

### Operation Phoenix

### Book 2

### Bohina

Don R. Budd

Operation Phoenix

Book 2

Bohina

Copyright © 2019 by Don R. Budd

Cover Design by Laura Shinn

Edited by Jill Spencer

Formatted by Don R. Budd

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, reproduction or use of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the author.

_Operation Phoenix Book 2: Bohina_ is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously; any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, locations, or events are entirely coincidental. A few historical persons are mentioned as they relate to the story. Thank you for respecting U.S. and international copyright laws and this author's work.

Special Thanks to:

Jill Spencer,

Battle Creek, MI

This Used Grammarly,

A computerized editing program

To improve the quality of the eBook.

Contents

Chapter 1 Tyese

Chapter 2 In Pursuit

Chapter 3 Captivity

Chapter 4 Elections

Chapter 5 Failed Attempts

Chapter 6 Election Fallout

Chapter 7 Coalition

Chapter 8 Rahman

Chapter 9 Recruitment

Chapter 10 Testing

Chapter 11 Enhancements

Chapter 12 Weekend Pass

Chapter 13 Take Over

Chapter 14 Recovery

Chapter 15 Half Way

Chapter 16 Station Stop

Chapter 17 On the Brink

Chapter 18 Bohina

Chapter 19 The Secret

Chapter 20 Ready Set

Chapter 21 Quake!

Chapter 22 Aftermath

Chapter 23 The Meeting

Chapter 24 The Hohshoo

Chapter 25 Li Lyo

Chapter 26 Lo-Shalom

Chapter 27 U2?

Chapter 28 Suzy

Chapter 29 The Arrest

Chapter 30 It Only Takes A Spark

Chapter 31 Bohinan Trouble

Chapter 32 Round-Up

Chapter 33 Spartans Again

Chapter 34 The Log

About the Author

Connecting with DON R. BUDD

Other Novels by DON R. BUDD

Coming Soon

Operation Phoenix

Book 3

Imperial Guard

Chapter 1 The Weapon

Chapter 2 Interrogation

CHAPTER 1 Tyesye

The humans had docked at station Tyesye to install new equipment when General Richards inspected the progress. The workers replaced some of the glass tubes the humans had slept in with a sizeable lighted pad. Spotlights of a light blue color were above it.

Richards stopped a Gorenan engineer next to the control console, a short distance from the pad. "What is this technology called again?"

The engineer smiled with pride. "It's the byomyu. It's the latest thing for transporting objects and people from place to place."

"We had similar technology on Romasu in our science fiction stories. We called it a 'Transporter.'" The general walked to the console and looked it over.

"But, byomyu is much easier to say and remember." The engineer watched Richards.

"That's if you're used to Lorana." Richards glanced at him and then back at the console. "I'm glad you have these controls in English."

"Wimi, it took some doing, but it was doable." He folded both sets of hands as he rocked back and forth on his heels. "The other ships had some bizarre letters. We had trouble using their languages. The Yaponeeeeeze have almost as many syllables as Lorana."

"Japanese."

"What?"

"It's Ja-pa-ne-se not 'Yaponeeeeeze.'"

"And you think our words are hard to pronounce." As he grinned, he showed some missing teeth.

"When will the training be completed?" Richards dusted off a spot on the console.

"It will be complete by noon tomorrow." The man put his hands behind his back as he continued to rock.

Later that day, Richards and the boys sat in a restaurant. Jacob played with a plant on the table next to him until it tried to bite him. The boy snatched his hand back. The plants around it quickly slapped the little plant. The general stopped a server. "Can you find out how long it will be before we get our meals, please? It has been over an hour." The plants picked up their pots and walked off the table. Jacob dropped his jaw as his eyes became big as he mouthed, "Wow!" He wrapped his hand around his Dad's arm from underneath and tugged.

The server looked nervous. "I'm sorry, sir. But we can't serve you here."

"Why not?" Richards became cross. Jacob tugged again.

"We don't want any trouble. Please, leave before the Bohinan see you here." The man looked around nervously.

"Come on, Boys." Richards started to leave. "Let's take our business elsewhere."

"But, Daddy, the plants move like people!" Jacob tugged on his father's arm again as his father drug him off the bench with his arm. Jonathan shook his head as he followed.

As they walked through the noisy market place, they came upon a Japanese couple.

"People won't let us eat at their restaurants." The young couple held onto each other as the man explained. "They say they don't want trouble. But, they don't say why."

"We had the same problem." Richards reached down to place a hand on Jacob's shoulder as the boy clung to his father's back pocket. "Go to your ship and eat there. The Bohinan must be here. It will be safer aboard ship."

"Arigatoo gozaimasu." He led his girlfriend away.

"You're welcome." The general continued with Jacob in tow. Jonathan followed as he watched his brother act like a little boy.

Soon, they met a group of Finns and Swedes as they spoke Swedish. They stopped and looked at Richards as he walked up to them. One gentleman spoke English. "We're having problems finding a place to eat. People fear us."

"It's not you these people are afraid of. It's the Bohinan." Richards put his hands on his hips as Jacob hid behind him with his hands in his father's back pockets. "Go back to your ships where you'll be safe."

They walked off as the general turned to Jacob.

He squatted down to Jacob's level. "Why are you always hiding from people?"

"Day scare me. I don't know why." Jacob looked down.

"You're not afraid of the troops like others." Richards smiled at him as his son ducked in and wrapped his arms around his arm.

Richards stood and led his boys on down a corridor as they came upon a group of troops. They told of more stories of Bohinan threats and lack of service.

"Carter, take the boys back and get them something to eat. Then stay with them." Richards ordered the Marine. "Samson, Rocky, and Hunter you're with me. The rest of you fan out in groups of four and tell our people to return to their ships. Let them know the Bohinan are here."

"Yes, sir!" They went their separate ways.

Richards led his men to the slave market. They started to receive reports of humans taken by the Bohinan. Richards and the troops investigated the reports and had all humans return to their ships. With the people onboard and accounted for, Richards and his men could tell how many were still gone. The process took time but was much quicker than any other method.

The slave market had some 2,000-people crowded into a small area. Richards and the troops made their way slowly through the crowd to the front. The noise drowned out the auctioneer's speakers. Richards's radio vibrated.

He took his radio from his side. "Richards, over!" His voice barely sounded over the noise of the crowd and the auctioneer.

"Captain Russell here, sir," Russell's voice came over the radio as the general put an earpiece in his ear. "We have nine still missing from the USS Washington, three from the Merivoimat, two from the South African, one from the Hawthorne, six from the Suomen Joutsen, 10 from the Japanese ships, 14 from the German ships, and five from the Italian ships. All other ships reported all people present and accounted for, sir, over."

"All right, we'll be on the lookout for them, over." Richards looked at his men. "Anything else, over."

"Nothing, over." Russell's voice came back.

"Very well, Richards, out." The general put his radio back. Then he scanned the crowd around him for the rest of the troops. He found a Soldier and went to him.

"There are 50 missing, pass it on!" Richards tried to speak above the crowd and loud music.

"Yes, sir!" The Soldier moved over to a Marine.

Richards walked past the stage and caught a glimpse of a human woman backstage. He made his way to a side door and looked around for a guard. When he saw none, he slipped into the corridor. His men followed him. The general walked until he found the backstage door, which was open a crack. Richards quietly pushed the door open until he could see the woman. He stepped in and took out his phaser. The general shot the guard in the back and caught him as he fell. Before she made a sound, Richards motioned the woman to keep silent. He laid the guard quietly on the floor and scanned the area. The general walked to the woman and broke the chains. Then, he escorted her out of the vicinity. When they reached the corridor, he removed the cuffs from her wrists.

"Come with me." Richards led her toward the front. "Did you see any more humans?"

"No, I thought I was done for." The woman quivered as she followed Richards to the backdoor.

His men found three children.

"Take them back to their ships." Richards left the people with them. "I'll keep looking around."

"I'll stay with you, sir." Corey Hunter turned to him.

"Alright." The general led him back down the corridor to another door. The Marine found the door partway open so, he peered inside through the opening. He could see five Bohinan and six humans. He rushed back to the crowd and took out his radio. "Mitchell, this is Richards, over!" He strained to get his voice over the noise.

"Mitchell, here, over!" Mitchell's voice came back.

"I found six more people in the slave market, but they are surrounded by five Bohinan. I need backup right away, over." Richards held the radio near his mouth. He listened carefully to his earpiece.

"Understood, sending more troops your way, over." Mitchell's voice came back.

The general put it back to his mouth. "Good, Richards out!"

Richards put his radio away and waited for backup as he paced while Hunter looked on. He did not have long to wait. Several Marines and Soldiers rushed to the front of the crowd. Richards signaled the men and women to come toward him. When they arrived, the group entered the corridor quietly. The troops made their way to the door. Richards checked to see the situation inside the room. He motioned the soldiers to follow him. The general burst in the room and started to shoot the Bohinan. The other troops did the same. The humans caught the Bohinan off guard, but they fired back. The others in the room began to scream. Soon, the troops subdued the Bohinan.

"Get these people back to their ships!" Richards passed the people back to the Marines.

The Marines took the people. Samson and Rocky stayed with Richards and Hunter. As they reached the crowd, more Bohinan came after them. The troops prepared for a confrontation. A Bohinan shot Richards with a dart. He staggered and then went down. The other three humans tried to defend him, but the Bohinan shot them with darts, too. One of the Marines with the people saw them drag Richards and the others away.

"Smith to Washington, over!" The female Marine spoke as fast and loud as she could.

"Washington, here, over!" Mitchell's voice came back.

"Bohinan have taken General Richards, Samson, Rocky, and Hunter!" Smith talked into the radio as fast as she could and then put it to her ear.

"Backup is on its way, over!" Mitchell's voice came back.

"Understood, Smith out!" Smith put her radio away. She paced as she awaited backup.

When more Marines and Soldiers showed up, they headed down the corridor and checked all doors and rooms. However, they could not find Richards or the others.

Smith took out her radio again. "Smith to Washington, over!"

"Washington, here, over!" Mitchell's voice came back when she put her radio to her ear.

She spoke into the radio. "We lost the general, sir, over!" Then she put it to her ear.

"Return to the ship, over!" Mitchell's voice came back.

"Understood, sir. Smith out!" She put the radio away. They headed back to the ship.

On the bridge of the Washington, Mitchell and Russell stood near the screens as they monitored the people's return.

"What are they planning to do?" Russell stood in front of Mitchell.

"Dradik once said that this problem between the Bohinan and us would go to Bohina itself." He stood with his arms crossed deep in thought. "I think they will take him to Bohina knowing we would follow."

"But what good would that do?" Russell became concerned. "How could we stand against an entire planet?"

"We can't know that until we get there." Mitchell rubbed his lips between the fingers of one hand as he kept his other arm across his chest. He suddenly let his arms down and walked to the helmsman. "What's the ETA to Bohina from here?"

The helmsman looked it up on his star chart. "It will take approximately two years at full speed ahead, sir. But, we will need to stop at another station to pick up supplies."

"We won't be fully trained on recent technology until the morning." Russell stepped over to Mitchell.

"Right." Mitchell was again deep in thought. "I suppose they won't leave without us. So, we will wait until after the training sessions tomorrow. Make sure we have plenty of supplies. This is going to be one long trip."

"Aye, sir!" Russell returned to his seat and started to prepare.

"Make sure everyone is onboard ship before noon. We have to be ready to leave at a moment's notice." Mitchell turned back to Russell.

"Aye, sir!" Russell did not look up. He continued to enter data into his computer console.

The next day at 12 o'clock sharp earth time, the Bohinan ships started to leave the space station. They waited for the human vessels.

"They knew when we planned to leave." Mitchell stood and walked to the main screen that had the Bohinan fleet a short distance from the station. Slowly the human ships started to follow them. They laid in a course for Bohina and moved out to where the Bohinan waited. The Bohinan headed out at a slow speed. But, Mitchell had other plans. The humans left at full speed as they left the Bohinan in their stardust.

Contents

**CHAPTER** **2 In Pursuit**

On the bridge, the crew monitored the Bohinan ships as they followed the humans. Mitchell entered as a naval captain stood from the command chair.

Mitchell walked up to him. "Captain Meyer, what do you have on the Bohinan?"

"Not much, sir." Meyer showed him the image on the aft view screen. "They have stayed far back. They don't seem to want to hurry to get to Bohina. You would think they would be out in front of us. What is their game plan, sir?"

"Put the pursuit on the main screen." Mitchell stepped toward the main screen.

Meyer followed him. "We have them outgunned. We could just take the general and the others back."

"No, we couldn't." Mitchell studied the screen. "They have them on one or more of the ships while we don't know which one or ones. They could easily kill them before we could reach them. They want to wear down our resources, so we can't put up a fight later. We need to conserve our resources." He turned to the com station. "Have all ships slow to speed 15."

"That will make the trip much longer." Meyer looked at him.

"Yes, but not that much." Mitchell turned back to him.

"Aye, sir! Helmsman, speed 15." Meyer glanced to the helmsman.

"Aye, sir!" The helmsman slowed the ship.

"Sir!" The armory sergeant looked up from his console. "We lost the stars!"

All the screens went blank.

"All, stop!" Mitchell went to the armory.

"All ships near us report stopped, sir." The com sergeant reported.

"What happened?" Mitchell looked at the Armory console. "Where are the other ships?"

"Unknown, sir. We seemed to have entered a part of space where there are no stars." The armory officer showed the last few seconds on his console's screen.

"What does the radar show?" Mitchell looked at the radar screen.

"It shows nothing out there, sir." The armory sergeant double checked his radar readings. "I can't even see the other ships, sir."

"Have all ships report in." Mitchell looked over at the com sergeant.

"This is the USS Washington, all ships report!" The com sergeant relayed the message.

"This is Capt ... Tanaka of ... Yama ... You're breaking ... Repeat." Came the voice of one of the captains.

"This is the USS George Washington, all ships report!" The com sergeant repeated her message. She repeated a second time after a long silence.

"This is Captain Tanaka of the Yamada. You're coming in clear now." Tanaka's voice came clear over the intercom. "We are all stopped. We cannot see anyone, even on the radar."

"This is Captain Mitchell, Captain Tanaka, have you heard from any of the other ships?" Mitchell stepped closer to the com station.

"Aye, we have heard from the HMAS Australia and the FNS Suomen Joutsen, but no one else." Tanaka's voice came back.

"Have they heard from anyone else?" Mitchell stopped midway to the com station.

"Stand by." Tanaka's voice came. After a long silence, Tanaka's voice came back again. "Aye, they both have heard from others, and the others heard from others. All ships are accounted for."

"Good, notify all ships to reverse engines at top speed and stay in your formation." Mitchell waited for Tanaka to relay his message. "Reverse engines full-speed."

"Aye, sir." Meyer turned to the helmsman. "Engines full speed reverse."

"Aye, sir, full speed reverse." The helmsman laid in the course and speed and then engaged.

The ship reversed course, but after a long time still did not exit their section of space.

"We should be out by now." Mitchell looked at the screens. "Are we moving?"

"Aye, sir." Meyer looked at him from beside the helmsman's station.

"I see the other ships!" The armory sergeant looked up.

"Good, we're getting out of it." Mitchell looked at the stern screen. It showed them as they exited the section of space. "Get a safe distance and then go around it on the starboard bow."

"Aye, sir." Meyer passed on the message to the helmsman.

Then the com sergeant also passed on the message.

Once on their way again, Mitchell met with some scientists in a large conference room. "What was all that?"

"It was what we call 'Dark Matter' or matter that is a non-luminous gas. We don't know what exactly dark matter is. But, we believe it to be ordinary and massive neutrinos, WIMPs, celestial bodies called MACHOs and clouds of non-luminous gases."

"What are WIMPs?" Mitchell looked at the scientist across from him.

"WIMP means Weakly Interacting Massive Particles. They are slow moving particles and have a large mass. They have little interaction with normal matter causing them to be dark and invisible by electromagnetic observation." The scientist explained. "MACHO stands for Massive Compact Halo Object which is any kind of celestial body which explains the presence of Dark Matter. MACHO consists of small chunks of normal baryonic matter that emits little or no radiation. It drifts through interstellar space between solar systems. Until now, we have only theorized about the presence of Dark Matter."

"Then, this could be a massive field." Mitchell glanced at the other scientists in the conference room.

"That is correct." The scientist kept his eyes on Mitchell. "It's one that should have been on the star charts."

"It apparently moved into our path as we traveled to Bohina." Mitchell put his hands on the table as if to push himself up. "Let's go around it as far as we can."

"Yes, sir!" The scientists replied as they stood.

Captain Mitchell led them out of the room.

Back on the bridge, Mitchell entered and went straight to the helmsman. He stood with the helmsman between him and Russell who took over for Meyer.

"All ships continue just outside of the cloud. We need to go around this thing as quickly as possible." Mitchell glanced over at the com station.

The com sergeant, Sutherland, passed on the message.

Later, Mitchell led Jonathan and Jacob to the end of the chow line. When they reached the Mess Hall, the line was out the door and down the corridor. Jacob started to stare at the floor with an angry expression.

Mitchell looked at him. "What's wrong, Jacob?"

"It's like dis every meal. Can't you do some ding?" Jacob looked up at him.

"There is only one mess hall for 600 plus people." Mitchell smiled at him and tried to cheer him up. "There's nothing I can do about it."

"Can't you pull rank?" He looked from Mitchell to the doorway.

"That wouldn't do any good." Mitchell looked at the line as it moved a few steps forward. "We can wait like everyone else."

"But I'm hungry." Jacob started to rub his tummy.

"I know you're hungry." Mitchell looked down at him. "You should have eaten all your breakfast."

Jacob put his hands in Mitchell's back pockets, laid his head on the captain's hips, and pouted. A scuffle broke out near the head of the line.

"Stay here!" Mitchell left the line and went to the scuffle. "What's the problem here?" He laid a hand on the two men's shoulders.

"He's trying to cut in line!" A man let go of the other man's shirt.

"I have to get back on duty!" The second man looked at Mitchell.

"If that's true, why aren't you using the mess reserved for those on duty?" Mitchell put his hands on his hips. "All you need is your duty pass."

"I don't have one." The man looked away.

"Then, I guess you'll have to go to the end of the line like everyone else." Mitchell pointed to the end of the line.

The people clapped as the man walked to the end of the line. Mitchell went back to Jacob. The line moved slowly. A woman with three young children tried to cut in front. Mitchell went back up to her.

"Ma'am, you need to go to the end of the line like everyone else." He pointed to the end of the line.

"But I have small children." She guided her children along in line as she ignored Mitchell.

"So do others in line, plus they have younger children." Mitchell pointed to the end of the line again.

The woman sighed heavily and complied. Mitchell leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. Jacob started to walk toward him.

"Stay there, Jacob!" He watched Jacob turn around and go back to his place.

Another man came and tried to cut in line.

"Hey!" Mitchell glared at the man. "End of the line!" The man just looked at him. "End of the line, Buddy!" He gave a stern look. The man walked to the end of the line as he glanced back at Mitchell.

When Jacob reached the door, Mitchell got in line with him. As they entered the mess hall, the chain broke into 10 tracks, one for each food dispenser. Tables and chairs filled another part of the room. People stood around as they waited for seats to open. The noise of all the talk was loud. Jacob pressed against Mitchell.

"What's the problem?" Mitchell looked down at him.

"Nodding." Jacob watched the other people as he continued to press against Mitchell. They slowly moved in line.

When they reached the dispensers, Mitchell took two trays. He ordered their meals, then each meal formed on the counter. The captain placed the meals on the salvers. Then, he ordered their drinks.

"Okay, Jacob, pick up your tray, and let's go." Mitchell picked up his own tray.

"Will you carry it?" Jacob pouted.

"You're a big boy now, you're six, so, pick up the tray." Mitchell looked at him sternly.

Jacob picked up the tray and carried it as he continued to pout.

"Stop your pouting!" Mitchell was stern.

They walked to the tables and found only two seats open. They put their trays on the table. Jonathan took one place next to Mitchell's wife and son while Mitchell sat in the other chair and put Jacob on his right knee.

"Jacob, stop pouting." Mitchell started to eat. "Eat your supper!"

Jacob squirmed. "You're lumpy."

Mitchell looked at him puzzled and shook his head. "Jacob, sit still!"

After they ate, they took their trays to the kitchen window before they left. Mitchell's family followed them.

The next day, Mitchell arrived on the bridge. Russell met him as he stopped at the screens and studied them.

Russell walked to him. "The Bohinan are just ahead of us. They were waiting for our departure from the dark matter. They apparently knew about it and took steps to avoid it."

"We shouldn't have been caught by it." Mitchell sounded like he was still upset over it.

"We are still learning about the warnings the star chart issues." Russell was a bit defensive.

"We need to be ready for anything out here." Mitchell calmed somewhat.

"I agree, sir." Russell noticed some movement on the forward screen. "They are starting to move out. I guess they think we've noticed them."

"Now, it's them leading the way." Mitchell watched the screen.

Contents

CHAPTER 3 Captivity

Corey awoke as he held his head. He noticed Richards tied a strap around his waist. Looked up at the general with confusion and Hunter noticed the general's beard had started to grow out. He checked his own, which he had as well.

"Apparently, the Bohinan don't clothe their animals. We're their animals." Richards backed away when he finished.

"There were only two rags, so we had to split them." A bearded Rocky stood behind Richards.

"Yeah, it's the new Tarzan look." Samson walked over to them in his beard and rag. "They don't cover completely, but as the general says, 'It's better than nothing.' I've gotten used to being without clothes from the last time I was on one of their ships. So, I disagree. I would just as soon wear nothing. I'm comfortable in my skin, but the general won't let me."

"I agree with you, Master Gunnery Sergeant. I'll show them some muscle. But how long have I been out?" Corey looked around at the room.

"We don't know." Richards stood. "We can't tell the passage of time, except our beards and they're bringing us their idea of bread and water."

Hunter stood and noticed the rag only covered his front. He looked around the area and saw no cell, just the cargo hold. There were no guards either. "What happened to the cell?"

"There wasn't one, Hercules." Samson walked to the door and put an ear to it. "Hey, there's no one outside or in the corridor!"

"Can you open the door?" Richards walked to him.

"Let's see." Samson pressed on the door and slid it open. "That wasn't so bad." But, the door closed. "Hey!" He did it again and held it open while his friends hurried out.

Once in the corridor, the team went toward the nearest junction, where they came upon a bull who guarded a door. As the humans snuck up to the beast, he sniffed the air and turned toward them.

The humans pounced on him. The bull fought back and threw Hunter back against the far wall. Corey stood again. The human returned to the fight. He put his fingers in the bull's eyes and a bluish-green substance came out. The beast tried to gore Hunter who broke the horns off the enemy. Samson punched the creature in the tail region, which caused the back end of the bull dropped. The beast tried to moo, but Richards's hold prevented him. Richards snapped the bull's neck.

They dragged the bull through the door he had protected. Then they checked out the room. It was a feeding room.

Richards went to a counter where some food laid out. "Here, munch on these grains. It will keep your strength up."

Hunter went over to the general. He tried to adjust his loincloth, but it only made it worse. Was just too big for the cloth. Then, he tried some of the grains. "Except for the crunch, I like 'em. They're a bit hard on the gums."

