into the ship and announced, "Everything looks good, and we're ready to go. We just need to settle up the bill with some of our cargo, and we can be on our way, _finally_. Obos can you open up one of the water access panels so I can dispense some water? We'll let the giants keep the water that the Treech brought back. We'll deduct it from the bill."

When the transfer of water was completed he came back inside the Traveler to find Jenny sound asleep in the chair.

"The poor thing, she is absolutely exhausted. She's been through so much. She's an absolutely incredible young girl, Obos. If I hadn't witnessed all of her exploits of selflessness and bravery, I wouldn't have believed it possible," Born said as he dialed Jenny's gravity displacement suit to weightlessness, and easily carried her to a bed where he tucked her in.

"Have a good, long, restful sleep, - you deserve it."

.

Jenny awoke several hours later, feeling refreshed and revitalized. Born was restless to be on their way, and Jenny was anxious to say goodbye to her friends, and still concerned about their fate.

"There's a hover car waiting outside," Born reminded. "Here, have some food before you rush off."

"Aren't you coming?" Jenny asked.

"No, there's no point in me going. I don't have the same relationship with the Treech as you do. I just see them as a group that have unlawfully detained us for the last few months, and I've no desire to see them again," Born said truthfully.

Jenny respected and understood the way Born felt.

"Alright, I'll see you in awhile then," Jenny said, and she grabbed a few food items to munch on.

"Don't take too long though, I want to get going as soon as possible, and it will only make it harder to leave, the longer you visit," Born advised.

Jenny walked out the door of the Traveler, and down the stairs towards the waiting transporter.

Jenny turned her language converter over to the language of the giants.

"Please take me to the place where you keep the Treech prisoners and the snakes," Jenny requested.

The driver nodded his head in acknowledgement. He'd already been informed that Jenny would want to visit the two areas, so he escorted her first to the forested area at the base of the dome where the snakes were being kept. Jenny thought they looked fairly well cared for, and she realized they really could escape any time they wanted to. It's pretty hard to pen up a snake that doesn't want to be penned. Grakar recognized Jenny immediately, and came over to greet her.

"Hi, Grakar, old boy, how are you. I'm sorry you're stuck in here, although you could leave anytime you wanted to," Jenny said.

She realized the snakes were waiting for their masters to return, and would never abandon them. They were dedicated creatures. Jenny thought about telling Grakar to flee, because she wasn't coming back, as the Treech hopefully would be. That way, if the giants did decide to kill the snakes for their fangs, Grakar would be long gone, and safe.

"Grakar, I want you to be alert to any danger, and if you sense any, I want you to lead the snakes out of here to safety as quickly as possible. I have to leave now, and I probably won't see you again for a long time, so there's no need for you to wait for me. I'll never forget you, boy. You're more responsible for finding the water pocket than I am. It's you who should have his name immortalized in the Masta. You've been a dedicated friend that I could always count on, and I'll never forget you. Try to let others ride you, and stay with the Treech. They need you. I'll miss you, Grakar," Jenny said, and she hugged his huge fanged head for the last time.

Grakar hooked his bottom fang under her as he'd done so many times, and lifted his beloved Jenny off the ground. She embraced him for a few moments, and then climbed up on his head and reminisced for a few moments, remembering all of the exciting and dangerous times they had shared. She sat on his back one more time, and stroked the scar left by the vicious Rachar attack, and fondly recalled their battle practice and their eventual revenge on that same pack. A smile spread across her face when she remembered the look of shock and relief on Hekki's face, when she and Grakar had beaten off the Rachars.

"Oh, I'll miss you so much, Grakar," Jenny said softly.

"Do you remember how I talked your ear off when we first met, and how we wandered for days. The first time you laid eyes on me was after the Rachar attack when you were badly hurt. Man, I thought we were going to die. And the Rhonar pocket, I'll never forget that beautiful place for as long as I live. Boy, we sure had fun swimming in there. - And the fruit, they were _so_ good. It's amazing how when you feel like you've cheated death, everything seems so sweet immediately afterwards."

She looked under Grakar's protective hood, and thought about how many hours she'd spent huddled under it.

"Remember the first time we tunneled together, I was terrified, and now it doesn't faze me at all."

Jenny suddenly felt invigorated, and her pulse quickened.

"Krut! Kritch!" she yelled, and scrambled for cover with a grin on her face.

Grakar immediately sprung into action, and as instructed and guided by his partner, he bit a huge gouge into the soft earth. The posted guards didn't have enough time to react. The last thing they saw was Grakar's hind end disappear into the ground, as it spewed dirt and dust out of it.

"Yahoo!" Jenny shouted a muffled cry of exhilaration, as they tunneled away. They emerged into the large thoroughfare of the giants, and raced down the massive tunnel with the giants in hot pursuit. Jenny longed for the narrow, dark, roughly hewn Treech tunnels she'd spent so much time in, but they were far away at this point. She realized with disappointment that she couldn't have the final ride with Grakar she wanted to, so she ditched her pursuers by tunneling again, and spent her last few precious moments with Grakar within the earth. Jenny guided him back to their starting point, where the guards were glad to see they had come back.

"I've got to leave now, boy. Remember what I told you. Look out for yourself, and the rest of the snakes. Don't trust these creatures," Jenny advised, and she hopped down from his back.

"Bye, buddy, I'll miss you," were her final words to him.

Grakar let out a low sad moan, as Jenny was driven away.

.

The next stop, was the prison where Hekki and the rest of the Treech riders were being held. Hekki was led out, still in shackles.

"Hello, Hekki, I'm sorry about all of this," Jenny said sympathetically.