"You'll get used to it." Rocky walked over and took a handful of grain. "If you mix them up a bit, you can get a better taste."

"How are the grasses?" Corey pulled out a handful.

"Grasses have toxins that would make us sick." Richards took a swig of water. "It tastes like liquid plastic! Yuck!" He made an evil face as he spat it out on the floor.

Hunter put the grasses down. "So, bring me up to speed."

"There's nothing to tell you." The general leaned against the counter. "We haven't seen anyone but this bull."

"Speak of the Devil." Corey pointed behind Richards.

As Richards looked behind him, three bulls entered and eyed the humans. They noticed their comrade on the floor. The lead one glanced back at his friends and made a series of moos, grunts, and snorts.

Richards turned to them and crossed his arms. "Wimi, we wear clothes." He said in Lorana.

"Who trained Humana to wear clothes?" The bull replied.

"Our parents." The general snapped at him as he stood away from the counter.

"Well, animals don't wear clothes. So, take them off!" The bull demanded as his friends pulled out their weapons.

"Nimi!" Richards kept his arms crossed defiantly.

The bull pointed at Corey. One of the other beasts shot him. He fell.

"What was that for?" Richards uncrossed his arms.

"Now, take off your clothes!" The bull ordered.

"Nimi!" Richards remained defiant.

The bull pointed at Rocky then the other beast shot him. "Now, take them off!" The bull stepped in Richards's face.

"Nimi!" Richards stood nose to mussel with the bull.

Richards woke up and blinked his eyes as he shook his head. He started to stand, but Samson stopped him.

"Sir, tie your side straps." He pointed to the straps that hung from his side.

He tied them.

"They shot us all and took our rags. Luckily, there were two more rags under the counter. They cover us this time." Corey walked to Richards. Hercules helped the general up.

Richards stood among them. "What's going on out there now?"

Samson went to the door and put his ear to it. "Someone's coming, sir."

As he turned to face his friends, the Bohinan returned with a tray of grains and a jug of liquid on a cart. The bull with the plate put it on the counter and took the old dish. He stopped in front of the other beasts.

"Don't let Mootoomoo see you in clothes. He'll torture you." The bull stepped away as Corey snuck behind him.

The other bulls pulled out their weapons. Samson punched one beast and knocked him to his knees. Hercules tried it, but bull butted him, and Corey flew in the air. He ended on the back of the beast and reached around with one hand and put his finger in the bull's eye. The creature mooed loudly and turned mean. He tried to throw the human off him, but Corey hung on.

Richards came behind the one with the tray and took his weapon. He shot him. Then the general relieved him of a device from his belt. He shot the bull Hunter was on and the beast went down. Hunter fell off and rolled to his feet.

Hunter came over. "A key, sir?"

"It might be." The general looked it over. Then he went to the door where he tried to turn the knob on the wall with it. Nothing happened. He tried to press the back against the knob. Still, nothing happened. He flipped it over and worked the front. It finally opened the door. "Let's go!" The troops followed Richards out of the room.

Outside, he pressed the key against the knob and locked the Bohinan inside. Then they went down the corridor. As they went, Samson spotted a window.

"Hey, look!" He pointed out the window. "We're not even on the station. There are other Bohinan ships, too."

Hercules came and looked out. "We must be on the lead ship. They seem to be in a formation."

Rocky looked out. "We can't get back to our ships from here."

Richards looked out and past the other Bohinan ships. "Oh, no!" He noticed the edge of one of the earth ships. He tried to see more of the craft, but it was out of view of the window.

"What's wrong, sir?" Samson tried to see what the general saw.

The general glanced back at him. "It looks like our ships are following us." He stepped away from the window. "Let's find a com station." As he walked down the corridor, the others followed.

After a while, they turned down a hall and saw a door. Samson went to it and put an ear to the door. He listened for a moment. Then the sergeant quickly motioned for the others to back away. He hid with them. Richards peered around the corner.

The door opened as several bulls stepped out on all fours. They spoke Bohinan as they made their way down the corridor.

Richards watched them as they left the area and went around another corner at the other end of the hall. He waited for their voices to fade and then stepped around the corner as he returned to the door. The others came too.

At the door, the general put his ear to the door and listened. He looked back at his men and used the key to open the door.

Inside, they found another mess hall of sorts. This one was larger than the other. Bins of grains and oats were along one wall. Grasses of diverse kinds were against another. He turned to leave the room, then he noticed what looked like a com station. "Samson!" Richards went to the com station. "See if you can find our frequency on this thing."

"Yes, sir!" Samson quickly came to the station and found an on-switch. The system came up with chatter between Bohinan ships. He adjusted the frequency to seek human vessels. For a long time, he found only static.

Richards suddenly stopped him. "Go back a little. There was a blip."

Samson went back a little at a time as he stopped every so often to listen. Usually, there was just a change in static. But, one frequency showed some promise. He monitored for a while. Then finally, there was broadcast from Mitchell to the other ships.

"The elections will be held in four months." Mitchell's voice came over the speaker. "The international government will take over two months later. You should have received ..."

Richards tapped Samson on the shoulder. "Send a message that we can hear him and that they should leave the area. We are heading toward an unknown location."

Samson found the mike and switch. He interrupted Mitchell and sent the message.

"Hello!" Mitchell came back. "How are you doing?"

Richards pressed the switch. "This is Richards. We are all together on what seems to be the lead ship. We have escaped our cell, but we haven't found a way off the ship. Why are you bringing the people after us? You're walking into a trap, over."

"We can't leave you with them." Mitchell's voice came back. "We have a way to fight back against Bohina.

Richards shook his head but remained silent.

"We will use ..." Mitchell continued.

Richards broke in. "Don't follow! Take the people back! They are the priority now, not us. Don't fall into the Bohinan trap, over!"

"Copy that, sir." Mitchell's voice did not seem convinced.

"Richards, out!" The general turned off the mike.

"I don't think he'll do it, sir." Hercules stood next to him.

"Well, he'd better." Richards backed away from the station as Samson changed the frequency and turned it off.

They started to leave the room when two bulls entered. The beasts stood up on their hind hooves when they saw the humans.

"How did you get in here?" One of the bulls snarled in Lorana. "You should be back in your room."

"We were let out by Mootoomoo." The general stood behind Samson as he slid the key down inside his rag.

"I never allowed you out." The bull stepped toward him.

Richards stepped out around Samson and went nose to mussel with the bull even though the beast had to bend down to the human's level. "There's only two of you and four of us. We can overtake you easily. What are you going to do?"

Samson stepped in front of the other bull and grabbed him by the throat. He lifted the beast off his hooves. When the bull went for his weapon, Hercules caught it. Samson threw the creature against the wall and Corey shot him with his own gun.

Richards grabbed Mootoomoo by the throat. He lifted him off his hooves. The bull went for his weapon, but the general grabbed it and pointed it at the bull's head. The beast tried to spit in Richards's face. He missed, but Richards threw him backward and shot him before he hit the floor.

"Let's go find the bridge." Richards stepped over the bull.

They left the mess hall and went down the corridor. Soon, the humans came to a door where bulls chatted as they leaned up against the wall. They did not see the humans walk up to them. The general shot one and then the other. Samson and Rocky picked up their weapons. Hercules had the other one from the bull in the mess.

Richards opened the door with his key, and the four snuck onto the bridge. There were a lot of moos and other sounds. The humans hid behind a wall. The general and Samson watched the activity from one end of the wall while Rocky and Hercules watched around the other. They waited to see how many bulls were in the room. There were too many of them.

"What's your plan, sir?" Samson used Sign Language.

Richards looked at Rocky and motioned for him to shoot their way out. Then he looked at Samson and made the same motion. They rushed out from behind the wall as they shot up the place. They hit many of the bulls, but the bulls shot back and took out everyone but Corey. Corey put his weapon down and stood with his hands raised.

"You can shoot me, too," Hercules said in Lorana.

A bull walked up to him and shot him. Hercules fell.

Contents

CHAPTER 4 Elections

Russell stood from the command chair as Mitchell entered the bridge. The captain walked toward him. The crew all stopped and looked at the officers. Mitchell eyed them. Then he turned his attention back to Russell.

"What's the problem?" He stopped in front of Russell.

"The crew and others want to hold elections for a national government. They are not satisfied with just an international one and being ruled by the enhanced troops." Russell seemed nervous. "They threaten to mutiny if you do not allow national elections in two months."

"I do not have that authority." Mitchell scanned the crew. "Only General Richards has that authority, and he's not aboard."

"Then, we will mutiny!" The armory sergeant yelled. "We will not go after Richards or the others! We will not risk our lives for them."

"That's right!" Sutherland yelled.

Mitchell looked at his people. They all seemed to agree. "The general is the only one authorized to buy supplies, and he has the chip that contains our whole economy. If we don't get him back, we won't be able to buy supplies and eventually run out of food. Also, the enhanced troops outnumber you. Your mutiny would fail."

"There's still gold in the vault. We can get a new chip and have our president as the signatory. Then we wouldn't need Richards at all." Sutherland stepped away from her station toward Mitchell. "We will not be ruled by monsters!"

Mitchell kept an eye on the woman. "I don't have the access codes to the vault. Only General Richards has them. We wouldn't be able to open the vault."

"We could hack the codes." The armory sergeant looked at his console. "We can send an ALF into the vault and have him open it from the inside. Then we would have all the access we need to the vault."

"It's not that simple." Mitchell looked at him sternly.

"ALF to the vault!" The armory sergeant spoke loudly.

"That is an illegal action! Cancel!" Mitchell stepped toward the armory station.

"ALF report!" The armory sergeant spoke loudly again.

"The action is unauthorized!" The computerized voice came back in a monotone voice. "The action has been canceled."

The armory sergeant hit the console in frustration.

"Mutiny detail to the bridge!" Mitchell yelled out as he continued to step toward the armory station. The heavily armed enhanced troops overran the bridge. "Some of you arrest the crew except for Captain Russell for mutiny. The others take over their stations. We are in lockdown until further notice."

Several troops took the crew into custody and led them off the bridge. Those that remained took over the stations vacated by the team.

Russell stepped up to Mitchell as he turned around. "How will you handle the elections? We can't arrest everyone."

"I have no authority to grant elections." Mitchell returned to the command chair. "I have to request permission from the judge to establish an interim government. That's the best I can do without the general's authorization."

"Why could you authorize an international government, but not a national one?" Russell sat next to Mitchell.

"The general preauthorized it as the first step toward a civilian government." Mitchell looked over at him. "It just came earlier than planned." He pushed the comm button on his command chair. "Judge Sutter, this is Captain Mitchell, over."

"This is Judge Sutter, over." The judge's stern voice came back.

"I need to speak with you about authorizing national elections in the absence of the general, over."

"I can see you in my chambers in an hour, over." The judge's voice sounded over the intercom.

"That will do, Mitchell out." He pressed the button again. "In an hour or so, we'll see if we can have national legal elections."

An hour later, Mitchell entered Judge Sutter's makeshift chambers. Sutter removed his robe as Mitchell took a seat. The judge sat in his place.

"What's the needed for the national elections?" Sutter folded his hands on his desk. "Aren't we having international elections in two months?"

"Yes, but some of the people are demanding national elections to coincide with the international elections. We already had an attempted mutiny with my crew in the brig." Mitchell leaned back in his chair.

"The general did leave instructions on holding elections should something happen to him." Sutter pulled out a pad from his drawer. "It says here that the representative of the military can in his absence establish a civilian government. The 'in his absence' means should anything happen to him. While the Bohinan has him kidnapped, he is recoverable. I cannot authorize a permanent government. Why do you want to invoke it now?"

Mitchell leaned on the desk. "We are about to have a riot over the desire to have elections of a national government; we have already had an attempted mutiny. I want to have an interim government in the absence of the general, not a permanent one. We'll see how it goes."

"I see." Sutter laid the pad on the table and looked at Mitchell. He thought for a moment. "I see no problem with a temporary government as a trial run, but temporary governments often turn into permanent ones even after the circumstances have changed."

"I understand that Your Honor, but we must do something to keep the peace." Mitchell pushed his folded hands toward the judge to emphasize his words. "I know the problems with it, but again, we must keep the peace."

"Yes, the order is important." Sutter put his elbow on the armrest of his chair and rested his chin in his hand. He thought for a moment. "I'll agree to the elections provided that everyone understands that the government is temporary and will be dissolved when the general returns. Should he die, it will become a permanent government. We must take great care in forming this government. You must retain the authority to disband the government should the general return."

"I understand. I will have a meeting with representatives of the American ships, and I would appreciate it if you would attend the meeting to ensure we stay within the law." Mitchell sat up straight in his chair.

"Alright then, go ahead with your plan. I will be able to meet with you next week on Tuesday in an all-day session." He, too, sat up straight.

Mitchell stood. "Alright, I'll announce it today for a meeting next Tuesday at 0900. There will be two representatives from each ship in a video conference meeting."

Sutter stood. "That sounds good. I'll see you next Tuesday."

"Thank you, Your Honor." Mitchell reached out to him.

They shook hands and Mitchell left the chambers. He returned to the bridge and made the announcement.

The following Tuesday at 0900 sharp, Mitchell and Sutter entered the conference room where the USS Washington's representatives awaited. On the view screens were the representatives of the other American ships. They announced their names and ships they represented. Mitchell and Sutter sat across from the USS Washington's representatives.

"This meeting is to discuss the election of representatives for the people of the United States of America." Mitchell looked the people over. "We are to follow the United States Constitution. That requires two Senators for each ship. I suggest we also have one member of the House of Representatives for every 100 people on each ship. The senators serve for six years while the Representatives serve for two years. There shall be a three-term limit as added to the Constitution in the mid-21st century. We will have elections in two months. However, we cannot stop to transfer the representatives here until we clear this Dark Matter. If we stop to transfer, then the cloud would engulf us. So, for a while, we will have to conference the Senate and the House of Representatives. For President, the elected President will have to serve from the ship he or she is on until we clear the Dark Matter. The term will be for no more than two four-year terms. The ships are responsible for ensuring voter registration. The enhanced troops will have their own Senators and Representatives who will serve the same as any other. How does that sound?"

The people all started to talk at the same time. Nothing was understandable. Mitchell held a hand up to quiet them down.

"Let's hear from the New York representatives." Mitchell put his hand down.

"Nigel, here, I agree with all, but the enhanced troops do not get a separate rep." Nigel raised a hand and lowered it.

"Why shouldn't the enhanced troops have their own representatives?" Mitchell looked at him.

Nigel paused for a moment. "Because they are no different than the rest of us."

Mitchell leaned forward. "That's funny, just last week, you claimed the 'Monsters' were not to have any rights."

"They're not to have any special rights." Nigel protested.

"They're not. The enhanced are just having their rights protected, just like anyone else." Mitchell leaned back. "It is well known, the rest of you do not think much of the enhanced troops until you want us to risk our lives to protect you. Then we are God-sends, but any other time, we are thought to be shoved back on some shelf until needed later."

"You said it yourself, 'We.' Therefore, you should not have a say in the matter." Nigel became angry. 'Enhanced troops should not have a say at all. They are no better than we are."

"Yes, and we are the same as you." Mitchell pointed the finger at him.

"Enough!" Sutter interrupted them. "The enhanced will have their reps and senators. It is clear they would not have adequate representation and protection of their rights."

"NO!!" All representatives yelled.

"Then, you will not have an election." Mitchell looked over the people.

"Then, you will have a riot!" Nigel yelled and turned off his camera.

Mitchell pressed the intercom button on the table. "Troops on the New York prepare for a riot. Full martial law is to be implemented."

"Yes, sir!" A man's voice came over the speaker.

"You can't stop us all." Another representative from another ship pointed the finger at Mitchell.

"We outnumber you!" Mitchell said as the other reps turned off their cameras. He pressed the intercom button again. "Riot detail on all American ships, prepare for a riot. Lock all protesters up! Full martial law!"

"They're right!" One of the reps with Mitchell leaned toward him as he pointed at the screens. "You can't lock us all in the brig!"

"Watch!" Mitchell looked at her. "It'll get very crowded."

The intercom chimed. Mitchell pressed the button. "This is Mitchell, over."

"This is Connors on the New York, we are under attack!" A man's voice came back. "We are holding them back. But, many have been stunned, and they keep coming at us."

"Keep it up." Mitchell looked at the others in the room. "Lock them up when you can and pile them up if you need to."

"Yes, sir!" The voice came back. "Connors out."

"Well, what are you going to do now?" The rep sneered.

"They know what to do." Mitchell glared back at him.

Contents

CHAPTER 5 Failed Attempts

Hercules woke up with little as a loincloth. He looked around and saw no one. Corey stood and went through all the drawers and cabinets to find something better. He found a cloth in a waste container. Hunter checked it out and made do with it. It looked like it was overused by some grease monkey. The fabric covered his front and barely in back. Corey could scarcely tie the ends around his waist. I might as well have nothing on. He thought.

Once he had himself covered, he went to the door and put an ear to it. He listened, but he could hear nothing through the steel. How do they do it? He thought. Then he put his hands on the side of the door and pushed it, but nothing happened. Hercules went to the lock. Checked it out. Hunter peeled off the cover. Examined the wires. The human disconnected the cables and reconnected them. The door opened by itself as Hunter stepped into the corridor, glanced both ways and decided to go right.

As Corey walked down a corridor, he had to stop and retie his cloth. Now, it covered even less of him. This is not doing it! He thought. Hunter walked to the corner and listened before he peeked around it.

The human counted silently and swung his fist around the corner. Hercules connected with the breastplate of a bull as he put an indentation in the fake, metal plate. The beast fought for air as his eyes bugged out but failed and dropped unconscious. As Hunter started to drag the bull down his hall, he noticed a bluish-green fluid that came from the bull's mouth. Corey stashed the beast out of sight.

Then, Hercules went down the corridor the bull came from and saw Richards as he carried large boxes of heavy material. Corey walked up to him as he made sure no one was around. But, Richards did not respond to him. Hunter noticed a ring about the general's neck. It flashed faster as he came closer to him. So, he backed away, which made the flashes slow.

Richards took the boxes to a cargo hold and placed them with others. Samson and Rocky were there, too, and they sat their containers in place. All of them had a ring around their necks. They couldn't acknowledge him, or they couldn't recognize him.

The bulls didn't even allow his friends to have their loincloths. So, Hunter searched for something to use. He found a container full of rags. He took out enough for the four of them and fashioned them into loincloths.

When he offered his comrades a cloth, they drew away in terror. Corey tried to put one on the general, but he was stopped and pushed away with great force. The corporal landed in a stack of empty containers. He quickly made his way back to the trio and tried Rocky.

Rocky had a similar reaction. He sent Corey back into the empty containers. Hunter returned but decided to try Samson until Samson gave him a rather stern glare which convinced the corporal to think again. Corey put on a cloth as he hoped it would get through to his friends.

Hercules watched from a distance for a few moments, and then he tried to find a key to the rings and a way to remove them. He found a room with many such rings that hung down a wall. A lone elderly bull sat as the elder worked on a collar. Hunter startled him as he entered the room.

"What are these rings?" Hercules said in Lorana as he walked up to the bull.

"They're... training ...r...rings ...that control (burp!) minds ... of the ani...mmmaaals." The bull said in a drunken stammer as he took another swig of a bottle. He put the bottle down and looked at his visitor odd. "How can you, ... Animal, speak? (Burp!)"

"I learned Lorana some time ago. Where's the key?" Hunter leaned on the table next to the bull.

The bull waved toward a key "Press the button near the ring, and it unlocks the ring."

Hercules took the key. "Thanks." He went back to his friends and pressed the key near each of them. Each of his friends shook their head as the rings lost their power. As the rings opened, his friends removed their ring.

"Thanks, Hercules." Richards slapped Hercules on the shoulder.

"How did you get free?" Rocky walked up to him.

"I peeled off the lock's cover and rewired the lock." Hunter smiled at him. "Let's find a way home." He handed them each a cloth which they donned them.

Richards led them out to the corridor and then down to a door. Samson put an ear to it and listened.

"There are bulls inside." He motioned them to hide. "They're coming."

They went around a corner and waited. The bulls came out of the room and left the area. Then Samson went back to the door. He placed an ear to the door again. They pressed the button which opened it. Inside was just a table with chairs around it. There was nothing else in the room.

"This isn't any help." Richards led them back to the hall.

They approached a junction and bulls suddenly came around the corner. Richards grabbed a bull and spun him around as he hit the beast in the lower back at the tailbone. It crippled the ox. Samson also crippled a bull. But, Hercules rode his bull into a bulkhead, broke the horns off, and jabbed the horns into the neck of his beast who collapsed with its blood smeared down the partition. Rocky punched his bull in the jaw which sent it to the bulkhead and then to the floor.

The crippled bulls took out their weapons and shot Richards and Rocky. Hercules grabbed the gun of one of the beasts and shot him. The other bull shot Rocky again as Hercules shot him.

Hunter went back to the room with the rings and brought several rings. He put them on the bulls and took the key out of his cloth. Then he turned on each collar, just as more beasts came down the corridor. Before Hercules could reach for his weapon, they had him surrounded.

They took his key from him. Several led Hunter back down the corridor as the rest dragged the rest of the humans after them.

Once back in the cargo hold, the bulls put the humans back inside the room. One ox went to the lock and tried to fix it. He messed with the wires some and threw the ends up in frustration. They left two armed guards to keep watch. Hunter sat on the floor and waited for his friends to awaken.

There came some moos and other sounds over the speakers. Then a cell wall formed right in front of Corey and almost hit him. Hunter looked up as the bulls left the room. The human stood and jumped up to the projectors. He grabbed one and tried to bend it. It hung unmoved by his efforts. So, he twisted the light until it went out. A hole formed in the wall. He went to the next light and did the same. The passage was big enough to fit through. Corey dropped and went to each of his friends. They were still out.

Soon, they began to stir. Samson was the first to awaken.

"Oh, my aching head!" He rubbed his head as he looked around. Samuel had a heartrending expression while he continued to hold his head.

Corey came to check Samson.

"Didn't they shoot you?" Samson stood.

"No, they must not have thought it was worth it." Corey went to Richards.

"Well, you are kinda scrawny for a Marine." He looked over the Marine.

"I'm not scrawny, Master Gunnery Sergeant." Hunter helped Richards sit up.

"Did they shoot you, too?" Richards looked at Hercules as he held his head.

"No, sir!" Corey started to stand. "It wasn't worth it, sir."

"It would follow; he's not as big as us, sir." Samson looked back at Hercules as he stood.

"At least I'm all natural, Master Gunnery Sergeant." Hunter defended himself as he helped the general to his feet.

"Let's not get into that argument, Boys." Richards walked past him. "Both groups of bodybuilders have their advantages."

"What do we do, now, sir?" Rocky stepped to the door and put an ear to it. "These guards won't let us out." He listened to the guards as they conversed in Bohinan. Rocky quickly moved from the door.

"We have to be patient; an opportunity will present itself." The general walked to the counter as a bull brought in a tray of oats and grasses. He stopped at the ledge to allow Richards to take a handful of oats. Then, he noticed the general and the others were not in the cell. "How did you get out?"

"It's a long story." The general took the tray as Corey punched the bull on the tail bone.

It hurt Corey's hand and didn't injure the bull, so Samson came and did it. "See, I have more power." The beast went down and tried to get up but couldn't.

The bull struggled, but relaxed. "What do you want from me?" He looked around, frightened of the Humana. He breathed shallow and rapid while Samson was prepared to beat him again.

"We want answers." Richards lifted the bull's chin as the general looked into the bull's eyes. "Where are we headed?"

"That is classified." He gasped as Samson punched him in the mussel.

"Wrong answer." Samson readied to punch. "Try again."

"To Bohina! To Bohina!" The bull shouted as if to try to get the attention of his friends.

Samson lifted the bull off his hooves. "We hear you fine. No need to yell."

"Alright. Alright." The bull nearly whined as his hooves did not touch the floor.

"How long to Bohina?" Richards grabbed the bull by a horn and pulled his head back.

"Nearly 90 tores." He gave out a muffled moo.

"That's two years, sir." Samson stepped to the general.

"Plenty of time to get out of here." The general glanced at him as he spoke back in English. "Guard the door!"

"Yes, sir!" Samson went to the door with Rocky. They stood on either side of it against the wall so no one could see them as they entered.

Richards pulled on the horn and held the bull's head back. "Call your friends."

"Moo-oo-oo moo moo!" He called out in a loud voice. He paused and then sounded again more emphatic this time.

The door opened as two bulls entered. Samson and Rocky grabbed their weapons, punched them in the ribs, and smashed their bones in. The bulls spit up bluish-green fluid as they fell lifeless to the floor.

"What's that blue stuff?" Rocky looked at it as it flowed across the floor.

"Blood." Samson looked. "Not everyone has red blood."

They took the devices from the bulls. Richards and Corey came to them.

"Let's find a way out." The general passed them and out the door.

Samson carried the bull by the throat out the door. The bull's hooves still did not reach the floor.

Contents

CHAPTER 6 Election Fallout

Two months passed. Protests and riots broke out on the ships, which necessitated troop call-outs to maintain order. A couple hundred people were arrested while many remained in jail today.

By Election Day, things were agitated. People tried to force others to vote for their candidate. So many were on the ballot, it was hard to get enough votes for a majority. Three times the election had to run to eliminate people from the poll. After the third time, the officials could call a majority. The vote ran late into the night and the wee hours of the next morning, so much for a smooth transition to a civilian government. But, democracy prevailed despite the bumps and bruises along the way.

The American elections produced a president and vice-president, as well as senators and congressmen and -women. The enhanced troops voted for two senators and three congressmen; though their number was higher than the public. It wasn't possible to give them full representation and still maintain order. The protection of their rights was up to the court.

Now, the task of constitutional law establishment seemed strained, but the officials had to do it. It gave the people something to do to keep their minds off the long trip to Bohina. The first Space Congress started the very next day.

President Timothy Hanks presided over the opening ceremony for the Congress as the ships traveled out around the dark matter cloud. The Senate and House met in separate rooms. But first, they had the opening prayer by Chaplain Diaz.

"Our Father, we ask that you provide us with Your wisdom and guidance. Your word says that if any lacks wisdom, to ask and you would give liberally. So, we ask for this wisdom and guidance. Be our Guardian and guide us through our discussions. Help us to make laws and decisions that are honoring to You. May they be fair and just laws. Protect us as we travel through space and lead us to the planet you have waiting for us. Help us to get General Richards and the other men back safely, in Jesus name, amen." Then Diaz stepped down.

The members went to their separate rooms. The House elected its Speaker, Vice President Jonathan Grant led the Senate, and the Majority Leader, Senator Scott Morris. After they elected all officers, Congress started its business. The Senate was the first to have an upheaval.

"I say, we expel the enhanced Senators." A man stood in front of the room.

"You're out of order, Mr. Stein." Grant slammed the gavel. "You must be recognized before you speak."

"I will speak!" Stein yelled. "I say, we expel the enhanced senators. They have no right to be here!"

"You are out of order!" Grant yelled at he slammed the gavel again. "You will be quiet until recognized or be removed!"

Stein calmed. Another senator raised a hand.

"MS Glover is recognized." Grant calmed.

Glover stood. "I agree, the enhanced senators must be removed. I make a motion that they are removed."

"It has already been agreed that they should be here. The matter is closed." Grant slammed the gavel.

Another man raised his hand.

"Mr. Stone is recognized." Grant pointed to the man.

"I second the motion. The enhanced must be removed." Stone stood and remained on his feet.

"The motion is dead!" Grant declared as he looked over the senators. "It was agreed upon as a condition of this government. To back out on the agreement would mean the shutdown of this government."

"We will not have them here!" Several senators yelled.

"They are monsters!" Glover turned to the enhanced senators. "They're not even human!"

One of the enhanced senators raised a hand.

"Mr. Goldberg is recognized." Grant pointed at the man.

"NO!" Glover yelled. "He has no right to speak."

Goldberg stood as several other senators rushed him. They tried to pull him down but were unable to do so. He flung his arms out, which caused them to fly back into tables and chairs. They came after him again, but again he flung them off. This time the other enhanced senator came to his aid.

Grant pressed the intercom button. "Riot troops to the Senate chamber!"

The riot troops rushed into the room and quickly took control of the chaos.

"You can't do this to us! We have rights!" Stein yelled as the troops led him away.

"So, do the enhanced!" Grant yelled back as he watched his people taken away.

"No, they don't!" Glover yelled. "They are monsters and freaks! Scientists made them that way!"

"Yes, that Dr. Collins made them monsters!" Stein yelled as he fought. "She should be imprisoned for making monsters!"

The troops led away most of the Senate. The only ones left were those who at least did not voice their opposition to the rights of the enhanced. There were enough of them to have a quorum, so they continued to organize the government.

"Guard Dr. Collins!" Grant told one of the troops. "They will be after her, so her life is in danger."

"Understood." The Marine left the room. Only two Marines guarded the Senate.

The Senate voted to appoint Supreme Court justices of five in number for the time being. They vetted them for standing for the constitution and the rights of the unborn and the enhanced troops. They recognized they would be in danger for their protection of the rights of the enhanced forces, so they assigned them, guards.

Then, they took steps to punish those who would not accept the rights of the enhanced. To attack or provoke one or more to strike an ordinary person became a felony. The Senate enacted SB 553-49 as the Enhanced Bill of Rights and Protection Act. It made it a hate crime to infringe upon the rights of the enhanced in any way. They realized they could not legislate morality, but it was a start. By the end of the day, they had completed the structure of the new government and set in motion the rights of the enhanced.

But, the problems were not over. Glover and the others put it out on the ships' news media that the Vice President removed them because they would not uphold the rights of monsters. This infuriated Grant, so he put out the correction that the enhanced are not monsters, but protectors of their freedoms. It did not do much to stop the prejudice against the augmented. Fights broke out between supporters and agitators. Grant gave orders to stun agitators who did not obey law enforcement. Law enforcement arrested so many, they could not put them all in the brig. The troops locked them in their compartments.

The House passed bills that ensured the rights of the enhanced troops. They had much less resistance to the measures. Overall, the House went smoothly in its operation and was able to complete many more tasks.

Grant and Morris collected their pads and prepared to leave. As they went, guards came to them just as a mob tried to force their way into the room. The guards latched the door and locked it. They took the men to another exit.

As they made their way through the utility tunnels, they found several people as they set charges to homemade bombs. The guards stunned them and then disarmed the explosives.

"Captain Mitchell, this is Scott with the Vice President and Senate Majority Leader, Senator Morris. We are in the utility tunnels at junction 95 on level Delta. We have stunned 18 suspects for planting bombs at this location. Please, send troops." Scott kept an eye on the suspects as Grant and Morris looked on.

"This is Mitchell. Troops are busy and will come to you ASAP. Be advised there are riots on that level near your locale."

"Understood, sir!" Scott checked one of the suspects. "Scott out!" He put his radio back. "We'll have to wait for them."

"Must we?" Grant paced. "We are sitting ducks here. You heard him, there are riots out there, and they know about these tunnels."

"Yes, sir! But we must remain so more troops can find us, sir." Scott reached down to a necklace on a female suspect. He scrutinized it. "This necklace belongs to the CAM terrorist group."

"The what?" Morris came to see.

"The Citizens Against Monsters, the CAM, sir." He rolled the woman over and took out an instrument from his pants' pocket. Scott checked her fingerprints and IDed her. "She's Anna Witter from Gamma Deck. She's wanted for several bombings aboard ship." He pulled her from the pile of bodies. He bound her and left her along the wall. He fingerprinted another person. "He's also CAM, a weapons expert – so he claims. From the looks of these bombs, he's no expert. He's a wannabe. Look at these wires! They're so mismatched they would never work!" He showed the bomb to the two men.

"What if they get it right sometime?" Grant looked up at Scott.

"Then things go, BOOM!!" He motioned the big explosion.

Just then, an explosion ripped through the tunnel which caused a door to drop between the senator and Scott. Scott tried to open the door but couldn't then the sound of the wind as it rushed out came from behind Scott. The wind sucked him against the wall as air escaped the tunnel. Some metal laid against the wall and he picked up a piece and forced it between himself and the wall. It took a heroic effort to get out of the way of the article. Several seconds passed by the time he freed himself. The man reached for his back and felt his torn shirt. Fortunately, there was no blood. He pulled out his radio.

"Security! This is Scott, over!" He held the radio by his mouth.

"Security here, Scott!" A security officer's voice came back.

"Hull breach at junction 95, Deck Delta, sir." Scott checked again for blood. "No casualties, sir. My shirt is ripped in the back. No blood was noted, sir."

"Understood! Workers are on their way!" The voice came back.

"Tell them, Beware of the riot here, sir," Scott advised. "Scott out!" He put away his radio and turned his attention back to the door.

With the air pressure equalized again, he was able to force the door open enough to squeeze through and let it back down. Once reunited with Grant and Morris, he finished with all the bodies at his feet. "They're all CAM activists. He entered the data after he bound them. "And they call the enhanced 'monsters.'"

When the troops finally entered the tunnel, they began to haul away the activists who were now awake. As the soldiers led them away, the activists spat at the troops and bellowed out all kinds of hateful speech. The forces just ignored them.

Scott led the vice president and senator down the tunnel to a service elevator where they shot away to the bridge. He took them to Mitchell who stood from the command chair.

"Mr. Vice President! Honorable Senator Morris! Sorry for the hassles, but it seems the old feelings still hold." He reached out and shook hands with each man.

"Sir, I IDed the 18 CAM activists who planted bombs in the tunnel at Delta 95. Troops hauled them away, sir." Scott reported as the men finished their handshakes.

"Make sure they are locked in their compartments. If they have roommates, move them out." Mitchell turned his attention back to the two guests. "You will be safe here until we can get the rioting under control, sirs."

Contents

CHAPTER 7 Coalition

President Hanks was in his office on a video conference with the new U.N. Secretary-General and the prime ministers and chancellors of the earth ships. Hanks attempted to build a coalition to continue to go after the Bohinan. But, he had a challenging time with the leaders and their views of what was more important.

Hanks sighed heavily. "We have been over this. The general is the only general we have. Therefore, we need his expertise to combat the Bohinan threat."

"No one else can lead our troops?" The German chancellor threw up his hands as he sighed. "There has to be someone else who can take his place!"

"Chancellor Schmidt, Captain Mitchell is serving in his place as we speak. However, he lacks the experience and expertise that the general has. He was being trained by General Richards to take over for him, but he has not had the opportunity to train him enough yet."

"Is he the only other one who can take the general's place?" The British prime minister looked directly into the camera and leaned forward. "He should have several people being trained, not just one."

"Several people are being trained." The president looked at the British prime minister. "But, they also lack experience and expertise."

"Why does it even have to be an American?" The French president leaned on his desk.

"None of you have a general." Hanks looked over all his counterparts. "When we left earth, we all agreed to be under one military, and we would work together to protect our people as one. Therefore, we have only one general. He's the only one who can lead our people during this crisis. We need to stick together. If we are to survive out here, we need the general. To get him back, we need to go to Bohina and take him back. If we try it now, the Bohinan will kill them now before we could secure their release."

"Well, I guess we would have to go along with this." The British prime minister put his elbows on his desk. "We need a way to survive out here. We hadn't anticipated all these problems when we left earth."

"That's right!" Hanks leaned back and put an arm over the back of his chair. "We didn't anticipate all this, but we are facing it now. Now, we have to take steps to secure the general's release and the others with him to survive."

"How do you plan to get them to release General Richards?" The Brazilian president folded his hands out in front of him. "We don't have the weaponry to do much to them."

"Yes, we do." The president sat up straight and folded his hands in front of him. "We have many experimental weapons in our armory. One of the weapons is a plasma bomb. We can form a plasma bomb under their tectonic plates and shake up their planet."

"If that doesn't work?" Schmidt put his hands on the edge of his desk as if to prepare to push off.

"We'll increase the power until we get our people back." Hanks unfolded his hands and moved them up and out in an arc. "That's if we all do our part." He raised a finger for emphasis. "If that still doesn't help, we have many other weapons that don't require us to send troops down to the surface."

"Then, why are we asked to prepare for a ground assault?" The Japanese prime minister laid his fists on the edge of his desk and opened them.

"In the unlikely event that our weapons do not secure the release of General Richards and the others, we need to be ready for a ground assault." The American president interlocked his fingers as he put his hands on the edge of his desk. "We also have to be ready in the event they try to board our ships. We don't know the extent of their technology. Remember, we are some 1,000 years behind them, technologically."

"All the more reason not to pursue them." Schmidt leaned forward with a finger raised.

"And who's to say they won't send others after us. So, how would we defend ourselves, then?" Hanks glared at Schmidt.

"We should adjourn for two days and then vote on this." The Brazilian president put his hands on the edge of his desk and straightened his arms. "We'll be able to think more clearly then."

"No!" The British prime minister pointed a finger into the air. "Let's get our questions answered now. Bring in this Captain Mitchell and let's see what his plans are."

"Very well." Hanks pressed his intercom button. "Mitchell, this is Hanks."

"This is Mitchell, over." Mitchell's voice came over the speaker.

"Come to my office. I need you to explain the plans to the heads of state." Hanks reached for the button again.

"Yes, sir! On my way!" Mitchell's voice came back.

Hanks pressed the button again. "He's on his way. It will take a few minutes for him to get here. Any questions in the meantime?"

Several minutes later, there was a knock-on Hanks's door. Hanks looked toward the door. "Come in!"

Captain Mitchell entered the room. He stood at attention and saluted. "Captain Thomas Mitchell reporting as requested, sir!"

Hanks returned the salute. "Grab a chair and have a seat. You need to be level with the camera."

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell complied with the orders.

After he sat, Hanks looked at him. "These gentlemen want you to explain our plan to get the general and the others back."

Mitchell explained the plan to them, then the British prime minister started the questions. "Can we safely generate the power needed to produce the plasma bombs and still have enough power to get back to the space station?"

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell looked straight at the camera. "We will be triangulating the signals so there won't be that much power coming from any one ship. We may have to reduce the power consumption in all nonessential areas. This will help to conserve energy. But, it is unlikely that we would need to use this measure. The engines will produce much more power than our old engines. Plus, the energy cells regenerate their power several times. So, we will have enough energy to conduct the mission and get back to the space station."

"Do we know how much energy will be needed from each ship to produce these bombs?" The Italian prime minister looked at Mitchell with doubt.

"Yes, we do, sir. The specs are not with me, but we do know how much energy will be needed to conduct the mission." Mitchell looked at the prime minister's screen. "I can forward the figures to you over the link."

"Please do." The Italian prime minister crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

Hanks handed Mitchell his pad as he accessed the file in their system and forwarded the data to the prime ministers and presidents. Their pads beeped then they checked their e-mails.

"That's all it will take?" The Japanese prime minister looked at the pad in surprise. "That's not much power."

"It doesn't take as much power as you imagine, sir." Mitchell laid the pad next to Hanks.

"What are the risks involved in this mission?" The Finnish prime minister laid his pad on the desk.

"We run the risk of needing to send live troops down to the surface." Mitchell looked at him. "We cannot guarantee that our weapons will convince the Bohinan to surrender. We also risk a full assault by the Bohinan. Since we are at their planet, they would have the advantage of more ships than we have."

"What are some of the other weapons we could use against the Bohinan?" The French president put an elbow on his desk and held out his hand.

"We have Artificial Life Forms or ALFs that can take on the form of virtual Marines and Soldiers to take control of the facility housing the general and the others. We just need to know which building they are in. We also have eavesdropping capabilities to work with our new com system, which can translate Bohinan into English. We are currently teaching the system to use English. This will help us to refine our plan to get the troops back."

"Also!" The German chancellor leaned forward in his chair. "I'd like to know more about this ALF weapon."

"I can show you, sir." Mitchell pressed the intercom button. "Computer, produce a Soldier at my location in full combat gear."

The Soldier appeared in front of Hanks's desk. He was in full gear with a weapon in hand. The prime ministers all looked on in awe.

"He looks so real!" The German chancellor pointed at his camera. "He looks like an enhanced Marine. But what can he do?" He put his hand down.

"He can do anything a real Soldier can do, plus he can go through walls and other barriers." Mitchell picked up the pad. He accessed some files and sent them to the prime ministers. "I just sent you examples of what the ALFs can do. They can fight for us; so we don't have to worry about any of them being killed in action."

The heads of state reviewed the files Mitchell sent them. Several of them nodded their heads in agreement as they watched the videos.

"As you can see, we may not need to send in any active troops. However, we must be ready for anything." Mitchell laid the pad on the desk. "We will only send in the real troops if the situation warrants it. Otherwise, we will use the ALFs."

"How do we send out these ALFs?" The Brazilian president laid his pad on the desk.

"Your armory sergeant can send out up to 20 troops. That's 800 for all of us." Mitchell put his elbows on his thighs as he leaned forward. "That should be plenty to locate and retrieve our people."

The British prime minister raised a hand. "I say we vote on this coalition."

"Very well." Hanks looked over the screens. "Let's vote. All in favor, raise a hand."

Everyone except Mitchell raised a hand.

"Then, it is decided." The American president lowered his hand. "Is there any other business to be handled at this time?"

The council discussed other matters as Mitchell departed.

Contents

CHAPTER 8 Rahman

The humans followed along the Dark Matter for over six months. Finally, they passed the Matter and headed for a small planet they found on their way to Bohina. Mitchell and Russell scanned the small screens for any sign of Rahm.

"Sirs!" McCoy, an armory sergeant, looked up from his console. "Rahm is finally in range." He put the image on the main screen.

"Where is it?" Mitchell scanned the main screen.

"In the center, sir." McCoy pointed at it.

"Can you come and point to it?" Russell squinted at the large screen. "I can't see it."

"Yes, sir!" McCoy stepped from his station and went to the screen. He pointed to the very center of the screen to a small blue dot. "There, sirs."

"Thank you." Mitchell looked at the dot as he too squinted to see it.

"We'll be there in three days, sir." McCoy returned to his station.

Three days later, the human ships arrived at Rahm to find thousands of vessels as they fled the planet. The ships were big and small. The earth ships entered orbit.

"Contact a central government and find out what's going on." Mitchell stepped toward the com station.

"Yes, sir." The new com sergeant pressed some buttons. "I have a Chancellor Hovah, sir."

"Put it on the main screen" Mitchell stepped toward the screen.

"How can I help you?" Hovah, a black man in the shiny dark and light blue robe, stepped in front of the camera.

"Why are your people leaving?" Mitchell put his hands on his hips.

"The Gosa is spreading our way. We must rescue as many as possible." Hovah turned to a black woman who came to his side. They whispered and then he turned back to the camera. "It is much worse than we thought. We are about to lose over half our population."

"Perhaps we can help. We have many empty rooms. Let me speak with our President to make arrangements and speak to the other ships." Mitchell turned to the com sergeant. He motioned for her to silence the com. "Hanks, this is Mitchell, over!"

"Hanks, here, over!" Hanks's voice came over the com system.

"Sir, I request permission to take on passengers. Rahm is being evacuated because of the Dark Matter." Mitchell looked at the sergeant.

"We would need added supplies and fuel. But it is okay with me." Hanks's voice came back.

"I will see what I can do, Mitchell out." Mitchell started to step away. Then, he stopped and pressed the intercom button. "Secretary Song, this is Captain Mitchell on the USS Washington, over."

"This is Song, over." Song's voice came over with a heavy Korean accent.

"This is Mitchell. I need permission to bring passengers aboard your ships to evacuate the planet below. They don't have enough ships. May we bring aboard as many as you can hold, over?" Mitchell glanced at the screen as it still showed the chancellor.

"Go ahead. We will transport as many as we can. We can hold another 50,000 people on each ship, but we would need extra supplies and fuel, over." Song's voice came back.

"Understood. We also need extra supplies and fuel. I will let you know the arrangements shortly, Mitchell out." Mitchell pressed the intercom button again and then looked at the sergeant. "Bring the chancellor back."

"Yes, sir." She pressed her button.

"Chancellor, we have permission to bring 50,000 aboard each ship. However, we would need extra supplies and fuel to make the trip. We are heading to Bohina right now. That will take another year, year and a half. If you can come along, we would be happy to help your people. We would need enough supplies and fuel to get to Bohina and then back to the space station. That's three to three and a half years. Can you take that long?" Mitchell stepped to the screen.

"Certainly, we can! We are most grateful to you. We have the supplies and fuel you need. We will talk about the type of supplies and fuel when you come down to visit.

"We look forward to meeting you." Hovah was very pleasant and talked with his hands.

"I will be down to see you, momentarily, Mitchell out." He turned to the com sergeant as she ended the transmission. "Have squad one meet me at the popper with small arms, just in case."

"Yes, sir!" She pressed a button as Mitchell turned and left the bridge.

Soon, all the people were transported to the ships and the supplies and fuel loaded aboard. It was crowded while the already tense climate became even more anxious. But, they saved 2,000,000 more lives. The sad part was the lives left behind because of the lack of room. Men and women would face imminent death from the Dark Matter due to arrive in three months.

All ships, Rahman, and human conducted a ceremony in honor of the lives they will lose to the cloud. The Rahman people were very emotional as they said farewell to their fellow citizens. Mitchell, Hanks, and Song joined in the ceremony on behalf of humans. They broadcasted to all ships in Lorana, so all could understand.

After the ceremony, Mitchell, Hanks, Song, and Hovah met to discuss what to do as they headed away from Rahm.

"What do we do now?" Hanks sat at the conference table.

"You can take us to Lagufu," Hovah also sat. "It's the nearest station. At top speed, we should be there in two months."

The trip did not go smoothly. Many humans resented the Rahman onboard. The Rahman had a separate mess hall that was intended for more humans. The added people made for cramped quarters. The corridors were full of people going about their daily lives. This made for even higher tensions among humans. They hoped to be on a planet finally, but instead, they hosted an alien people on their ships.

Mitchell started to hear of complaints from the humans. The focus of the claims shifted from the enhanced troops to the Rahman. He heard of rumors that the Rahman could pass through walls. Mitchell did his best to calm the fears.

One evening, Mitchell took Hovah and the Richards boys to the game room with his wife and Tommy, now 6-years old, on his father's shoulders. A match was about to start, so Mitchell explained the rules to Hovah.

"The object of the sport is to pin your opponent's wrist to the table." Mitchell watched the match. "The referee, in the black and white striped shirt, must call the match."

"What are they doing now?" Hovah watched intently.