"Don't you worry about it. Everything will work out all right," Hekki assured her.

"We have to leave soon. We tried to get you released, but the mayor is being stubborn. I don't trust him, Hekki," Jenny revealed.

"You're a good judge of character, Jenny. He's lied to the Treech for decades, three and a half to be precise, but we have the best bargaining tool now, thanks to you! - A massive water pocket," Hekki said proudly.

"Hekki?" Jenny said meekly. "I made I mistake, I told the mayor about the Rhonar pocket. I'm sorry, he made me so mad, it just slipped out," Jenny confessed.

"Don't worry about it, Jenny. I doubt it will influence his actions and decisions at all. He already knew about the water pocket, and he'll be just as interested in gaining possession of it, as he would be the Rhonar pocket. Go with an easy heart and a clear conscience."

"Thank you for everything, Hekki. You taught me a lot, and looked out for me. I'll never forget you, or my short time here amongst the Treech. I don't know for sure if I'll ever be back again. I hope to return triumphantly to K'Lund one day with Relli...I mean your future mystic, but I can't be sure if I will, so goodbye," Jenny said, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Don't be sad, Jenny. Fate brought you to us, and if it is to be, fate will bring you back. You've given a special gift to the Treech people. The water pocket you've provided will sustain us for hundreds of years. But beyond that, you've given us hope, and taught us a lesson about bravery, compassion and the sheer thrill of life itself. Although you're a living, breathing, flesh and blood being just like we are, my people regard you as an immortal. In a way you are, for your name and your accomplishments will live on forever in Treech history. We needed water desperately and you delivered it, but we also needed a hero to honor and to look up to, and you also provided that. I can't even begin to tell you what you've done for us, and will continue to do for us, even in your absence. Goodbye, Jenny of Earth. It's been an honor and a privilege to know you, and to be a part of these incredible achievements. Please take care of yourself, and return if you can. You'll always have a place among us, and tell Born if he lets anything happen to you, I'll personally come after him," Hekki concluded.

Jenny laughed through her tears, and Hekki reached out with his clawed index finger and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Now go, before I start to cry as well," Hekki instructed.

Jenny turned and got into the hovercraft. She looked back as she was driven away for one final wave.

.

Jenny found Born pacing around the repair bay where the Traveler was docked. He was anxious about her, and itching to leave. The mayor and a few dignitaries were there to see them off. Jenny jumped out of the car, and walked past the mayor without a word.

"Good, you're back. How did it go?" Born asked.

"It was sad, but I'm satisfied. Can we go?"

"Yes, by all means. Thank you, Mayor. This certainly was an eventful and eye-opening visit. It turned out to be much more than we expected," Born said.

"Yes, and I am sorry for that," the mayor apologized.

"Have you given any more thought about how you're going to deal with the Treech, in particular, the prisoners?" Born asked.

"I've thought it over, and I still haven't totally decided how to handle the situation, although the counsel I'm getting from you, and my advisers, is leaning me towards the diplomacy approach," the mayor said, still not sounding totally convinced.

"Well maybe this will help you to make what I feel is the right decision," Born said, and he pulled out his ornate flask of Rhonar water.

Everyone present was shocked by the gesture, and the mayor became visibly flushed with excitement.

"If you promise to treat the Treech with the respect they deserve, drop all charges against the prisoners, negotiate, and open lines of communication and trade with the Treech, this entire flask is yours," Born offered.

Jenny was shocked, but touched by Born's generous offer, and the mayor was speechless for a moment.

"I accept your generous gesture, and hereby give my word, I'll drop all the charges against the Treech, and do my best to be on better terms with them."

Born passed him the valuable vessel, pleased he'd done something to help smooth over the situation, and hopefully set Jenny's mind at ease.

"Thank you, and safe journey. Until your next visit, goodbye," the mayor said.

"Goodbye, Mayor. Time to go, Jenny," Born announced, and they climbed aboard the Traveler.

"Born? I don't know if you realize it, but the Rhonar water you just gave him was worth more to them than the water you paid them earlier today. Didn't you see the look on his face when you offered it to him?" Jenny asked.

"I know, but to me it was worth it, just to give you comfort that your friends wouldn't be harmed. And, I learned a lesson about doing something for others less fortunate than yourself from someone on this trip," he said as he looked over at Jenny and smiled.

Jenny laughed. "Born, you old softie, you!"

"Don't let it get around though," Born kidded.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," Jenny promised.

"Obos, take us away from here. Sentar Nine is our next destination," Born ordered.

The Traveler slowly rose straight up, until it was level with the large bay door that opened before them. Outside, the constant storm raged on, and Obos piloted the Traveler out of the massive dome and into the tempest.

Jenny sighed as she watched the huge dome become dwarfed by the sheer size of the planet surface as the Traveler sped away. She found it hard to believe she'd just been involved in an adventure of a lifetime, deep within the planet below.

"Every time I leave somewhere I feel sad. Even though I know I have to leave, and there are still many wonderful things to see and experience. Why is that?" she pondered.

Born came over and put his arm around Jenny's shoulders.

"Emotions are a wonderful, yet bothersome thing. Without them, we'd be like machines, but with them, our lives are more complicated and worrisome...yet they enrich us. You were blessed with a large quantity of these emotional qualities, Jenny - so wherever you go, you leave your mark, and you leave a piece of yourself behind, but you also take something with you when you leave. Try to enjoy the feeling. It's not the end, but a new beginning," Born said, as he gently patted her on the back, and gave her some privacy to think things over.

Jenny looked at her friend and smiled, "Thanks, Born."