"The competitors have only a moment to reach the table." Mitchell pointed to the two competitors. "The free hand holds onto that peg on the table. The gripping hand interlocks with the opponent's hand. The thumbs lock and the fingers wrap around the hand. The elbow of the gripping arm must be on the pad. The referee checks to make sure the shoulders are square to the table; the wrists are straight, and the grip is in the center and in line with the pegs. The competitors have one minute to get the grip before the referee must do it. Once things are set right, the referee says 'Ready, go!' to start the match. The elbows of the gripping arm and the free hands must stay in place during the entire game. The win comes from more technique than strength. Most of these people don't do it as a sport. They try to muscle their way through it."

"I take it, you had some experience with it." Hovah glanced at Mitchell.

"Yes, I used to compete years ago," Mitchell kept his eyes on the current match.

They watched the match while Mitchell explained what each competitor did right or wrong. After the game, the captain took Hovah to the games. They went to an area where they could shoot hoops. There were many sizes of baskets and different heights for all ages. Mitchell demonstrated how to shoot hoops. Then, he took Hovah to a pinball machine and showed how to play. Hovah didn't seem interested in anything.

After the games, Mitchell took Hovah and the group to the mess hall for supper. They had to wait in line to go into the corridor. Mitchell had to stop several people who tried to cut in front, but Mitchell and the others were able to enter the mess hall in a relatively brief time. When they ordered their meals, Hovah noticed the attitude of the people.

"I take it the people are upset." Hovah carried his tray from the counter.

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell ordered for the boys and himself. His wife, Carolyn, ordered for herself and Tommy. "Unfortunately, it's a problem with humans being cooped up in spaceships for nearly three years. This is the first deep space trip for humans."

"Having many aliens onboard must add to the problem." Hovah waited for Mitchell and the others.

"It does, but they need to learn to deal with it." Mitchell handed the tray to Jacob and took the next one for him. He walked toward the tables. They found several seats open. "We can take these seats." Mitchell sat his tray on the table as did Hovah. "Jacob, you can sit on one knee. Tommy can sit on the other. Jonathan, there's a seat for you and Carolyn."

They took the seats and began to eat. As they ate, Mitchell started a conversation. "Can you tell me about your people? There's little known about them."

Hovah was reluctant to talk about his people. "My people keep to themselves."

"Why? Is it just a custom among your people?" Mitchell took a bite.

"No, not a custom." Hovah ate his meal. "We only take a physical form around corporeal beings. Most corporeal beings think only concerning the physical universe. When, in fact, 95 percent of all life is non-corporeal. That means there is more life in the spiritual universe than in the physical. We can cross between the two universes. So, around physical beings, we become physical beings. When we are not, we revert to our natural state. We can see both universes at the same time. That's how we know you have other guests on your ship beside us."

"So, the rumors we've heard about you being able to walk through walls are true?" Mitchell stopped and looked at the chancellor.

"Yes." Hovah put his fork down. "The walls are not there for us."

"Do you have problems with the Bohinan?" Mitchell started to eat again.

"Not anymore." Hovah started to eat again, also. "We played on their fears. Now, they don't come around us."

"What do they fear?" Mitchell took a sip of his drink.

"Spirits of their dead." Hovah drank some juice. "We read their minds and became someone they feared."

"I wonder how we could get them to fear us." Mitchell stopped again as he looked at Jacob. "You're not eating much."

Jacob just looked up at him and started to eat again.

"It's already within your power." Hovah looked at him. "It's just your willingness to use it."

After the meal, Mitchell took Hovah to Hanks's office. He left them as he went home to change into his gym clothes. Then, he went to meet with the troops for PT exercises in the gym. Mitchell led the forces through their PT. Then, he had a meeting about the enhanced aggression problem.

"It has come to my attention." Mitchell paced in front of them. "This enhanced aggression problem is more from people's fears than any real aggressive acts on your part. I see no reason to get after you for something that isn't real. But, I still want you to interact with the people. Most of the fear is from not understanding you as a person. I've also noticed that many of you have been working hard at building relationships with the people. I commend you for that. There have been other improvements in our situation lately. The judge concluded that enhanced troops can be parents, too. The ban on jury duty has been lifted. So, any of you interested in serving on a jury, can. A big development is that some members of the House of Representatives and the Senate are enhanced troops."

The troops cheered.

"Things are changing." Mitchell continued. "But they will change slowly. Any questions?"

With no response, Mitchell turned to Collier who came to Mitchell. Collier saluted, and Mitchell returned the salute. Mitchell left the gym. Collier did an about face and dismissed the troops.

The next morning, Mitchell arrived on the bridge and saw Hanks and Hovah as they discussed weapons at the Armory Station. Mitchell walked quickly to them.

"Sir, may I speak with you?" Mitchell stopped in front of Hanks.

"Sure." Hanks excused himself. "What is it?"

"Are you sure it's wise to discuss our defenses with someone we barely know, sir?" Mitchell whispered to Hanks.

"He wants to help us upgrade our weapons and targeting systems." Hanks seemed mystified.

"Sir, is that wise?" Mitchell repeated his question. "It could overload our circuits. Have you discussed it with engineering? With the other captains? Have you told him about our plasma bomb?"

"Relax, Captain." Hanks held up his hands to calm him. "I haven't told him about the plasma bomb. I will run the ideas by both engineering and all the captains and even you."

"What changes does he propose?" Mitchell calmed.

"May I put your fears to rest, Captain?" Hovah looked at Mitchell. "I have no intention of harming you. You are helping us save our people. It is the least I can do."

"Sorry, we have had bad run-ins before." Mitchell turned to Hovah.

"I understand. It's good to be cautious, but you need a lot of updating. You're some 1,000 years out-of-date. Besides, I already know of your plasma bomb as you call it. It's very ingenious. It's simple yet compelling. That, too, can be improved upon."

"What are your plans?" Mitchell looked at him. "But, we should have engineering up here."

"Alright." Hovah came out from behind the console.

"Call Commander Rush and have him come to the bridge," Mitchell told Owens, a com sergeant.

"Yes, sir!" He pressed a button. "Bridge to Commander Rush, over!"

"Rush, here, over." Rush's voice came back.

"Come to the bridge. See Captain Mitchell, over!" Owens put his finger on the button again.

"Understood. On my way, out!" Rush's voice came over the intercom.

When Rush arrived, he went to Mitchell at the armory.

"You wished to see me, sir?" Rush stopped next to Mitchell.

"Yes." Mitchell pointed at the console's screen. "We're discussing weapons upgrades; I wanted your input. We want to increase the power for torpedoes and the photon ray. Can we do it without too much drain on our engines?"

"Power would fluctuate, but it's doable for short durations, sir." Rush walked around the console and looked at the screen.

"How could we increase power without the drain?" Mitchell watched Rush. "Is there something else we could do without causing such wild fluctuations?"

"We could shut down the botanical gardens when we go to battle stations, sir. It would give us 12 hours of extra power, sir." Rush looked at him.

"It would simulate darkness." Hanks looked at the two men.

"Anything else?" Mitchell looked at Rush.

"There's nothing without shutting down all nonessential systems and rerouting that power to weapons." Rush explained.

"That would have to be our options." Mitchell turned to Hovah and spoke in Lorana. "Hovah, we were talking about options to switch power from other areas."

"You can get more power from the engines by making them more efficient." Hovah rested his wrists on the edge of the console. "We have experience in doing that. We have nearly double the efficiency of our engines."

"Could you do it with ours?" Hanks turned to Hovah.

"I don't see why not," Hovah replied. "We have the same engines. It requires a couple of hours to tweak the settings, but it's well worth it. It helps to make your fuel last longer also."

"That would be of immense help, sir." Rush looked at Hovah.

"How do you form the plasma bomb?" Hovah enquired.

"It's based on making ..." McCoy described the formation of the bomb. "We found the field could absorb energy to increase its power," McCoy added. "So, we could add power to it by making a stronger electromagnetic field. That would increase the power."

"How do we increase its power, without putting ourselves at risk?" Mitchell looked at McCoy.

"The problem is in the shockwave, sir," McCoy explained as he went to the plasma bomb screen. "I can't control the shockwave. The only thing I could do is form the plasma bomb further away. Still, we would be impacted by the shockwave."

"Hovah, do you have any suggestions about the problem with the shockwave?" Mitchell looked to the chancellor.

"We automated our stabilizers." Hovah looked at the screen. "We could do that to your ships as well. That may take a while to do with your ships. They may be too old."

"How do we increase the power to the photon ray?" Mitchell turned his attention back to McCoy.

"We can transfer more power to the ray, sir." McCoy looked up at him. "However, that would only do so much, sir." He looked through the experimental database as he checked some other projects. He stopped at one. "Ah, here, sir!" He pointed at the screen as everyone gathered around to look at it. "It's just experimental, but it has some promise, sir." He pressed the link and opened the program. "This project could make the photo ray a thing of the past." He showed the demo clip on the project.

"It's like the Popper." Mitchell looked at the sergeant surprised. "It made the object disappear like a Popper."

"Well ... I wouldn't say that, sir. It does make things disappear, but not like the Popper, sir." McCoy went to another screen which showed what had really happened. "See, sir? It isn't really popping anything anywhere, sir. It just digitized the objects, sir."

"So, what's done with the object?" Hanks looks at it confused.

"What is digitized is stored in the system and can be reproduced elsewhere and used as our weapon. For example, we could digitize a Bohinan ship and its crew and project it somewhere else and control it to take advantage of the Bohinan own weapons for our own uses, sir."

"What's it called?" Mitchell looked at the sergeant.

"It doesn't have a name yet, sir. It's just given a Project designation as it awaits completion and debugging, sir." McCoy looked for the designation. "Oh, here it is, sir! It's designated as Project DELTA (Digitizing Enemy Logistical Transporting Assets), sir." He looked at those around him. "By its use, sir, we could defeat the Bohinan by taking away their ships en masse, sir."

"You have a handle on things." Hovah took a step toward Mitchell. "So, let's check out your engine and see what we can do."

"The station helped us with our engines, maybe you can increase the efficiency more." Rush turned to go back to engineering.

Rush and Hovah left the bridge.

"McCoy, work on that project and see if your team can finish it before we reach Bohina." Mitchell stepped to Hanks. "Anything else, sir?" Mitchell stopped in front of Hanks. "I would like to see what Hovah does with our engine."

"No." Hanks returned to the screens. "That's all. Let me know how things go."

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell left the bridge.

McCoy went to work on the project and enlisted the assistance of his teammates.

By the time Mitchell entered engineering, Rush and Hovah were already in the command center. Mitchell went to the elevator and rode to the top. He stepped out and went to the command center. When he arrived, Rush explained what the station did to the engines.

"That's fine." Hovah looked at Mitchell as he entered the center. "They did a lot of good. However, from experience with these advanced engines, we found we could do more and get more power out of them. We can start with the coil assembly."

"That's controlled from over here, sir." Rush walked to a computer near the lookout windows. He pressed a button which caused the coil assembly screen to pop up.

"Wimi, good." Hovah came over. "Now, we change this setting." Hovah began to change some settings. As he did, the engine started to hum more smoothly. The engineers by the driver looked around.

"That made an enormous difference." Rush looked at the new settings, looked over Hovah's shoulder, and then he looked around for an electronic pad. When the chief found one, he picked it up and entered the coil assembly settings.

"Now, we adjust the plasma flow." Hovah made another adjustment to the plasma flow.

Rush entered the flow settings. When Hovah finished the adjustments of all the engine components, Rush checked the overall efficiency of the engines.

"The efficiency is up to 98 percent." Rush read the efficiency meter. "Can we get it to 200 percent?"

"We have never reached 200 percent efficiency." Hovah looked back at Rush. "But, we keep learning to improve."

"Pass the settings on to the other ships." Mitchell looked over at the settings.

"Aye, sir!" Rush went to comply as he went to the intercom, while Mitchell and Hovah left engineering.

Contents

CHAPTER 9 Recruitment

Weeks later, Mitchell stepped into the President's office. Martha typed some reports for Hanks and looked up when Mitchell entered.

"May I help you?" Martha turned from her reports.

"Yes, ma'am, President Hanks wanted to see me." He stopped at her desk. "I'm Captain Mitchell. Remember me? Is school out for the summer?"

"Just a moment, please." Martha pressed a button on her intercom. She ignored his questions and remained professional.

"Yes?" Hanks's voice came over the speaker.

"Captain Mitchell is here to see you, sir." Martha glanced up at Mitchell.

"Send him right in, please." Hanks's voice came back.

"You may go in now." Martha released the intercom button. "I do remember you. Yes, school is out."

"Thank you, ma'am." Mitchell went to the door. He stopped at the door and knocked.

"Come in!" Hanks's voice came through the door.

Mitchell opened the door and entered. He walked up to the desk and came to attention. He saluted. "Captain Mitchell reporting as ordered, sir!" Mitchell was very professional.

Hanks returned the salute. "Have a seat, Captain." Hanks finished up a report.

"I prefer to stand, sir." Mitchell continued to stand at attention.

"You're a lot like the general." Hanks looked up at Mitchell from his chair. "So, stand at ease."

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell relaxed his stance as he stood at ease.

"As you may know, we will need more troops for this campaign. What do you suggest?" Hanks put his elbows on the desk and leaned on them.

"We will need more enhanced troops, sir, not just troops." Mitchell looked down at Hanks. His voice was professional. "We've lost too many to make a fighting force of that magnitude, sir."

"That is out of the question." Hanks leaned back. "We have all the enhanced troops we need.

"No, sir!" Mitchell shook his right knee a few times. "The doctors can enhance more troops, sir. We've done it back on Ladorma, sir.'

"How is that possible?" Hanks leaned forward in his chair.

"The doctors have the serum so they can make more, sir." Mitchell brought out his right hand to emphasize his statement.

"I didn't know they had the serum here." Hanks was surprised. "How long does the process take?"

"Once we have the proper recruits, it takes about a year of three injections, sir." Mitchell put his hand back behind him. "Then, it takes several years of training to live with enhancements and battle readiness."

"What's the recruiting process?" Hanks looked for another pad.

"Normally, the recruits come from those that have served in the Army or Marine Corps for several years, sir." Mitchell shifted his weight several times. "But, I don't know that we would have enough of them to enhance. We would have to include those that are just starting a term of service. The recruits go through a battery of tests to include both physical and psychological tests. They have the agreement explained to them that it is a lifetime commitment. To be perfectly clear, there isn't a way out of the military once the enhancement treatments begin. One shot and they are in for life, sir. If they agree to the process and the commitment, then the medical staff administer the shots at four-month intervals. That way, the recruit is not so overwhelmed by the enhancements so they can learn to control them better."

"We have less than two years to get ready." Hanks sat back in his chair. "How do we begin to recruit these people? Why is it only the Army and Marines? Why not the Navy Seals and the Air Force?"

"I see no problem in including them, sir. It has just been the Army and Marines up to this point, sir. I suggest we start now by getting the word out to the troops first, sir." Mitchell stood still. "Then, we can start spreading the word to the population of all ships. Women need to understand the danger for them. No woman has ever lived through the enhancing process. We lose 100 percent."

"Then, let's get started." Hanks sat up straight.

"Will is that all, sir?" Mitchell came to attention.

"Yes, that will be all." Hanks looked up at him. "Dismissed!"

Mitchell saluted him then Hanks returned the salute. Mitchell turned and left the office.

By the time Mitchell arrived at the gym, the troops were already in their formation for PT. Mitchell, dressed in his Marine gym clothes, walked to Richards's usual spot. The forces came to attention as the captains saluted Mitchell. Mitchell returned the salutes.

"Stand at ... ease!" Mitchell stood at ease as did the troops. "You may have heard we are on our way to Bohina." He paced in front of the forces. "We are being led into a trap. At least the Bohinan believe they are leading us into one. We need to have more enhanced troops to help win this battle. So, those of you not yet enhanced have the chance at it for this mission and the rest of your lives. We have less than two years to prepare for this battle. That's how long it will take to reach Bohina. Anyone interested in receiving the enhancements, see me after PT."

Mitchell stopped in the center position, took the troops through their PT, and then dismissed them. Several of the unenhanced forces came to him afterward to discuss the enhancement process.

"Sir, do the enhancements work on women?" A female Soldier stood before him.

"We have never had a woman survive the process. We don't know why." Mitchell looked straight into her eyes. "That's not to say none will ever survive, but the risk is very high. We cannot determine why that is. It could be the level of testosterone that the serum creates. But we don't know."

"How is the success rate for the men?" A Soldier stood behind her.

"We lose about 10 percent of the men who try to receive the enhancements." Mitchell turned his attention to him. "But, most of the risks are caught in the recruitment process. Doctors do a lot of testing before anyone can receive the enhancements. There's both physical and psychological testing done as well as background checks. You may have heard about the problems with the new serum. It uses non-human substances that could cause unexpected consequences. Your best option is to weigh seriously all the risks involved and not get overly excited about the size you will become."

"What kind of testing?" A female Marine stood next to Mitchell.

Mitchell looked at her. "The physical testing checks for risks even down to the molecular level. There are the usual blood tests, tissue samples, bone density tests, MRIs, CAT scans, stress tests, and the list goes on. Then, there are the psychological tests to check your IQ, perceptions, mental weaknesses, test your control over your fears, and again, the list goes on. The main thing to remember is that the doctors will be testing how much you can tolerate. The enhancement process, although much more pleasant than in General Richards's time, is still very unpleasant. It may seem pleasant when you first feel your muscles grow, but soon it takes on a life of its own. The bones harden and change, the muscles grow so fast that it hurts, even your facial features change, and the rest you need to ask the enhanced troops. They can tell you about their experiences of going through the process. The shots come every four months. You go through a rapid change each time."

"It's for life, sir?" Another female Soldier stood to his left.

"Yes, once the process starts, there is no way to undo the process." Mitchell looked at her. "So, it's something to think about seriously." Mitchell looked the troops over and noticed some forces he remembered from the last recruitment. "Carter, Lewis, Sanchez, Chan, and the rest of you, your status has not changed. You were rejected last time, why are you here?"

"Sir, can't you give us a pardon or something?" Lewis stepped forward. "We are good men for your program, sir."

"The general rejected you all for good reasons. I cannot accept you after he rejected you, sorry." Mitchell looked the rest of the people over and noticed Scott was also in the bunch. "Scott, why are you here? You know you can't enlist at all."

"Sir, I can have the tats removed." He ran a hand down the large tattoo on his face.

"It would still leave large scars on your body that would show just as much as the tattoos do. They would still bar you from the military."

"There's a new procedure to remove tats without leavin' scars, sir." Scott brushed a hand over his tattoos. "I'm just as good as the rest of the Wuss."

"If you can remove the tattoos without leaving the scars, I don't see any problem with your enlistment. The tattoos covered by your clothes can stay. It's the ones that are visible that are the problem." Mitchell turned his attention to the rest of the people.

Several Navy Seals came forward. "Sir?" One spoke up. "Why don't you ever, include us, sir?"

"I include you now." Mitchell stepped toward him. "You were never included before for reasons unknown to me. But, now, you will be included." Mitchell stood before him with his hands behind his back.

Later, after all the questions, the troops left the gym. Mitchell was the last to leave.

Several days later, Mitchell met with possible recruits for the enhancement process from the USS Washington. Similar meetings occurred on the other ships. Mitchell walked to the front of the group. "Good morning! Thank you all for coming to this meeting. We're here to discuss the enhancement process and to see which of you can survive the process. It is a delicate process, especially for women. So, be advised that you are taking a serious risk with your life."

"How dangerous is it?" A man in the back of the gym waved his hand.

"I'll take questions later," Mitchell held his hands up as if to stop something. "But, for your information, we have never had a woman survive the ordeal, many have tried. For men, we lose about 10 percent. So, we take these physical and psychological tests very seriously, and so should you. Do not attempt to cheat your way into the program, if you do, you may end up dead. This meeting is to help determine, in your mind and ours, whether you are qualified for enhancement. There is no straightforward way for enhancement. We use a series of injections administered by doctors. The process is excruciating. Your bodies will morph in ways that will put great strain on your body. You will be able to watch your body grow and change. This is not a pleasant feeling because it will hurt beyond your imagination. You will go through the process every four months for one year. Besides the physical strain and changes you will endure, you will also go through psychological changes. You will experience much more aggression, which you must always keep under control. Your intelligence will increase. You will experience the problems the enhanced troops face from those not enhanced, for example, the discrimination the enhanced face and the loneliness of isolation from the general population. You will have the strength of four or more men. This is not easy to live with. Just shaking someone's hand could crush the hand. You need to learn how to control our strength. You will need to know how to be gentle even when you don't feel like it. Your hearing and sight will become much more acute. Your speed will increase drastically. You will be able to run the kilometer in half the time of a normal man. With training, you can get the time down to a quarter of the time. Now, you must remember this is a lifetime commitment. Once you receive your first shot, there is no turning back. We cannot take the serum out of you. If you start to have a bad reaction to the serum, there is nothing we can do to stop it. When you have the physicals, give truthful answers to all questions as your life will depend upon the answers you give. Likewise, when you go through the psychological tests, give truthful answers. Your sanity will depend upon it. You can go insane from a bad reaction to the serum. The strain on your psyche is great. Now, I will open for questions. Those who wish to leave may go now."

Mitchell waited for the crowd to thin out. Nearly half the people left. All the women fell out. Mitchell motioned for the men to close the gaps in their lines.

"Close ranks!" The men closed the lines. "Now, questions, gentlemen."

"Will we go through Basic Training?" A man in the front row spoke sheepishly.

"Basic Training is for the Army," Mitchell spoke up. "Boot Camp is for the Marines. Which service are you talking about?"

"Army, sir." The man looked at the floor.

"Then, yes, you will go through Basic Training." Mitchell made eye contact with the man. "While you are in testing, you will be going through either Basic Training or Boot Camp. That way, you will finish by the time your mission is due to start. Normally, you go through six years of service before we can even consider you for the enhancement process. But, we don't have six years to wait. We must get you ready in less than two years. Normally, it takes four years to get used to the enhancements, so they do not overwhelm you. However, we don't have the time for that either. Next?"

"What if we decide later, we don't want to be in the military anymore?" A man in the front row at the far end spoke up.

"Then, you'll be shot." Mitchell looked at him sternly. "The commitment is for life! Get that straight right, now! Once you accept one injection, there is no turning back! We own you at that point! So, get that clear in your mind. Remember, one injection means you're ours."

Several of the men walked out of the gym.

"Close ranks!" Mitchell looked them over. "If you want to leave, don't feel bad. We want you only if it is clear in our mind this is what you want. Does anyone else want to leave?"

A few more walked out.

"Close ranks!" Mitchell looked over the remaining few. "Any more questions?"

"What is it like to be enhanced?" a man in the middle of the third row spoke up.

"It has many positives and negatives." Mitchell paced in front of the group. "The one thing that most people notice is the strength, but it goes way beyond that. I like the adventure my assignments provide. I can listen in on conversations from quite a distance away, but at the same time, I must keep it under control, or it would drive me crazy. I have better than 20/20 vision. I need to always be careful about how I use my strength. It's not there to show off. Anyone caught using their abilities to show off will face the appropriate punishment. If you really want to know what it is like to live with enhancements, you need to spend time with the enhanced troops. Then you can see for yourself what we go through. Don't be afraid to ask questions of the enhanced troops. We don't bite. We may yell on a terrible day, but we don't bite. Any more questions?"

There was only silence.

"Alright!" Mitchell stopped in front of the group centered on the front row. "There seem to be no more questions. So, meet at the infirmary at 0800 hours tomorrow morning. Have your medical history with you. Group, attention!" The group came to somewhat of an attention stance. "We'll have to work on the attention. Dismissed!"

Scott remained as Mitchell walked up to him. "I thought I said you couldn't be in the military with tattoos."

"You did, sir. But, I have the appointment for next week to remove the tats, sir." Scott was excited.

"But the tests begin tomorrow. You won't be qualified by then." Mitchell started to leave. "You'd have to wait until after you show you are qualified when the next batch of recruits are found."

"That's bodgy, sir!" Scott started to become upset. "Can't I start the testing now and have the removal procedure in a week?"

"It may not be quite right, Scott, but it's the rules." Mitchell left.

Later, Mitchell walked onto the bridge and went to Hanks who stood near the com station.

"Are you always on the bridge, sir?" Mitchell stopped in front of Hanks.

"As much as I can be." Hanks looked at him. "How's the recruiting coming along?"

"Not too well, sir." Mitchell turned to watch the screens. "I started off with 200 people. By the end of the meeting, I counted only 20. The other ships are not doing much better. New York has the most with 25, while the Fortunate has 10. That gives us only 55 recruits with which to work. I was hoping for more, sir."

"How about the international recruits?" Hanks watched him.

"They have about 100 recruits from all 23 of the eligible ships, sir." Mitchell sounded depressed.

"How many do you think will survive the testing?" Hanks continued to look at him.

"Few, sir." Mitchell looked at him. "We'll be lucky to get 10 from the USS Washington. We need more, but we can only use the cream of the crop, sir."

"We'll have to develop more cream then." Hanks turned his attention back to the screens.

Contents

CHAPTER 10 Testing

By 0800 hours the next morning, the recruits worked on their medical history pads in the infirmary. The people filled the waiting room to capacity with recruits and patients. Mitchell entered right at 0800 hours. He walked to the nurses' station.

"How many recruits showed?" Mitchell stopped in front of the nurse.

"Twenty, sir." The nurse looked at the information in her notes.

"Good." Mitchell started to turn. "It will take them an hour or two to fill in all the information. I'll be back to check on them." Mitchell left the infirmary.

"Dennis Harvey!" called a nurse when she stepped out a door. She held a laptop.

A 2-year old boy looked up from his toys. His mother led him to the nurse.

Another nurse stepped out. "Jennifer Hodge!"

An older woman made her way to the nurse. They went to the back.

Still, another nurse came out the door. "Jose Torres!"

"I haven't finished with the pad yet, ma'am!" A recruit looked up at the nurse.

"That's okay, you can finish when we're done." The nurse turned to lead him to the back.

Torres went to the nurse as he carried his pad. They went to the back. The nurse led him to hospital scales.

"Please, step on the scales." The nurse watched the digital readout of the scales. She entered the weight into her laptop. "Now, I need your height." The nurse adjusted the measuring stick on the back of the scales. She entered the height. "Now, follow me, please." She led Torres into an examination room. "Please sit on the table," The nurse placed a blood pressure cuff around his right arm and a stethoscope on his arm. She pumped up the pressure and read his blood pressure. "Blood pressure is normal." She removed the instruments. "Now, your finger goes in this." She held out a pulse clip. "A technician is going to come in and take some blood. She will also give you a shot and have you lie down. The shot will tell us if you can tolerate the injections. It's sort of a test run. I'll get the technician." The nurse walked out of the examination room.

Torres looked around the room at all the chrome equipment and walls. As he looked around, the technician walked in.

The young technician put her tray on the stand next to the table. She put on some gloves and put a rubber strap around Torres's right arm. She rubbed some alcohol on the inside of his elbow. Then, she took a needle and prepared it. "I need you to make a fist." She inserted the needle into his arm. She changed the tube for another; then she removed the needle. She took care of the wound. "I need you to lie down, please." The technician helped him to lie down. "I am going to inject you with a serum that is a test run for the real serum. You will feel quite sick for a while. This is normal. You must lie there for half an hour and then I will have you give me a urine sample. That will tell us the results of this test."

"It's making me feel sick already." Torres held his abdomen.

"Do you need a pan?" The technician went for a pan.

"Yes." Torres laid on the table.

The technician went to the drawer and pulled out a curved pan. She handed it to Torres. Just as she did, he vomited into the container. He moaned. The technician gave him a glass of water to rinse out his mouth.

"Is this normal?" He rinsed out his mouth.

"Yes." The technician walked out of the room as he laid back. "I'll be back." She shut the door.

A half an hour later, the technician returned with a covered cup. She handed it to Torres. "I need a urine sample, please." She stepped back. "How do you feel?"

"Better." Torres sat up.

"Take your pad with you." She led him out of the room. "Put the cup on the sink. Then, return here for the doctor." She led him to the latrine.

Later, Torres returned to the room after he finished his task. He sat back on the table and waited for his next instructions. The doctor came in while he worked on his pad.

"Jose Torres?" Dr. Collins poked her head in the door.

"Yes, ma'am!" He looked up from his pad as he hesitated.

"I'm Dr. Collins." She entered the room. "I'm going to giving you a physical. Let's check out your heart and lungs." She took her stethoscope and placed it over his heart. She listened for a moment and then moved it over the lungs. "Breathe deep and slow, please."

Torres complied.

Dr. Collins took the stethoscope away and put the earpieces down around her neck. Then, she checked Torres for hernias and other things. When she finished, she had him lay on the table face down with his pants partway down. "I need to take a sample of your bone marrow from your pelvis." Dr. Collins prepared for the test. "This will hurt a lot. But it's necessary."

She wiped some alcohol on his left hip and then pricked him with a needle which looked more like a jackhammer when he looked back at it. He jerked as the needle entered the pelvic bone. He fought to withhold a sound of pain as the doctor removed a sample of the bone marrow. Once Dr. Collins had the biopsy, she removed the needle. She wiped the area again and placed a band-aid over the wound. She marked the tube with his ID information. Jose looked back at the site as he expected a giant hole in his hip, but there was just a little round band-aid.

"Okay, you can pull up your pants." Dr. Collins took the vile and started to the door. "You will be going for the MRI test next." Dr. Collins waited at the door for him to pull up his pants and fasten them. "Don't forget your pad when you leave."

Dr. Collins left, followed by Torres as a nurse came in to clean the room and prepare it for the next person. A nurse took Torres down the hall for an MRI. A male technician met him with a set of light blue clothes.

"I need you to put on these clothes." The technician handed them to him. "You may change behind the curtain in the corner. Everything off and then put on the clothes."

Torres took the clothes and went behind the curtain. When he was ready, he came back out as he held the back of the hospital gown closed and met the technician.

"Have you ever had an MRI done before?" the tech got things ready.

"No, sir!" Torres walked toward the large table.

"Lie on the table." The tech held a head stabilizer. "On your back, please."

Torres struggled to get on the table, but he forced himself.

"MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging." The tech placed the head stabilizer on him. He checked the placement and continued to explain about the MRI. "It takes a complete series of images, each of which shows a thin slice of the body. I'll need you to stay completely still throughout the test. Are you claustrophobic?"

"No, sir!" He stared at the ceiling.

"Good." The technician continued the explanation. "This will take about an hour, hour and a half to do. The table will move you into a small chamber as the test progresses. This test requires the check of the entire body. Do you have any problems keeping still?"

"No, sir!" He allowed the tech to put his arms along his body.

"Good." The technician stood straight. "You will hear a lot of banging inside the machine. That's just the cameras taking the pictures. Here's a set of headphones to help block the noise inside." The tech put on the set of headphones. "Now, we are ready to begin. You will hear me tell you when to hold your breath. It is essential that you hold your breath when I tell you and breathe when I tell you." The technician started the table into the chamber and began the lengthy process.

Meanwhile, a nurse came through the door by the nurses' station. "Jasper Turner!" She called out.

Turner came to the nurse and followed her into the examination area. As they went in, another nurse came out.

"Anthony Werner!" The nurse looked around the waiting room.

Werner followed the nurse into the examination process.

Within several hours the staff tested all 20 recruits in most of the required tests; they awaited the lab test results. Mitchell returned to check on the rookies. He stopped at the nurses' station to check in.

"How are our boys doing?" Mitchell stopped at the nurses' station.

"They're doing fine." The nurse looked up at him from her work. "They have all had most of the tests. Some still require the MRIs. After lunch, we will get some more of them done."

"Okay." Mitchell turned away. "Thank you." He looked at the recruits. "Make a line at the door, Boys!"

The recruits lined up at the door and waited for Mitchell, who came to the door and held it open.

"We're heading to the mess hall." Mitchell waved them through as he held the door. "We'll use the mess reserved for those on duty. Then, we head to the gym."

After lunch, the group lined up again just inside the mess hall. Torres hurried from the garbage station to the line. Another man at the station finished with the string to his apron.

Werner sniffed his comrade. "Whoa, you smell like you were in the garbage all day, Torres."

"We're heading to the gym." Mitchell held the door open. "You know the way."

The recruits started out the door and turned left to head toward the gym. Mitchell followed them when the last rookie exited the mess. As the group walked toward the gym, the captain walked to the front of the line. Mitchell had them stop at the infirmary.

"Handley, Torres, Smith, and Vogel, you're next for the MRI." Mitchell directed them to the nurses' station. "Stay in the infirmary, and I'll come to get you. Fall out!"

The named recruits fell out and entered the infirmary. The rest continued to the gym. When the group reached the gym, Mitchell opened the door and held it open.

"Make two equal lines!" Mitchell followed the last one in. He moved into center position on the two lines. "Left face!"

The group didn't seem to know which way to turn.

"That means to turn left, so you face me." Mitchell looked over his recruits. "You need to learn to follow military orders!"

The group faced Mitchell and stood in jagged lines.

"Front line, fall in on the black line in front of you!" Mitchell pointed to the black line on the floor. "Your toes stay just touching the line!"

The front line moved forward and placed their toes on the line.

"Backline, fall in on the black line behind you!" Mitchell looked around the recruits in the front line so he could see the rookies in the back line. "Your toes stay just touching the line!" He moved to the beginning of the front line. "Next order is 'Order right!' This means that you look to the person to your right and place your hand on his shoulder shuffle to the left until you are at arm's length apart. This will give you the space you need for PT. 'PT' stands for Physical Training. Order, right!"

The group performed the order, right command.

"Now, when I say, 'Fall in!' This is the position you will be in." Mitchell walked to the center position in front of the recruits. "Don't wait for me to give you all the commands. You should be able to remember the commands. They're not hard. Once we are in this formation, we start with PT. The pushup is the first exercise we'll do. We will be going the Marine pushup, not the granny pushup you may do. Go ahead and be seated so everyone can see what I am doing."

The recruits sat on the floor.

"When I say, 'Drop,' I want you in the pushup starting position like this." Mitchell demonstrated the starting position "Notice the back is straight, the head is up and looking forward and the hands are shoulder width apart. On the count of one, you go down till you are just about to touch your chest on the floor. On the count of two, you return to the starting position. The back must be straight, the head must always be up. I'll do some for you. One down, two up, one down, two up, one down, and two up." Mitchell stood and looked at the recruits. "Drop!"

All the recruits got into the pushup start position.

"One ... two ... one ... two!" Mitchell counted as the recruits did pushups. "Turner, get in form! Werner, straighten that back! One ... two ... one ... two! One! Get into the form, or you'll stay at one!"

The recruits struggle to get into the correct form. But, some of them fall to the floor.

"It seems we have a lot of work ahead of us!" Mitchell yelled as he paced in front of the recruits. "Two! Fall in!"

The recruits got to their feet and fell in on the black lines and to the order right command.

"You, Boys, remembered!" Mitchell stepped into the center position. "At least there is something you can do. Next is the set-up. You do it like this." Mitchell laid on the floor on his back. "You lay on your back with your hands behind your head. Your knees are up, shoulder width apart. On one, you touch the right elbow to the left knee. On two, you switch to the other knee and then on three, you return to the start. We're going to do it quickly. Okay, on your backs!"

The recruits laid on their backs. Mitchell did the same.

"Ready?" Mitchell called out. "One, two, three ... one, two, three ... one, two, three ... one, two, three ... Come on, Boys! You have only done a few. One, two, three ... one, two, three ... one, two, three. Okay, that's enough of that, Boys! You're out of shape! The next exercise is the lunge. Place your hands on the floor with the fingers and thumbs forming a line. Then, put your right knee forward and your left foot back. On the command to switch, you put your left knee forward and your right foot back. On the second switch, you go back to the starting position. You keep alternating every time you hear 'Switch.' Ready? Starting positions! Switch! Switch! Switch! Switch! Switch! Switch! Come on! Switch! Switch! Boys, you are out of shape!"

Mitchell took them through several other exercises and then took them on the run around the gym. When they finished, Mitchell had them walk a few laps. As they walked, he talked.

"You, Boys, are being tested all the time!" Mitchell watched them. "You are failing to meet the standard! We must do this every day! You must be in shape for the program! Now, make a single line at the door!"

The recruits made a single line at the door.

"We're going to the Armory to check out your firing skills!" Mitchell walked over to their line. "Go out the door and to the right past, the infirmary!"

The recruits went out of the door and followed Mitchell's instructions. Mitchell held the door open and then turned off the gym lights. He reached the leader and led them to the armory.

When they reached the armory, a female Marine opened the door and held it as they entered.

"Fall in on the black lines!" Mitchell watched as they carried out his command.

The recruits quickly formed two lines on the black lines laid out on the floor. They checked their positions and waited for the next command.

"Sergeant Cree will be your Weapons Instructor." Mitchell walked to the front and center position. "She will test you on how good a shot you are with the phaser. The sergeant is looking for the basics not necessarily for a marksman. She is basically looking for your teachability. Follow her instructions. When you finish, she will take you to the infirmary. Sergeant Cree, your recruits."

"Yes, sir!" Cree took command and Mitchell left. "Today, you learn about the phaser model PT604. It is a pistol-shaped weapon that has three settings: stun, kill, and full power. You will be using the stun setting only. Later, you will be qualifying on the weapon. We are only interested in whether you can learn weaponry. The top of the weapon lifts to open the weapon to change the energy cell inside. Push it back and it closes. It is easy to do. Always check the setting before using the weapon. Never point the weapon at anyone unless you intend to use it. This is a dangerous weapon and not a toy." Cree demonstrated each action.

Each recruit tested on the PT604 phaser. Only a few of the recruits had trouble in its use. Cree instructed them again in its use in a Drill Instructor's manner. Two of the recruits flunked completely on the PT604 phaser.

After they finished, the recruits returned to the infirmary for their Psychological tests. While those who still had the MRI took that test. They were handed pads to fill out the questions about their psychological makeup, as they filled it out, a doctor led the recruits to an examination in many different areas.

"Jasper Turner!" a doctor came to the door.

Turner went to the doctor and the doctor led him in the back. They went to a room with a desk and several chairs.

"Have a seat next to the desk." The doctor pointed to a seat.

Turner sat as ordered. He watched the doctor as he gathered some envelopes. The doctor brought the packets to the desk. He put them on the table and took his seat.

"I am going to first test ... your IQ." He laid out the envelopes. He took several small tiles from one of the envelops and placed them on the desk in front of Turner. "I want you to look at the pictures and arrange the tiles, so the pictures tell a story." He took a stopwatch from the desk and got ready to time the test. "Ready! Go!"

Turner rearranged the tiles several times until he had them in the order that told a story.

"Okay, good, now we do it again with another set of tiles." The doctor entered the information on the back of the tiles into his pad. Then, the doctor took more tiles from another envelope and laid them on the desk. "Do the same with these."

Turner rearranged the tiles to form a story. The doctor looked at the information on the back of each tile and entered it into the pad, with the time it took Turner to complete the task.

"Now, I want you to take these tiles and arrange them, so they match the picture. I will show you." The doctor took black and white tiles from a third envelope and placed them on the desk in front of Turner. He showed Turner a picture of a shape. "Ready, go!"

The doctor showed Turner a picture of a bird. Turner arranged the tiles until they formed the same shape as in the example. The doctor noted the time and then the arrangement Turner did. He flips the picture to reveal another pattern. This time the image was a horse.

"Do the same thing with this picture." The doctor observed Turners struggle to do it.

Turner arranged the tiles to fit the new picture.

"Good." The doctor picked up the tiles and put them back in the envelope. "Now, we are going to do the ink blots. I'll show you a picture and you tell me what it is." The doctor entered the results of the previous test. He took a book off the desk and opened it. "What is this?"

"It's a vase." Turner came back quickly with the answer.

"This one?" The doctor flipped pages.

"A butterfly."

The doctor studied it. "How'd you get a butterfly out of that one?" The doctor looked confused. "Have you ever seen one?"

"I've seen pictures of them many times." Turner traced the outline of a butterfly on the page.

"Alright, then it's a butterfly." The doctor conceded. "How about this one?" He flipped the page again.

Turner went through the rest of the book as he told the doctor what each picture looked like to him. The doctor entered the responses into his pad.

"I need you to come with me." The doctor stood and led him to a small room with a chair in the middle. "Please remove your shirt. I need to place electrodes on your chest and head." Turner removed his shirt and laid it next to the chair. "Please, sit." He prepared the electrodes.

Turner sat and watched as the doctor placed the electrodes on his chest. "What is this test for?" Turner looked at the doctor.

"I can't explain the test, or it won't be accurate." The doctor began to place the electrodes in Turner's hair. When the doctor finished, he stepped out and shut the door.

Turner looked around the room without windows. Lights formed the walls, with one other door, and no counter space or cabinets. It was a strange room which was well lit but still gave Turner the creeps.

"Now, just relax and enjoy the test." The doctor's voice came over the loudspeaker in the ceiling.

The lights suddenly went out. It was pitch black in the room. The rookie tried to remember what was in the place and where just in case he needed to know. He heard a door open and shut. But, he saw nothing. There was a sudden sound of a Bohinan as he spoke his language. Turner's heart began to beat faster. He heard instruments on a table next to him rattle, but he remembered there wasn't a table. Turner's heart rate sped up and slowed down. Then, he realized there were no Bohinans onboard the USS Washington. His heart and respiration both slowed.

Psychedelic lights began to flash in his eyes. Then, loud sounds beat against his eardrums. He couldn't even tell what the sounds were, there were too many of them. His heart and respiration began to race. Turner tried to calm but failed. The lights and sounds stopped as quickly as they had started. Turner eased again.

The room started to become very cold and the air became very thin. It became difficult for Turner to breathe. As the temperature dropped and the atmosphere thinned, his heart and respiration began to race once more. He could feel his hands and feet start to go numb from the cold. The temperature continued to drop in the room. Turner tried to find his shirt to cover himself. But, he knocks his shirt away. That was the last thing he remembered.

Turner awoke in the sickbay on a diagnostic bed covered by many warm blankets. A nurse looked down at him when he opened his eyes.

"You're doing fine." The nurse was soft. "You can put the shirt on. The test is over. I'll take you back for further tests.

Turner sat up, turned, shivered as he put his shirt on, and followed the nurse back to the doctor. The doctor administered several more tests before he released Turner to go finish his questionnaire.

Several hours pass by the time Mitchell came for the recruits. When he walked in, the recruits sat in the waiting room as they read articles on the pads. Mitchell stepped up to the nurses' station window.

"Recruits ready to go?" Mitchell leaned on the window.

"Yes." The nurse looked up at him. "They should all be there waiting for you."

"Thank you, ma'am!" Mitchell turned to his recruits. "Make a line at the door!"

The recruits put down their pads and headed for the door. They lined up and waited for Mitchell, who walked to the door.

"We're going back to the gym." He stepped out and held the door. "You know the way."

The recruits walked out the door and turned left as they headed to the gym. Mitchell caught up with the leader.

"Sir, are we going to do PT again?" Werner led the recruits.

"No." Mitchell led them around a corner. "Everything is a test. We need to know how you respond to the training. We are looking at your mental state. We want to know if you are aggressive or do you shy away from pain. Your reactions to situations tell us a lot about you and your ability to handle them. Once you have the enhancements, you will be facing a lot of trials and we need stable people who can handle them well."

When they came to the gym, Mitchell held the door open for his recruits. "Fall in!"

The recruits quickly formed two lines of 10 men and order right as they learned that morning. Then, they stood as they looked forward to the next command. Mitchell walked to the front and center position and looked at his recruits.

"You will be learning judo." Mitchell paced in front of his men. "Captain Wells will be instructing you in the art of Judo. She holds an 8th-degree black belt. I leave you in her care. Captain Wells."

Wells came to her position as Mitchell left the gym.

"We can do this the straightforward way, or we can do this the hard way." Wells faced the group. "There is no clowning around allowed at any time. Judo can get very dangerous if you don't follow the instructions. Today, we will learn how to fall and roll. Everyone shoes off!" Everyone took their shoes off. "Now, form two lines on the mat." Wells stepped aside.

The group quickly formed two lines on the mat and waited for instructions. Wells walked between them.

"Back row back up two paces." Wells stopped and looked at the back row. The back row backed up two paces. "This space allows you to have room to fall without landing on someone." Wells took the center position. "Watch how I fall backward!" She fell and slapped the mat hard with her hand. "See how I lie here with my hand outstretched, my knee up, and foot crossed over the other leg? That's how you land on the mat. When you land stretched out like this, it will help to absorb the impact of the fall. You slap the mat or floor to help absorb the impact also. Watch it again!" She stood and then fell again. "Notice again the way my body is laid out. Now, you will do it." She stood back and watched as the recruits practiced their falls.

Afterward, Mitchell took them to dinner and released them.

Mitchell stood at the head of their table. "You have finished the medical and psychological tests, and now we begin the training sessions. However, remember, everything is a test! You're dismissed!"

Contents

CHAPTER 11 Enhancements

Several weeks later, Mitchell went to the door of the inner office. He stopped at the door and knocked.

"Come in!" Hanks's voice came through the door.

Mitchell entered and walked smartly to the desk then saluted. "Captain Mitchell reporting as ordered, sir!" Mitchell stood at attention and held his salute.

Hanks returned the salute.

Mitchell lowered his salute and stood at ease. "You wanted to see me, sir?" He used a very formal tone.

"Yes." Hanks sat back in his chair. "How's the recruitment coming along?"

"Recruitment is over, sir." Mitchell looked straight at Hanks. "We begin the injections today, sir."

"Good!" Hanks leaned forward with interest and folded his hands on the desk. "How many recruits did we end up with?"

"We have 15 from the Washington and 78 total, sir." Mitchell continued to stand at ease although he shifted his weight from foot to foot a few times. "Now, we see how many can survive the injections, sir."

"Is it that dangerous?" Hanks's expression changed to concern.

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell nodded as he spoke. "We have it as safe as possible, but we can never be totally sure how many will survive. We tell them 10 percent of men don't make it while none of the women make it. But it's not that bad. We want to scare off those not sure about the process."

"So, it's really not that dangerous." Hanks sat back in his chair again with his hands in his lap.

"No, sir!" Mitchell conceded. "But, we can't let it get out that it's not or we'd have too many people that shouldn't have the enhancements, sir."

"So, how dangerous is it really?" Hanks crossed his arms.

"Once in a great while, we may lose one person, sir." Mitchell looked straight at Hanks. "We've only had one woman survive, but she died within hours of the first injection, sir."

"So, you make them think they're about to die." Hanks looked at him sternly.

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell came to attention again. "It's part of their psychiatric testing, sir."

"When does it start?" Hanks cocked his head to one side.

"In half an hour, sir." Mitchell stood at ease.

"Then, let's get going." Hanks unfolded his arms and stood. "I'd like to see this process myself."

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell led Hanks out of the office.

When they arrived in the infirmary, the recruits were ready to get on the diagnostic beds. Several doctors and nurses prepared to administer the injections, with the enhanced troops to assist them. They had the recruits lie on the beds ten at a time.

"Why so many enhanced troops here?" Hanks looked inquisitively at Mitchell.

"The recruits will begin to thrash around so the straps won't be able to hold them down. The enhanced troops are here for safety reasons, sir." Mitchell glanced at the president as he kept an eye on the activity.

"I see." Hanks also watched. "Are we ready to begin?"

"Just about, sir." Mitchell went to check with each of the recruits.

"Is it normal to be nervous about this process, sir?" Torres looked up at Mitchell. He was the only one with his shirt still on.

"Yes." Mitchell looked down at him. "Do you want to stop the process?"

"No, sir!" Torres looked at the ceiling.

Mitchell turned to an enhanced Soldier at the door. "Bring in the suspect!"

"Yes, sir!" The Soldier brought in Torres.

Everyone looked at the two men. They were identical.

"Now, which is which?" Mitchell looked at the one on the bed. "Why haven't you taken your shirt off, Torres?" He crossed his arms.

Torres looked at him calmly. "I don't like to go without my shirt, sir. That's all."

"Remove the shirt!" Mitchell yelled in his command voice. Torres refused. "Take it off of him!" The enhanced Marine with him reached down and tore the shirt off him as Torres fought to stop him. "The scar on your lower abdomen shows you had a kidney removed. You used your twin to fake your physical. I charge the two of you with conspiracy to defraud and other crimes. Take them away!"

The troops took them out of the room. The remaining recruits looked around as they wondered what other surprises lurked in their midst.

Mitchell went to Turner, who seemed quite calm about the process.

"Do you want to stop the process?" Mitchell inquired.

"No, sir!" Turner looked at him. "I'm ready, sir!"

Mitchell had him sign his pad in agreement of the procedure and the obligations. Then he walked to Werner. "How about you, Werner, do you want to stop?"

"No, sir!" Werner looked at the ceiling. "I am ready, sir!"

"Well, you don't convince me." Mitchell looked sternly.

"I am ready, sir!" He looked at Mitchell.

"You don't sound ready." Mitchell started to walk away.

Werner raised up on his elbows quickly. "I am ready, sir!"

"Very well." Mitchell looked back at him. He had Werner sign his pad in agreement.

Werner lowered back down as Mitchell made his rounds and everyone wanted to continue with the process.

"Doctors, I turn them over to you, now!" Mitchell came back to stand beside Hanks.

The doctors started to wheel trays over to each of the recruits. Each of the recruits had two enhanced troops stand at the head of each bed. The doctors rubbed alcohol on the arm of each enlistee. Then, they took the needle with the serum and injected the rookies. With that finished, the doctors rubbed a swab on the injection sites and place a cotton ball over it and a piece of tape. Then the doctors quickly moved the tray and themselves out of the way.

Nothing happened for several minutes. Then, the changes began to occur. The recruits started to toss and turn on the beds as some commenced to yell in agony. Their muscles began to tighten and twist. Their bodies began to change visibly as their muscles grew much like balloons as they inflated. The enhanced troops held the recruits. The moans and groans became louder as the process continued. The briefs on the recruits began to stretch. The muscles forced their way out of the clothes. The process went on for 30 minutes.

Then the moans began to subside as the struggle of the men calmed. They started to breathe more slowly. Turner was the first to sit up. He examined his body.

"Wow!" He checked himself in amazement. "That stuff works fast!"

"Take it easy for a while, Turner." Mitchell walked over to him. "Your strength has increased as well. It will require time to adjust to it."

A Soldier helped Turner off the bed. The recruit stood as he looked at his changed body. He walked over to a mirror and looked at it. He flexed his muscles in the mirror.

"That's me?" Turner looked back at the troops.

"Yes, that's you, Petty Officer." Mitchell went to check on the others.

The others were also out of bed as they checked out their new bodies. Most seemed overwhelmed by the change. The doctors prepared to inject the next group of recruits. The next group of five recruits lay on the beds. The doctors wheeled the trays to them.

"Do any of you want to stop the process?" Mitchell stood in the middle of the area.

"No, sir!" the recruits sat up for a second.

The doctors began to inject the recruits with the serum after the recruits signed their pads and laid down. The growth process began to work on the rookies. Their bodies swelled just as the first group. The recruits were flabbergasted by the change in their bodies. The troops helped them off the beds and they went to the first group of recruits. Each checked out their bodies in the mirror.

When all finished, the nurses started to bring in new clothes for the recruits. The recruits began to put them on, which were a tight fit, but they were wearable. After they dressed in their gray uniforms, Mitchell came over to them.

"These are the uniforms of West Point." Mitchell stood among them. "Wear them with honor and respect." He turned to look at each one. "There are hundreds of years of history behind them. Although the uniforms have changed over the recent years; they're not as fancy as they used to be. You will wear them at all times."

"Yes, sir!" each one replied as they continued to dress in their new uniforms.

Hanks walked up to a recruit. "What's your name?" Hanks watched him.

"Fredrick Handley, sir." Handley put on his shirt.

"How do you feel?" Hanks inquired.

"I feel fine now, sir." Handley looked at him. "Much better than when the process was going on."

"Good." Hanks started to leave. "That shirt fits rather tight, don't you think?"

"Yes, sir!" Hanley replied with pride. "It shows off my new muscles."

"That attitude will change real quick." Mitchell walked by.

"Yes, sir!" Handley changed his tone.

"It's understandable." Hanks walked on to the next recruit.

"What's your name?" Hanks looked at him.

"Lee Jackson, sir!" Jackson stood at attention.

"As you were." Hanks smiled at him. "How do you feel?"

"Better, sir!" Jackson relaxed. "It will take time to adjust to feeling so strong, sir. It's like the injection just blew me up like some balloon."

"There will be two more injections over the next year." Hanks started to leave.

"Yes, sir!" Jackson replied.

Hanks continued to go around and speak with each of the recruits. He learned each of their names. As he started to walk out of the examination area, one of the recruits began to yell in agony as he gripped his abdomen. The rookie started to vomit on the floor. The nurses helped him back to a diagnostic bed. He began to squirm out of control. Several of the enhanced troops stepped in to assist. Hanks turned to watch what happened to the recruit who started to cough up blood. The doctors examined the rookie as the body suddenly went limp. The staff tried to revive him, but their efforts failed. One doctor pronounced him dead.

"I want all recruits to stay here overnight for observation." Dr. Collins came to Mitchell.

Mitchell shook his head. "We have the training to do. We don't have time for this. I have to cram six years of training into two years."

"Sorry, those are my orders." Dr. Collins turned to the other recruits. "Get settled in for the night, Boys. You're not going anywhere until tomorrow morning. And you, Captain, can do your training here in the meantime."

"I feel too hyper to lay in bed all day, ma'am." Handley went to a nearby bed.

"That is part of the adrenaline rush you get from the injection." Dr. Collins looked at him. "But, as you can see, it can change quickly at any time."

"Yes, ma'am!" Handley sat up on the bed.

Hanks and Mitchell left the infirmary. They headed back to Hanks's office.

"Did Brown have a family here?" Hanks walked beside Mitchell.

"No, sir!" Mitchell looked at him.

"I wonder how the other ships are doing with their enhancements." Hanks dodge a worker.

"I can call, sir!" Mitchell stepped behind Hanks to avoid a collision with another worker.

"Do that and meet me back in my office." Hanks looked at him. "I have a matter to resolve before we meet."

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell veered off for his office.

Contents

CHAPTER 12 Weekend Pass

Several recruits walked into the game room as they joked around. They looked for something to do to blow off steam. The game room had too many people as usual. It was a Friday night. With no games open and a crowd gathered for the evening matches, the recruits looked disappointed.

"What are we going to do, Gentlemen?" Werner led the group into the game room.

"Our first-weekend pass in six months looks like it's going bust!" Sanchez yelled over the noise of the crowd. "The place is packed."

"How about some arm wrestling, Boys?" Werner looked toward the crowd.

"How?" Jackson looked at Werner. "We can't challenge anyone who hasn't been enhanced while we're not big enough yet to challenge the enhanced troops."

"What do you suggest we do, challenge each other?" Werner looked back at Jackson.

"It would certainly be better than getting an Article 15 on our first-weekend pass or get our arms broken." Jackson looked around.

"Let's just challenge each other." Handley walked to the head of the group.

Werner stopped and turned toward his fellow recruits. "Where's your spirit of adventure?"

"In ... check!" Jackson snapped as he looked at him, sternly. "If you want to challenge the enhanced troops, go right ahead. Not me."

Werner turned back around and made his way through the crowd to the front. The others followed. Werner looked around at the competition.

"Oh, great!" Werner noticed a group of troops. "There are too many instructors around."

"What difference does that make?" Sanchez came to stand next to Werner. "As long as you don't intend to break the rules, it shouldn't matter."

Werner gave Sanchez a heavy sigh. Then, he looked back at the competition. After the match ended, he decided to challenge the winner. Werner walked up to the table and got into position. His opponent was Captain Mitchell, who stood there flabbergasted that a recruit would even think of a challenge. But, as he knew Werner's personality, he decided to take up the problem.

"Ready to have your arm broken?" Mitchell looked Werner in the eye.

"If need be, sir." Werner was cocky.

"Let's go, then." Mitchell got into position.

The referee started them. As soon as they started, there was a loud snap. The crowd did not even have time to respond.

Werner suddenly jolted awake in the infirmary. Mitchell stood next to his bed.

"The arm has been fixed thanks to this new alien technology." Mitchell walked away from Werner. "What on earth were you thinking to challenge me in arm wrestling? You're no match for me yet. You're to have an Article 15 for damaging government property. I told you once you received an injection, you were ours. That means you take care of government property. You don't go out and pick a fight with someone. Especially, with someone bigger than you." Mitchell left the room.

"You managed to do both, Werner." Jackson walked up to him. "You got an Article 15 and a broken arm all on the first night of our first-weekend pass in six months. On top of it, you passed out right in front of everyone."

"Yeah." Sanchez stood at the foot of the bed. "Where'd you learn to dance that way?" He did a mock fainting dance.

"Oh, cut it out!" Werner sat up on the bed.

"Guys, let's get back to our weekend of freedom before our pass passes." Handley started toward the door.

Werner hopped off the diagnostic bed and followed the guys out of the infirmary.

"Where do we go now?" Handley went with the group down the corridor.

"Let's ask Werner and see what other entertainment he has for us," Turner suggested from the back of the group.

"Yeah, is he going to do his dance again?" Sanchez once again started to mock Werner.

"Enough!" Werner walked ahead of the group.

The others in the corridor stopped and looked at them.

"Let's get something to eat before the line gets too long." Jackson led the group to the mess hall.

The recruits headed for the mess. When they reached the line, it was already halfway down the corridor. They stood in the queue. It moved slowly. A couple of girls walked toward them. Werner made his chest muscles move. The girls giggled.

"Werner, what are you doing?" Turner turned to look at him. "Are you trying for another Article 15 on the same day?"

Werner ignored Turner as he continued to entertain the girls. But, they just walked by as they giggled and whispered to each other. Then, Werner stopped. The line moved along.

Eventually, the recruits made their way into the mess hall. They each stepped in a separate line for the food dispensers. When they reached them, they ordered their meals and drinks. Then, they headed for the tables. They had to sit in small groups.

As they ate, a fight broke out at a table next to theirs. Werner went to calm the situation. One man went to take a swing at another man. Werner quickly grabbed the man's wrist. The man yelled in agony. Werner let go when he realized what he had done. The man turned toward Werner.

"Sorry, sir." Werner reached up to deflect a blow. "The infirmary can fix it quickly."

The man took a swing at Werner with his other hand. Jackson pulled Werner out of the way. The man's fist barely missed Werner.

"Werner, you're going to have us all in the brig." Jackson pushed him back to their table.

"Demons!" The man headed for the infirmary.

"Think before your act, Werner." Sanchez sat again to finish his meal.

The recruits finished their meals. As they took their trays to the window, Sanchez noticed some more girls as they came toward them.

"Watch out, Guys." Sanchez watched Werner. "Werner is going to try to pick up some more girls."

"What's wrong with picking up some girls?" Werner kept his eyes on the girls.

"Nothing, except the way you try to do it." Sanchez shook his head as the other guys laughed.

"It's not funny!" Werner frowned as the girls passed by. "Let's get back to the game room." Werner took his tray to the window with an upset expression. Then, he left the mess hall.

When they reached the game room, they met Captain Wells as she left. She stopped.

"Well, Boys, don't you do anything but hang around together?" Wells crossed her arms.

"We're a group to ourselves, ma'am," Jackson spoke from the middle of the group. "We're no longer part of those not enhanced and not yet part of the enhanced troops."

"Feeling caught in the middle, huh?" Wells looked at all the recruits.

"Yes, ma'am!" Jackson hung his head.

"That's normal." Wells looked at him. "They all went through that. You'll be one of them soon enough. You have what ... one more injection and 4 more months of training?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Jackson lifted his head.

"Your time is coming." Wells unfolded her arms. "Spend time with the enhanced troops. They'll understand more of what you're going through than those who have not been enhanced."

"Yes, ma'am!" Jackson put his hands on his hips.

Wells left while the recruits headed for the matches. The crowd cheered two Seals as they wrestled for the best position.

"Going to try again, Werner?" Turner looked back at him.

"I can beat you any day, Turner." Werner glared at him.

"Next match?" Turner made his way to the front.

"Alright, you're on!" Werner accepted the challenge.

When the match ended, Werner and Turner stepped forward. The referee handed each a colored strap. Werner had the red band while Turner had the green one as the two recruits took up their positions.

"You need the rules?" The referee looked at both the recruits.

"No, sir!" The recruits stared at each other.

"Ready ... go!" the referee took his position.

The crowd chanted for the color they wanted to win.

Werner strained to try to get the advantage. Turner just stared at Werner with very little sign of strain. Werner twisted harder. Werner's elbow slipped off the pad. The referee stopped the match to allow Werner to reposition himself. Then, they went at it again, but Werner could not budge. Suddenly, Turner forced Werner's arm to the table. The referee blew his whistle and slapped his hand on the table. He took their hands and raised the green side. The two shook hands and Jackson came up to challenge Turner.

The next day Werner awoke in his quarters and walked into the lavatory. He looked in the mirror and brushes the sleep out of his eyes. As the recruit checked for any signs of a reaction to the injections, the young man noticed a rash on his back. He looked at it more closely.

"What on earth is that?" He said to himself.

He showered and shaved. Then, he rechecked the rash. It was still there. He dressed and went to the sickbay.

Werner went to the nurses' station to sign in and took his seat. The wait was a long one, so he flipped through the pad articles. He stood and paced. A nurse stepped out the door.

"Anthony Werner!"

He went in with the nurse. She took him into an examination and checked his preliminary items.

"What seems to be the problem?" The nurse made notes on the laptop.

"I have been receiving enhancement injections, then I noticed a rash." He pointed to the area on his back to show where the rash was.

"Anything else?" The nurse looked at him.

"Not that I've noticed." Werner put his hands on the bed on either side of him.

"Okay, let me check your temperature." The nurse pulled out a thermometer. "You may be allergic to the injections."

The nurse checked his temp and went for the doctor. After a long wait, Dr. Collins came into the room.

"So, your concern is a rash on your back." She looked at her laptop. "Anthony, does the rash itch?"

"No, ma'am!" He looked at the doctor and watched her type. "I didn't know it was there until this morning when I checked myself in the mirror."

"Remove your shirt, then let's see what it looks like." She sat the computer on the counter. Werner took his shirt off while Dr. Collins checked the rash. She poked around the area. "Is that tender?" She felt around the outbreak.

"No, ma'am!" Werner looked back at what she did.

"Let's do some blood work and see what that tells us." She took the computer off the counter and typed. "Do you have shortness of breath, watery eyes, or any other symptoms?"

"My eyes water a lot, ma'am." He watched her. "But, not right now."

"It sounds like you're having an allergic reaction to the injections." She looked up at him.

"An allergic reaction?" Werner started to become upset. "I've had two shots already in six months with no reaction. Now, suddenly, I have an allergic reaction?"

"Yes." Dr. Collins stopped and looked at him. "It's quite common for people to be exposed to something for extended periods and suddenly develop an allergy to it."

"Does that mean the injections are deadly?" Werner became upset.

"Not necessarily." She tried to calm him. "Let me check the blood results and see what we can do. With these injections, we can give you an antibody that can counter the allergic reaction. Then, you can safely continue the injections. First, let me see the results of the blood work. Don't fret over this. It's not a major problem anymore."

Dr. Collins left the room. Werner could hear her as she talked to someone. Soon a technician came in to draw his blood.

"So, you're the Vampire on duty?" He tried to liven up the situation.

She took his blood and left.

After an hour wait, Dr. Collins returned with a needle and some medication.

"So, I'm allergic to the injections?" He watched her prepare the injection.

"Yes, you are definitely allergic." She came to him with the injection. "But, as I said before, it's not a major problem anymore. I need you to stand and drop your drawers a little."

Werner stood, faced away from the doctor, and dropped his pants a little. Werner gasped a little as she struck him.

"Okay, you may pull your pants up and get dressed." Dr. Collins put the needle away.

Werner dressed. "Do I have to get this shot every time I get an injection?" Werner tucked in his shirt.

"Yes." Dr. Collin typed in some information. "I'll note it in your file."

"Thank you, ma'am." Werner faced the doctor.

"Here is some medication to put on the rash after you shower." She handed it to him.

"Thank you, ma'am." He took it. "How long do I use it?"

"Until the rash is gone. Anything else?" Dr. Collins held the computer ready to leave.

"No, ma'am!" Werner stepped away from the table.

"Okay." She turned to leave. "The rash should be gone in a day or two. Take care."

The doctor left the room as she took the needle. Werner followed and left the infirmary.

Werner heads for the lunch line. When he reached the line, he saw some girls. He pushed up his shirt sleeves and approached the line. The girls looked at him.

"What's with the gray uniform?" The blonde looked at him strangely.

"I'm a recruit for the military." Werner crossed his arms.

"Is that why you're so big?" The girl ran her hand over his arms.

"Yes." Werner as he puffed himself up a bit. "I'm in the process of being enhanced."

The girl quickly withdrew from him. "Oh, so you don't really work for the muscles." The girl turned back to her girlfriends and ignored him.

"I work out every day." Werner let the air out of his muscles. As he waited in line, the other recruits came and joined him. Jackson looked at him.

"Are you sick?" Jackson checked Werner over.

"No." Werner looked at Jackson and then back to the wall across from him.

"You must be." Jackson glanced at his friends and then back at Werner. "You're that close to a girl, and you're not trying to pick her up."

"He's not sick." Turner looked at Werner. "He already tried. She turned him down."

"Werner got turned down by a girl?" Handley mocked him. "How can that be? What happened, didn't you show your chest?"

The guys started to laugh. Werner walked away. Soon, he came to Mitchell who stopped him. Mitchell looked at him.

"What's wrong with you?" He looked at him more intently.

"Nothing, sir." Werner would not make eye contact.

"Now, I know better than that." Mitchell pressed on. "What's wrong?"

"The guys are picking on me for trying to pick up a girl, sir." Werner sulked.

"That's normal for guys your age to try to get a girl." Mitchell smiled. "Any success?"

"Things seemed fine until she found out I'm enhanced, sir." Werner tried to avoid eye contact with Mitchell. "She seemed disappointed that I didn't work for my muscles. Then, the guys came and started picking on me about trying to pick up a girl."

"Don't worry about it." Mitchell finally made eye contact. "You're not the first one to feel the urge to show off his new muscles to the girls. Even I did it. Have you eaten yet?"

"No, sir!" Werner sulked again.

"Let's go eat." Mitchell turned Werner around. "My family should be here soon. You can meet them."

"Yes, sir!" Werner walked alongside of Mitchell still dejected.

By the time Mitchell and Werner arrived at the end of the line, his wife, Carolyn, and Tommy were already at the end of the line. Tommy ran to his Dad.

Tommy held his arms out to his father and made a five-hand at his forehead.

"Hey, Tommy." Mitchell picked up little Tommy. "Been a good boy?"

Tommy nodded.

"This is Anthony Werner, one of the men Daddy works with." Mitchell led Tommy to the end of the line. "This is our son Tommy who's mute. This is my wife, Carolyn."

"Hello, ma'am." Werner walked up to her.

"Hello." Carolyn shook his hand.

"Werner." Mitchell stood Tommy in the line. "Don't try to show off to girls. They don't really like that. Just be yourself. I know there is the temptation to show off your new muscles but avoid it."

"Yes, sir!" Werner acted as if the captain scolded him.

"What have you been doing with your Pass?" Mitchell as he changed the subject.

"Did some arm wrestling with the other recruits." Werner looked down at Tommy, then back at Mitchell.

"That's good." Mitchell watched Werner.

"I had to spend this morning in the infirmary because of a rash." Werner pointed to the spot on his back to show where it was. "I've developed an allergy to the serum. So now, I must get shots every time I get these injections. Doc said it's no big deal anymore."

"Good." Mitchell hung on to Tommy's hand. "It's good you caught it early before it really made you sick."

"Yes, sir!" Werner moved up in line a little.

The Mitchells and Werner finally entered the mess hall.

"What do you plan to do today?" Mitchell led his family into one of the lines for the food dispensers.

"I don't know, sir." Werner looked over from the line next to Mitchell's.

"Start hanging around regular people." Mitchell started to order their meals. "Life will go much easier if you make friends with people who have not been enhanced as well as enhanced troops. Staying with enhanced only will isolate you from the rest."

"Yes, sir!" Werner moved closer to the dispensers.

Once they ordered their meals, they looked for a place to sit. When they found seats, they quickly went to them.

"Sir, what's it like to fight the Bohinan?" Werner took a bite.

"They're an ugly bunch in many ways." Mitchell also ate. "They are like a bull that stands upright. They're covered with hair like a bull. They wear armor made of silver links, like mesh clothes. They are strong, but not like us. They usually fight in groups. Get one or two alone; they're no match for one of us. They can only take us if there are many of them."

"How are we going to attack their entire planet, sir?" Werner stopped just before he took a bite.

"We have another year before we reach Bohina." Mitchell smiled. "We have several plans, one of which includes sending in the troops. That would be the last resort. Another plan involves shaking the Bohinan up a bit."

"How would you do that, sir?" Werner took his bite.

"Create artificial earthquakes on Bohina." Mitchell motioned Tommy to cut his food.

"How do you plan to do that, sir?" Werner looked puzzled.

"Classified, sorry." Mitchell looked at him.

Jackson and the rest of the gang met up with Werner. Jackson came to the table.

"Good afternoon, sir, ma'am." Jackson glanced at both then at Werner. "Are you coming with us this afternoon, Werner?"

"And go where?" Werner finished his lunch.

"To the weight room." Jackson turned to go.

"Sure." Werner stood.

"Meet us there in an hour." Jackson left to catch up with the other recruits as they headed for the window.

"You're working out on a day off?" Mitchell looked up at him.

"Yes, sir!" Werner looked at him. "It's something to do besides it feels good to make progress, sir. If you would excuse me, ma'am, sir." Werner left the table.

That night Werner entered his lavatory, removed his shirt, and turned to look at his rash again. It had spread and turned into welts as they started to itch a little. He put his shirt back on and left for the infirmary.

He went to the nurses' station and signed in. Then, he went to sit. He had to wait a long time as there were others also in the waiting room. Eventually, the people filtered through the system, then it became Werner's turn.

He went in through the door as the nurse led him to the examination room. Once there, he had another long wait. As he waited, the rash began to itch. Werner fought to resist the urge to itch it. He started to rub his back. Then, he stopped.

"Oh, come on, Doctor," Werner whispered as his itch spread.

By the time the doctor entered the room, Werner had rubbed his back hard.

"Don't do that!" The doctor entered the room and sat the computer on the counter.

Werner stopped and looked at him. "Sorry, Doctor, but it itches so bad now."

"I realize that." The doctor came over to him. "Let's have a look at it."

Werner removed his shirt. The doctor looked at it.

"You have it, inflamed, now." The doctor examined it. "Rubbing it will only make it worse. I have a cream you can put on it to make the itch stop." The doctor checked the computer. "According to the records, you just had a shot this morning."

"Yes, sir!" Werner squirmed on the table.

"I know it itches, but don't touch it. Let me go get the cream. You're not allergic to alcohol, are you?" The doctor stopped and looked at him. Werner shook his head. "Good, creams all have alcohol in them. If you were, we'd have to use an ointment, which is oil based." He left the room for only a moment and returned with a small tube. "Here, put this on the spot that itches." He handed the container to Werner. "You don't need a lot of it. Just a little on your finger will do the trick."

Werner followed the doctor's instructions. As he did, the itch stopped instantly. "Am I getting worse?" He finished the application of the cream.

"Not, really." The doctor looked it over. "The medication hasn't kicked in yet. Give it time."

"Alright, sir." Werner closed the tube. "How often do I have to apply this?"

"Every six hours." The doctor entered the information into the computer. "The tube should last you several days."

"Thank you, sir." Werner stood.

"Any other symptoms?" The doctor looked at him.

"No, sir!" Werner put his shirt back on.

"Then, come back, if there are any more problems." The doctor picked up the computer and went to the door. "The medication will work. So, don't worry about it. Some of the symptoms can come on as psychosomatic. In other words, you can mentally bring on some of the symptoms by worrying about them."

"Yes, sir!" Werner got ready to leave.

The doctor turned and left the room as Werner followed. The corporal went out to the waiting room and met Brian Vogel. Vogel sat as he read a pad article. His friend walked over to him.

"Having a reaction to the injections?" Werner stopped in front of him.

He looked up. "Yes. I have a large red blotch on my chest. It itches."

"Don't scratch or rub it." The corporal warned him. "It would only make it worse. They have shots for the reaction and a cream for the itch." He showed him the tube the doctor gave him.

"You are having a reaction, too? Vogel looked surprised.

"Yeah." Werner lowered his hand. "It seems we have an allergy to the injections. But don't worry. The shots will stop the reaction in a few days."

He left the infirmary and went back to his quarters. He disrobed in his bedroom and walked to the window. He gazed out at the stars as they passed by. Then, he went to bed.

Contents

CHAPTER 13 Take Over

A year into their captivity, their hair and beards had grown long. They still wore their rags. Their cell looked more like a stall for animals. Straw-covered the floor and bales of hay for beds.

Guards still stood to watch over them. They made several attempts over the past year but always ended up back in the cell. Their last escape attempt resulted in an electronic collar placed around their necks. Although they could stretch the collar as they flexed their necks, the Humana found the men received a shock, if they extended their collar too far.

The Bohinan left the humans alone much of the time, sometimes one of them went before the captain for his amusement. The commander had them do feats of strength, especially Samson. Sometimes the commander had them bend bars or lift Soldiers overhead several times. The humans did this more for the exercise than compliance. To the enhanced troops exercise made the adrenaline flow and prepared them for battle.

Hercules was not as lucky. He had to settle for smaller gains from the exercises. He could not do the feats the others could, so Mootoomoo did not call him much. Mootoomoo tested Hercules in other areas that would show some value.

Richards often thought of the boys back on the USS Washington. He wondered who cared for them while he was gone. He thought of their fears that something would happen to him. Now, after all the reassuring words that nothing would happen, how would Jacob handle this? Did they have someone care for them?

He thought a lot about Sherry, his soulmate, his anchor. Then the past would overtake him, and the headaches would return forcefully. The general would attempt to do his breathing exercises to bring his heart rate back down. However, he seldom succeeded.

Dusya, if you are really there, why don't you help us?

Samson nudged Richards out of his thoughts when a bull brought their meal. They only received grains and water. They ate their lunch in silence. Then Richards spoke up as he always did. "Don't you people have any real food?"

"You always ask that, Humana." The bull looked sternly at Richards. "And you already know the answer. This is all the food you will ever see again."

"Beef sounds pretty good right about now." Hercules looked from his food to the guard.

"Beef?" the bull turned his attention to Hercules. "What is 'beef?'"

"Meat." Rocky stood. "Take 'Bohina' change the 'a' to an 'e' and the 'h' to a 'v' and you have Bovine, Latin for cow."

"Why would you want to eat a person?" The thought clearly repulsed the bull.

"I thought more of a bull." Rocky walked toward him.

The bull turned and walked away. Rocky returned to his bed and picked up the tray. He sat again as the beast left the room. The guards, as always, watched them eat curiously as if they watched animals in the movies. They kept an eye on the guards as the guards tended to throw food their way.

By the time they came to the cell, the humans had finished with their meal. One guard stuck his head in between the wall where the humans had spread the projectors.

"Hey, Humana! Don't you eat much?" The guard taunted the Humana, "How will you perform for King Moovoo if you don't keep up your strength?"

Hercules stood and walked up to the guard. He stood for a moment, jumped up and bent the lights back in place, which closed the hole around the guard's neck before he could move. The guard tried to free himself but was unable to do so. The other guard broke out in a loud sound.

"Mooooo!" The other guard shook with laughter.

"Moo woo moo!" The first guard struggled to get free.

The other guard gathered his composure and came to assist his frustrated comrade. He tried to open the hole but was unable to do it. "Don't just stand there, Humana!" The guard barked in Lorana.

"Moo woo moo!" The trapped guard cried out again. The guard began to bang his horns against the wall as his frustration turned to panic. "Moo woo moo moo roo!" The guard fought to get free.

Hercules stepped over to the guard calmly as he thrashed against the beams. He started to reach for the rays and stopped as the guard beat against them.

"Stop!" Hercules backed away. "I'll let you out."

After a few minutes, the guard finally stopped. Corey jumped and bent the lights apart again. This time far enough to let the humans out of the cell. The guard pulled his head out from the hole. The other guard started to laugh at his comrade again. The freed guard punched his comrade out with a single punch. The laughter stopped.

The guard looked back at Hercules. "Moo roo moo!"

"I take it you're not happy," Hercules said in English.

A third guard entered the room. He examined the guard on the floor, followed by an argument between him and the other guard. The discussion was quite heated. Hercules stood by as they argued. After they finished, the guard next to Hercules turned and allowed him to step out of the cell.

Hunter stepped out of the cell as the guards led him to the commander who sat in his command chair. The commander had Hercules tied up with thick reeds. When the guards finished with them, the bulls stepped back.

"Now, Humana, let's see you break free." Mootoomoo watched as if to dare him.

Hercules sighed heavily and stood in front of him without any attempt to break free. Mootoomoo stood and circled him.

"Come now, Humana." The captain continued around him. "You can bend rods. What's the problem with reeds?"

"I'm tired of your games!" Corey became angry.

"You belong to Bohina." The commander stopped in front of him. "You will entertain the king or die."

"What do these games of yours have to do with entertaining your king?" Hercules stood with the reeds still tied around him.

"The new king has never seen Humana." The commander continued around him again. "I want to show him the limits of your strength. Then, he can decide where all Humana will serve Bohina."

"Humans will not be your servants!" Hercules was defiant.

"Break the reeds!" Mootoomoo snorted and stepped in Corey's face.

Hercules refused to budge. So, Mootoomoo motioned a guard to stun him with a rod. Corey used his mind to block out the pain. The guard jabbed him repeatedly to no avail. He stood defiantly with the reeds wrapped around him.

The bull became impatient, took the rod from the guard, and went to Hunter. "Do it!" He snorted.

"Nimi!" Hercules kept an eye on him as he remained defiant.

Mootoomoo jabbed him with the rod and held it to allow the pain to build. He resisted the temptation to let out a yell. The commander released the jab as the pain subsided. Hercules continued to control his reaction to the pain.

"You have a great tolerance to pain, Humana." Mootoomoo circled him again. "But, all animals have their limit. It's only a matter of time to find yours. Shall we find yours?"

He jabbed Hunter angrily again and held it against him. The commander allowed the pain to rise, as Corey attempted to focus his mind elsewhere. The pain built up. The bull continued to hold the rod against Hercules's side. The human started to go into a trance to block the pain. The pain built more. The bull had another jab Hunter with his rod. The guard jabbed and held his rod against the human. The pain increased faster. But, Hunter managed to block the pain. Mootoomoo had yet another bull jab him with his rod. The mighty Hercules began to quiver under the increased torture. He still fought to block the pain. The commander had even another guard jab him; Corey started to puff his chest as Hunter struggled to control the pain. He began to raise his arms as the pain continued to build. The strain on the reeds caused them to stretch. The sound of the wraps as they spread and snapped a little at a time as the staps continued to fray. The commander ordered another guard to come and jab him. The reeds frayed more as Hercules puffed himself up and raised his arms. The bands finally started to snap from the pressure. Soon, they fell to the floor. But, Hunter did not yell or cry out in pain. Mootoomoo and the others withdrew their rods.

"So, you can break the reeds." The captain regained his composure and took a few steps back. "You have a great tolerance for pain. A mental discipline few have mastered."

"Except for humans, who can master pain?" Hercules relaxed from his task. "Now, what did this task prove?"

"It wasn't meant to prove anything." Mootoomoo walked around to face him. "We just have a long journey and needed some entertainment."

"If you want entertainment, I can show you entertainment." Hunter looked around the room. "Why don't you have your best warriors challenge me to a fight?"

"So, you like it rough!" Mootoomoo surveyed his bulls. "We can do that." He motioned his beasts to attack Hercules.

As they came at him, he jumped and kicked two of them with enough force to knock them into the others. Hercules landed on his feet. He took an old-fashioned football stance ready to tackle anyone who came. The Bohinan looked at him with puzzled expressions.

"Come on!" Corey urged the bulls to attack. "Don't you know old football? Sorry, you don't have a word for 'football.'"

The beasts finally got the idea to attack so they came at Hercules who charged them and ducked under the much taller animals. He crawled out behind them as they tried to catch him. The bulls started to fight as they bumped into one another.

"Come on, fellas!" Hunter looked them over. "I'm just getting started. Have you given up so easily?"

The commander motioned for them to move. Some hurried to their hooves while others stayed on the floor. "Get him!" The commander ordered angrily for the bulls to surround Hunter. They slowly tightened the circle. Hercules took a defensive stance as he turned to face each beast. By the time they charged at him, he was able to plan out his counterattack. He used his martial arts to beat back all the bulls. They fell quickly as Hunter used a combination of kicks and punches. His speed helped him to keep his attackers off guard. Soon, all the bulls lay on the floor.

With them taken care of, Hercules quickly turned his attention to the commander. He ran up to Mootoomoo, grabbed a stun rod, and jabbed him in the abdomen.

"Let's find the limit of your pain tolerance, Mootoomoo." Hercules held the stun rod against the captain.

"Mooooooooooooooooo!" The captain yelled out repeatedly. His cries sounded like whaling of pain. As the commander passed out, Hercules dropped to his knees as he breathed shallow and fast.

After a while, Hunter stood and went off the bridge and found his friends. But he had no key to unlock the door, so he looked for a bull with one. Corey came to the old beast who worked on the training rings and picked up a key to the door and the collars about their necks. The old bull was just happy that someone would talk to him, so he was delighted to help Hunter in any way he could. The beast even offered the human a drink of his stash. Hunter turned down the offer but took a few minutes to chat with him. Then he left to help his friends escape.

He returned to the cargo hold and opened the door. Hercules snuck in and crouched beside the cabinets as he watched the guards. He aimed a weapon the old bull gave him and turned up the setting to full power and shot both guards quickly. With the guards gone, he turned his attention to his friends.

He aimed at the projectors in the ceiling and shot them out. The wall vanished, as a result, his friends were free. They headed out of the room.

When they entered the bridge, they found the bulls had recovered from their experience with Hercules. The bulls attacked them while the humans beat them back.

Samson picked up another weapon and turned to kill. He used it to kill five bulls, who were all vaporized. Samson gave the dropped weapons to his friends who slaughtered most of the beasts. However, Mootoomoo escaped the bridge.

Richards went to find Mootoomoo while the others took control of the bridge and the operation of the ship.

Contents

CHAPTER 14 Recovery

The humans were busy with the lockdown of the bridge. Samson focused on the controls and what they meant. He learned Lorana, but the Bohinan language was challenging to read. They had symbols which represented the body movement along with the alphabet of the word. This made it a challenge to decipher the buttons which abbreviated much of the information. Suddenly, he threw up his hands as he mouthed a few choice words.

Samson began to experiment with the buttons, as he did strange things started to happen. The air commenced to thin and the alarms bellowed their sounds.

"Hey! What did you do?" Richards hurried across the bridge to Samson.

Samson looked up. "I hit the air button, sir. I can't figure out this language, so I have to experiment with the buttons to figure out what does what, sir."

Richards looked over the controls. "Which button was it?"

Samson showed him. "This one, sir. I am keeping track the best I can of the oxygen level, sir."

"Keep it low for them but not too low that it causes problems for us." Richards tried to understand the air level. "Remember, Hunter isn't enhanced like us, so he needs more oxygen than we do."

"Yes, sir!" Samson looked at a light that came on. He pressed the button.

"This is Mootoomoo, get off my bridge!" Mootoomoo's voice came over the speakers.

"We are not ready to succumb to your demands just yet, Mootoomoo. We have some surprises just for you." Richards looked over the console as he studied the controls.

"Remember, you are on this ship, too." Mootoomoo's voice came back as it came and faded and came back again as if he moved about the room he hid in. "You need air, too. I have some surprises for you, too, Animal. You will not succeed."

Samson pressed the button again. "He can manipulate these controls easier than we can, sir."

"I'm aware of that." Richards checked a button. He pressed it. A beam of light shot another ship which caused it to explode.

"Sir, you shot a ship!" Hunter found the helm. He tried several buttons and took the ship in a nose dive. Then he brought is back to formation headed straight for the pack.

"Hunter, what are you doing?" Rocky rushed to the helm.

"I don't know, Gunny. I'm still trying to decipher these here crazy buttons." Hercules searched the buttons for something to avoid a collision.

Meanwhile, the other Bohinan vessels moved to avoid a collision and flew into others. Everybody had to divert to avoid the debris field, to include the humans and the Rahman. The lead ship continued its erratic path in and out of the Bohinan fleet.

A sub-commander appeared on the viewscreen. The beast hollered in Bohinan as he shook his fist. When he noticed the humans in control of the bridge, he switched to Lorana. "What are you doing on the bridge? Where is Mootoomoo?"

Richards came to the screen. "We don't know where he went. We had a bit of a skirmish over here. Now, we are attempting to fly this garbage scow."

Several armed bulls popped onto the bridge with Richards. He turned to face them as Rocky and Samson held their weapons pointed at the Bohinan who looked around and saw the armed humans.

"You need me to fly this 'Garbage scow.'" One bull pointed his weapon at the general.

"Ah!" Rocky aimed and shot the bull which vaporized him. "No ... actually ... we don't."

The other two bulls found themselves surrounded by armed Humana. "You need us, Beasts!" One held his head high in defiance.

Samson shot him, he disappeared which left one to fly the ship. Rocky reached and grabbed his weapon. The bull went to the helm without a struggle. He sat as Hunter left the seat and brought the vessel under control.

"Where do we go, sir?" Hunter kept an eye on the captive bull.

"The nearest space station would do." Richards glanced at him and then changed to Lorana and gave his directions.

The bull pressed some buttons while the ship led the way as the other vessels followed. "We will arrive in three tores."

"That's about one week, sir." Samson kept his weapon trained on the bull.

"That gives them plenty of time to find a way in while we will get mighty hungry." Richards turned back to the screen. "As you can see, we have your helmsman and control of the vessel."

"So, you say." The sub-commander waved his arm. Samson and Rocky vanished. "We have two of your beasts."

Hunter pressed some buttons on another console. The sub-commander and his bridge crew vanished. "OOPs!" Hunter realized what he had done.

Richards turned to him. "What did you do now, Corporal?"

"I think I popped them, sir." Hunter looked over the controls. "But, I don't know how to un-pop them or finish the pop, sir. They disappeared, but I can't make them reappear somewhere else, sir." Hunter became very nervous and tried other buttons.

The bulls appeared trapped halfway into the floor. They did not move, but their blood ran across the floor.

Richards looked at the bulls. "Corporal, you really made a mess of this."

"Sorry, sir." Hunter looked for the controls again. The bulls vanished, but the blood remained. "I'll clean it up, sir."

"Do that!" Richards shook his head as he looked back at the screen. "Now, find our men and bring them back!"

"Yes, sir! Hope to, sir!" Hunter was frantic as he pressed buttons.

The general put his hands on his head as he shook his head and looked up. "Why?"

Samson and Rocky appeared on the bridge as someone started to pound on the doors.

Bulls busted through the doors and surveyed the bridge. There was no one on the deck, but one beast noticed the blood on the floor. They searched the whole bridge but still found no one.

The humans appeared on the pad of the Bohinan popper with the bull surrounded. The humans stepped off the pad and held their weapons on the beast.

Richards went to the control console and looked things over. "Can you work this without killing us?"

"I think so, sir." Hunter came to the console and looked it over. "I will need to try it out using the Guinea pig." He pressed some buttons, but only the skeleton of the bull vanished with the rest slumped in a pile. "That didn't turn out too good." He pressed some other buttons, so the flesh heap disappeared. He looked at the general. "How do I know it arrived on the Washington, sir?"

Before Richards could answer, bulls overran the room. They forced the Humana back to the cargo hold where they placed them in shackles suspended from the ceiling. Guards stood at the door while the cell walls were back in place. This time there were four guards.

"I don't intend to hang around like some bat, sir." Samson swung up and grabbed the bar between his feet. He bent it back and forth until it broke. Then he freed his feet and let them down. "You better start following my lead, or you'll pass out."

The three swung up and started to work on the bars. Richards and Rocky broke their bars, but Hunter gave up on his. He couldn't budge the bar.

"This thing is two inches thick!" He hung on to the bar.

Samson swung over to Corey and broke his bar. Then he freed his corporal from the shackles. The two dropped to the floor as the other two released their feet. They fell, too.

The bulls came to the wall with their weapons ready.

Samson went to meet them. "Oh, look! It's the four Musketeers all lined up for us."

Mootoomoo entered the room with more guards. "You can't escape, Animals. Where would you go?"

Richards stepped forward. "We are going where we intend to go, Beasty."

"What does that mean?" Mootoomoo went nose to muzzle with Richards.

"You'll see!" Richards glared at him defiantly.

Contents

CHAPTER 15 Half Way

Hanks entered the gym while the recruits performed their pushups. Mitchell paced in front of the formation.

"Attention!" Mitchell yelled when he saw Hanks enter.

The recruits stopped their pushups and stood at attention as Hanks walked up to Mitchell. The captain and president exchanged salutes.

"How are our men doing?" Hanks looked at Mitchell than at the formation.

"They're doing well, sir." Mitchell stayed at attention. "They finished their last injection yesterday, sir."

"Stand at ease." Hanks looked at Mitchell again.

Mitchell stood at ease and looked at the president.

"What's next for our men?" Hanks started to pace in front of the formation.

"They start combat training tomorrow, sir." Mitchell paced alongside him. "They still need more training to control their enhancements. They're still having trouble controlling the aggressive nature that comes with the enhancements, sir. They also need further hand-to-hand combat training. They have their first PFT today, sir."

Hanks stopped and looked at Mitchell inquisitively. "What's a PFT?"

Mitchell stopped also. "Physical Fitness Test, sir. All Marines must pass it annually. They must pass their weapons qualifications as well. Then, there is the obstacle course in the shuttle bay, sir."

"Are there any problems?" Hanks glanced at the formation.

"I can't train them as fighter pilots, sir." Mitchell kept an eye on the president. "We are traveling too fast for the earth fighters."

"And we can't take the time to stop for training." Hanks started to pace again. "I understand the dilemma. Could you do the simulations?"

"We have been doing that, sir." Mitchell caught up with him. "But, that is nothing compared to live training in a fighter, sir. We really need training on the Bohinan fighters we commandeered when we first encountered the Bohinan. We only have five ships, which are the only ones we could use in battle. Ours would be sitting ducks out there, sir."

"I understand." Hanks turned around and started back toward the head of the line. "Let's do the troop inspection and see what we can do."

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell walked with Hanks to the beginning of the line of recruits.

Mitchell stopped in front of each recruit and did a right face. He stared at the rookie and did the process for each new newbie. He waited as Hanks inspected the former recruit. Each recruit stood at attention.

"What's your name?" Hanks inspected the first recruit.

"Aaron Smith, sir!" Smith stared straight ahead without emotion.

"What's your rank, Mr. Smith?" Hanks checked his uniform.

"Corporal, sir!" Smith continued to stare ahead.

Hanks checked over Smith and then moved to the next recruit. Mitchell moved to the next beginner. He did a right face.

"What's your name and rank?" Hanks looked him over and adjusted the man's shirt.

"Corporal Philip Eldridge, sir!" Eldridge caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye.

Hanks checked over Eldridge and then moved to the next recruit. Mitchell moved next recruit stared at him.

"What's your name and rank?" Hanks smoothed out a wrinkle in the recruit's shirt.

"Corporal Anthony Werner, sir!" Werner remained statuesque.

Hanks checked over Werner and then moved to the next recruit. When he had inspected all the rookies, Hanks followed Mitchell to the front and center position.

"I leave you with your men." Hanks stood at attention as he faced Mitchell. "I still need to inspect the Seals and Soldiers."

They exchanged salutes. Then, Hanks did an about face and left the gym. Mitchell turned his attention to his troops.

"We'll break for chow and then come back here for your first PFT." Mitchell stood at ease. "So, don't overeat. Meet back here at 1300 hours." He came to attention again. "Platoon dismissed!"

Three recruits quickly left the gym and headed to the mess hall.

"I hope the line isn't too long." Werner raced the others to the mess. "We need time to let the food settle before the PFT."

"I'm not worried about the PFT." Taylor kept up with Werner. "I'm more concerned about the obstacle course."

"Why?" Vogel came up behind him. "If you practiced like you were supposed to, it should be easy."

"I did practice." Taylor tried to pass the others. "I'm just not comfortable with the course. I was never the most coordinated kid on the block."

"Don't worry about it." Jackson caught up to them and tried to jockey for position. "You'll only make it harder on yourself. Let's just take our time. For now, it's time to think about eating."

"I agree." Handley reached them and tried to break free of the pack.

When they reached the mess hall, their eyes bugged out. They stopped in their tracks.

"Where's the line?" asked Werner as they went directly to the entrance to the Mess Hall.

They peered in and saw no one at the tables. So, they went to the dispensers and found the answer. All the machines were offline.

"Great!" Turner looked at his friends. "Now, we need to go to the main mess and wait in an even longer line."

The recruits walked quickly to the other mess hall. When they arrived at the central mess, they saw the line all the way down the corridor.

"Oh, great!" Turner stopped. "This is a losing battle."

"It may be another one of Captain Mitchell's tests." Handley stopped next to Turner.

"You would have to bring that up." Werner stopped behind the group.

"Gentlemen, we are running out of time." Turner started toward another corridor. "We have to do something."

"We can." Vogel stepped toward the front of the pack. "Let's go down to the Rahman and see if they will let us eat there."

Everyone looked at Vogel for a moment and then ran for the nearest elevator. When the recruits were gone, the people in line started to cheer and clap. Then, the end of the row broke off and went to the small mess hall.

When the elevator arrived at I-Deck, the recruits faced a dark corridor with a blood stain on the wall.

"This reminds me of when we first woke up in deep space." Turner looked around as the group stepped off the elevator.

They stood looking around at the empty corridor.

"Where did all the people go?" Vogel looked around.

"They may be on another deck or meeting somewhere." Werner started toward the mess hall set up for the Rahman. "It's good for us. We can go to the mess hall and eat without them knowing we're here."

The recruits started down the corridor toward the mess hall. As they went the elevator on which they arrived vanished. They found the mess hall empty and dark.

"Where's the light switch?" Taylor groped in the dark.

"I think I found it." Smith flipped a switch.

The lights came on, the recruits found the dispensers online, and no one waiting in line. They went to the distributors and ordered their food. Then they headed to the tables to eat.

After the meal, they took their trays to a cart with tubs located in an area where the light was dimmest. The lack of light allowed shadows to form on the wall. Werner noticed that one of the shadows moved to his right. But, he knew there was no one there. The recruit looked and saw no one. When he looked at the wall, he still saw the shadow. It was like someone stood next to him and cast a shadow.

"Hey, guys! You see this?" Werner pointed to the wall.

They guys looked at Werner and at the wall where he pointed.

"See what?" Taylor put his tray on the cart.

The guys walked over to Werner.

"The shadow on the wall." Werner pointed to the wall.

The shadow moved away and was gone. The guys looked at the wall and saw nothing.

"What shadow?" Taylor looked at the wall.

Werner looked at the wall. "It's gone."

The rest of the guys put their trays in the tubs and started out to the corridor. Werner looked back at the wall as he left.

As they walked around a bend in the corridor, Turner noticed something strange.

"Isn't this the place we arrived?" Turner stopped and looked around.

"Yeah." Sanchez stopped. "There's the stain on the wall."

"So, where's the elevator?" Turner looked around again.

Werner walked up to the wall and touched it. "There's no elevator here." Werner put his hand down.

"It's 1245 hours." Handley looked at his watch and then to Vogel. "We need to get moving, Fellas."

"Let's just go to the next elevator." Jackson became impatient.

"What was that?" Taylor looked around.

"It's your super hearing getting the best of you." Smith looked over at Taylor. "There's nothing there."

"Come on, let's move." Handley became impatient, too.

The group moved further down the corridor to another junction.

"Where's this elevator?" Turner looked around the wall and then felt for the elevator. "That's two missing elevators. There's supposed to be one elevator per junction."

"Maybe it's different down here." Smith walked up to him. "We are on a different deck.

"What was that?" Taylor looked nervously around.

"Are you hearing things again, Taylor?" Smith looked into his eyes. "You really need to control those enhancements before you break."

"No!" Taylor insisted. "I felt something, or someone brushed past me."

"There's nothing there, Taylor." Smith looked away. "You're letting those senses go out of control."

The lights suddenly went out completely.

"Oh, great!" Werner started to grope around. "Now, we have to grope in the dark."

The recruits started to feel their way along the wall one after the other. They came to a section in which the wall began to feel different.

"Oh, great!" Werner withdrew his hand quickly. "I just put my hand in something slimy."

"It's sticky, too." Smith pulled back his hand and rubbed his fingers together. "I just found some."

"Wow, this stuff stinks!" Turner sniffed it. "I think it's coming out of the walls."

"Whatever you do, don't get it on your uniforms!" Handley groped. "You know what the captain thinks of these uniforms."

"Ah, too late!" Warner felt something fall on him. "Something just fell on me from the ceiling. Yuck! This stinks!"

"It just got me, too." Jackson tried to get the substance off his chest.

"Guys, let's just get moving!" Handley continued to grope. "We're going to be late!"

"Guys, think of where we're at." Sanchez stopped. "The Rahman people are known for being strange. Rumors have it that they can walk through walls. I hear they can do other things, too. They're here around us. They are the ones playing tricks on us. I imagine the captain put them up to it. Remember, everything is a test. That's what the captain told us."

The lights came on suddenly. They found themselves next to an elevator.

"See!" Sanchez shielded his eyes from the bright light as they adjusted.

"Let's go!" Werner entered the elevator.

They stepped in and rushed to the gym. There the trainees quickly rushed into a formation and waited for Mitchell.

Promptly at 1300 hours, Mitchell walked into the gym to the front and center position. He turned to face the recruits. Finally, he spoke.

"I see you men made it back and on time." Mitchell looked them over." How did the test go?"

No one responded.

"No one is willing to discuss the test?" Mitchell started to pace in front of the men. "What's wrong? Are you afraid to talk about it?"

Still, no one responded. So, Mitchell walked up to Taylor and leaned in his face. He stared at Taylor.

"Taylor, what happened in the mess hall?!" Mitchell used his command voice.

"The mess was closed, sir!"

Taylor stood at attention and yelled.

"Is that all?!" Mitchell used his command voice again.

"Sir, the mess was full, sir!" Jackson stood next to Taylor.

Mitchell stopped in front of Jackson and leaned in his face. "Does Taylor need you to speak for him?! He's a big boy now!! Understand that?!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Jackson swallowed hard.

Mitchell stepped back in front of Taylor. He moved in his face again.

"Do you need your buddy to speak for you?!" Mitchell yelled.

"Sir, no, sir!" Taylor stood at attention but trembled.

"Then, tell me more!!" Mitchell glared into his eyes.

"Sir, the mess was full, sir!" Taylor was nervous. "So, we went to I-Deck to use the Rahman mess, sir! Everything went fine until we started to leave to return here, sir! We could not find the elevator. Then, the lights went out, sir! We started to grope our way back, sir! We came to some goo on the walls. Some fell from the ceiling, sir! Sanchez stated it was a test that you put the Rahman up to, sir!"

"Were you scared??!" Mitchell yelled in his face.

"Sir, confused, sir!" Taylor tried to avoid the question.

"Of what?!" Mitchell looked around at the other guys. "A real man admits he is scared!!" Mitchell looked back at Taylor. "It takes a bigger man to get his fears under control!! Are you afraid, Corporal?!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Taylor nearly lost it.

"Of what?!" Mitchell nearly pushed him over with his nose.

"Sir, of you, sir!" Taylor started to tear up.

"You'd better be!!" Mitchell returned to the front and center position. As he did, several of the enhanced Marines entered the gym. They marched in and stood in front of each of the recruits.

"You're going to do your PFT." Mitchell looked over the troops. "For the enhanced to pass, they must do much more than the regular Marines. To pass, you must do 200 pull-ups, 300 crunches, the 3-kilometer run in less than seven minutes, and the obstacle course. Each Marine in front of you will be scoring your PFT. Any questions?"

With no response, Mitchell started the recruits on their PFT. Mitchell pushed each recruit through their test as each did far more than the required amount. All rookies passed their PFTs.

A few days later, Mitchell met with Hanks and Hovah. Mitchell entered the office and saluted Hanks.

"Captain Mitchell reporting as ordered, sir!" Mitchell stood at attention.

Hanks returned the salute. Mitchell lowered his. "Stand at ease," Hanks looked up from his chair.

Mitchell stood at ease and looked at Hanks.

"How are the recruits doing?" Hanks sat back in his chair.

"They passed their first PFT with excellence, sir." Mitchell was proud. "They also qualified with their weapons. They are ready to train with the rest of the troops, sir."

"How do you plan to organize your troops?" Hanks put his hands on the armrests.

"Each ship will have many 5-man teams ready to go to the surface, sir." Mitchell used a professional tone. "The ships will provide air support, sir."

"The Rahman will provide 3-man teams as well." Hovah stepped forward. "We can provide intelligence of where to go and warn when the enemy comes close."

"Do you really want to get your people involved?" Hanks looked over at him.

"Yes, this is our fight, too." Hovah looked at Hanks. "Our ships will also provide support. We can locate Richards and his men for you and help in securing their release."

"I'd prefer a diplomatic solution, if possible." Hanks looked forward.

"How do you plan to accomplish that, sir? Mitchell looked at the others. "They don't have honor or respect for the law."

"We have a way to shake them up a bit, remember?" Hanks folded his hands on the desk. "We'll use plasma bombs to shake up the Bohinan and get them to respect our rights."

"Our ships will be sitting ducks for their weapons, sir." Mitchell brought a hand forward and used it to emphasize his statement.

"We'll be able to keep them busy." Hovah looked at him as he reassured him. "We can use their fears against them as we did before."

"I would prefer to send in the troops, sir." Mitchell kept an eye on Hanks. "We can take them, sir."

I would prefer to send in the troops as a last resort." Hanks glanced up at Mitchell. "I don't want any more people on the surface than absolutely necessary. We may need to run when we get Richards and the others back."

"Understood, sir." Mitchell conceded.

"We could do both," Hovah took a step forward. "We can attempt a diplomatic solution while getting our troops in position. Rahman teams can go first to locate Richards and the others and feedback the information to you. We can use the Intel to determine the incursion points. We would flood the holding area with troops and take Richards and the others. Then, we would transport out of the area."

"That would work." Hanks looked at Hovah. "But, I am still concerned about putting our people down on the surface. We would have to send our people down in waves. If we had to bring them back quickly, we would not be able to do so. We can only send 30 at a time."

"Our ships can transport much faster." Hovah glanced at both men. "We can transport most of your teams with no problem."

"I would agree with that plan." Hanks turned to Mitchell. "What do you say, Captain?"

"I am still concerned about the long-term solution, sir." Mitchell held his hands behind his back as he rocked up on the balls of his feet and then back down again a few times. "How are we going to get the Bohinan to leave us alone? We can shake them up a bit, but how long would that last, sir? We need a long-term solution, sir."

"You're right, Captain." Hanks turned his attention from Mitchell to Hovah. "We need that solution as well, any suggestions?"

"Allow us to handle the Bohinan in that area." The Chancellor offered. "We have experience in dealing with the Bohinan threat on a long-term basis. We can work on their fears and convince them that humans are a force to be reckoned with."

"How would you go about doing that?" Hanks supported his head in his hand as he kept an elbow on the armrest.

"They have already learned to fear us," Hovah explained. "Now, we connect you with us. In other words, we show them that you can do the same 'tricks' to them. They wouldn't want you around."

"But, how do you convince them of that, sir?" Mitchell looked at Hovah. "They have had the general and the others for over a year now, and they have not displayed any of the traits you have."

"Don't worry about that." Hovah looked over at Mitchell. "We can get them to overlook that idea. A Bohinan thinks in the here and now. They don't think ahead very far or back for that matter. So, it's not too hard to get them to overlook certain details in the behavior of someone they hold. We can become anyone we wish. We can become the general, for instance, and play tricks on them. We can make it seem that he broke out and started to play tricks. There are countless things we can do to the Bohinan. Fear is a potent weapon."

"Alright." Hanks sat up. "I'll go with your plan. How about you, Captain?"

"I can work with that." Mitchell rocked again. "I'll get my teams trained for the mission. We found some Intel on Bohina in the database. Do you have any Intel on Bohina that could help us?"

"My Intel would probably only duplicate what you already have." Hovah looked at the captain.

"Then, let's get to work." Hanks sat up straight. "We have less than a year until we arrive at Bohina."

Mitchell came to attention and saluted Hanks who returned the salute. Mitchell did an about face and left the office.

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CHAPTER 16 Station Stop

After the humans docked at the next space station, they let off the Rahman passengers as they had planned. Many of the humans also left the ships to stretch their legs and have a change of scenery. Hanks, Mitchell, and their guests prepared to depart.

"It's been a pleasure having your people onboard, Hovah." Hanks nodded to his guest.

"It's been a pleasure for us as well, President Hanks." Hovah nodded back. "We are full of gratitude for your assistance in saving as many people as you did. After we drop off our people, we will continue with you to Bohina and assist you in freeing your general and his men. Our troops and I will work from our ships."

"What would happen to your people while we are gone?" Hanks walked with them down a corridor. Many people rushed about them as they headed to the docking port.

"Our people will stay here until we return." Hovah dodged an elderly couple as they hobbled along. "They will enjoy the adventure."

"Our people would like to stay here, too. However, we cannot risk their safety without troops staying with them." Mitchell caught a young girl who ran into him. He checked her out and sent her on her way. Then he continued with Hanks and Hovah. "We can't have troops in both locales."

"Yes, that would be stretching things a bit." Hovah stopped at the door.

Hanks stood next to the steward as he signed the chancellor off the ship. "We will coordinate the departure when we get the needed supplies and know the Bohinan plan."

"Yes, we will await your communique." Hovah departed the ship as the humans returned to their duties.

When they arrived at Hanks's office, the president went to his desk and picked up his pad with all the needs of the ships. "Now, how are we going to pay for all this?" He looked at his captain. "We don't have the chip."

Mitchell pulled a chip from his pocket and showed it to Hanks. "Yes, we do, sir."

"Another one of your deceptions, Captain?" Hanks looked at him with disappointment.

"With this crowd, sir, I need to do something." Mitchell put the chip back into his pocket and patted it a couple times.

"You wouldn't want them lying to you, Captain. So, you shouldn't lie to them." Hanks headed back to the door. "Come! We need to do our shopping while we can."

"Yes, sir!" The captain followed him.

Later in the market place, the two showed up at a cart vendor with several troops and carts. The vendor had multiple tubes of fabric and began to show her merchandise. She was a Fowlan, a bird-like creature with colorful plumage.

Hanks looked at his pad. "I need 400 rolls of black fabric, 80 rolls of blue, ..."

The vendor's beak dropped as she listened to the order for her fabric. She had to go to the service door and return with carts of material along with her aides.

Mitchell counted them as he loaded them on the carts. He had to send for more handcarts as they filled up the ones they had. They needed to rearrange them to have all the required tubes for one ship all on one cart. It required two troopers per cart to carry all the rolls to the particular vessel.

Mitchell paid for all the material which overwhelmed the merchant because of such a massive sale from one customer, despite so many other ships from other planets around the station. Then there was a sudden stampede as the people learned of the deal and thought the merchants all sold out of the fabric. Mitchell shook his head as the people rushed passed him.

Later, it was to the other supplies on the list. As they finished with all the shopping, humans started to run to them and told stories of people abducted by the Bohinan.

"Here we go again, sir." Mitchell rushed after the people toward the slave market. "You were told to stay with the troops! Why didn't you?"

"We had other places to go." A frantic man led the way. "They have my family!"

Troops followed Mitchell into the market as they made their way to the front of the crowd. There they found many humans on the auction block. Mitchell stunned the auctioneer as the group fled the area. The troops jumped onto the stage and freed the humans. Several of the soldiers led the human civilians away, while Mitchell and the others searched the backrooms for any more humans. They found many trapped inside shields. Mitchell looked around and shot the projectors in the ceiling. The walls came down then the people fled with several of the troops.

Station guards flooded the area as the humans searched for their people. "Enough!" Shouted the lead guard. "You have no right to disrupt this establishment!"

The troops surrounded the guards with their weapons trained on the guards.

The lead guard stepped toward Mitchell. "Who gave you permission to disrupt this establishment?"

"I did!" Mitchell stepped in his face and grabbed him by the throat as he lifted him off the floor. "We are owned by no one! We will protect our people from all forms of slavery!"

"You are not above the law!" He struggled to form his words as he dangled from Mitchell's hand.

"I never said we were above the law, but since you freaks will not enforce our rights, we will!" Mitchell went nose to nose with the guard. "You want us to be good citizens of your empire, you better stop attempting to enslave us and protect our rights!"

"You have no rights here! You are not sentient beings!" He struggled to speak.

"We are sentient as Judge Ka' ordered on Ladorma! Check with him!" Mitchell threw the guard into the crowd that formed around them.

The Gorenan stood, took out his communicator, and spoke an unknown language. He came back to Mitchell with his weapon drawn. Mitchell vaporized him. Then he turned his attention to the other guards.

Everyone was in standoff mode. Each had a weapon pointed at the other. Mitchell started to vaporize the guards as he approached the standoff. By the time he shot the last one, a group of Imperial Guards had marched toward them. The crowd backed away. The humans took up defensive postures around the area.

An Orangan guard came forward. "You will surrender to the Imperial Guard or die!"

Mitchell shouted orders to his troops. "Full power and lay down a widespread volley!"

The humans vaporized most of the guards and sent the rest away. The humans did not stay around, they rushed back to their ships as they gathered the people.

"Com, Sergeant! Get all the people back on their ships, now! Send the message out in all languages!" Mitchell and the troops ran so fast they were a blur to those around them. They only stopped long enough to warn the humans.

On the USS Washington, Mitchell hurried to the com station. "Put me through to all ships!"

"Done, sir!" The com officer finished the link.

"All ships, prepare to disembark, in a hurry! Prepare for a fight to get out of this station!" Mitchell went to the command chair.

Other ships quickly replaced regular troops with the enhanced.

Mitchell sat. "Disembark, now!"

All earth ships started to leave the station along with the Rahman ships. As they moved away, beams of light locking them in place.

"Use the plasma bombs to take out the tower!" Mitchell leaned forward in his chair.

The tower exploded in a series of explosions and parts of the station also blew. Other ships started to flee from the station as panic erupted over the station.

The humans set course for Bohina as the Imperial Guard made the chase. The Guard closed in on the convoy but soon found out they had to hold back a safe distance as their ships exploded without warning.

"This is the Imperial Guard! Halt and prepare to be boarded!" A male voice came over the speakers of the USS Washington's bridge. "We will destroy you! Halt!"

Mitchell went to the armory station. "Send ALFs to their ships and take control."

"Yes, sir!" The sergeant passed on the order to other ships. Then pressed a series of buttons. "The ALFs are aboard the alien ships, sir!" She reported to Mitchell.

"Get them in control of the ships!" Mitchell ordered as he watched the ships in pursuit.

"Sir, ALFs engaging the enemy." The armory sergeant reported. "Fifteen of their troops taken out, sir. Ten remain and are attempting to fight back. ALFs are in control of life support and are decreasing oxygen levels throughout the vessel, sir. ALFs have control of navigation, sir, and are diverting Guard vessels back to the station."

"Good, keep them operating those ships as long as we are within range." Mitchell watched as the alien ships circled back the way they came. "All ships, continue to Bohina!"

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CHAPTER 17 On the Brink

Another three months pass with tensions aboard ships nearly at the boiling stage. Skirmishes between crafts were frequent as some felt the international body did not meet their needs. The poorer nations demanded more resources to handle rapid population growth. The richer countries paced their population growth to match their limited resources. Each vessel had one representative to the revived United Nations General Assembly. The United States, Great Britain, France, the Republic of China, and Mexico made up the Security Council. These bodies attempted to keep peace among the member nations. The Security Council was in session.

"We demand that you provide us with more food and water for our people!" The Mexican ambassador motioned with his hands. "We, the Mexican people, and our Latin American ships have more people than any other ships in the fleet. We need more food and water!"

"You do not control your population growth to match your limited resources. You demand that we who do control our growth give you our limited resources. Why not take responsibility for yourselves instead of demanding handouts?" The French ambassador motioned as he spoke via his video feed.

The Mexican ambassador became infuriated. He stood from his desk and shouted as he waved his fist. "We deserve more food and water!"

"The rich and powerful among you hoard the food and water for yourselves!" The American ambassador countered. "Your president has five food dispensers for himself, while the poor among you has only one dispenser! One family doesn't need five dispensers! You get your people in line before we give you any more food and water!"

"No!!" The Mexican president bellowed out his protest. He began to pound his desk fiercely. "We have rights!"

Several other poorer countries joined in with the protest and threatened to fight another war.

"Ambassadors, that would be a very foolish action!" The British ambassador held his hands up to try to calm the situation. "No one wins a war! Even losing one life is too many!"

"No, we will win this war!" The Argentine ambassador cut off his transmission.

Most of the poorer countries followed suit and left the meeting. Several ships began to divert their flight paths and came around behind the fleet. They opened fire on several of the other vessels, but the shields protected the crafts.

On the bridge of the USS Washington, Mitchell monitored the situation as the battle station alarms sounded. "Lock them out of their armories!"

"Yes, sir!" The armory sergeant began to press buttons. "Done, sir!"

The vessels started to come dangerously close to other ships. The other vessels attempted to avoid the crowding vessels.

Mitchell observed the situation. "Seize control of their helms and hold them at a safe distance behind the fleet!"

"Yes, sir!" The armory sergeant took over control of the ships and brought them into formation behind the fleet. "Done, sir!"

"Sir, the rebel ships are attacking the enhanced troops." The com sergeant looked from her station to Mitchell who came to her.

"Notify the troops to use whatever means are necessary to subdue the rebels. Have them lock up the people in their compartments if need be."

"Yes, sir!" The sergeant passed on the message to the troops.

Mitchell turned to the armory sergeant. "Lock on to all their food dispensers and pop them onto our ship."

"Yes, sir!" She performed her given task.

"How will they eat, sir?" Russell walked toward him.

"We'll give them back the dispensers just long enough for them to eat and then take them away." Mitchell glanced at him and then went to the armory station. "Send ALFs to their ships and have them guard the food dispensers when they arrive and keep watch over the people. Make sure people can eat and drink without hindrance from their governments."

"Yes, sir!" She prepared the program to safeguard the dispensers when needed. "Sir, the rebels are attempting to subvert their systems and override our lockout."

"Send in the ALFs to the ships in question and stop them." Mitchell returned to the command chair and sat.

"Yes, sir!" The armory sergeant entered the data. "Sir, they are fighting with the ALFs. They believe they are real, sir. But, they can't kill them or injure them. Captains are directing open rebellion against all enhanced troops, sir."

"Send enhanced troops to our popper and then bring all captains to the popper room." Mitchell turned his attention to the screen on the arm of the chair.

"Sir, we can't pop people or things through the shields, sir." She checked her system.

Mitchell looked to the ceiling as he sighed. Then he looked at her. "Have them popped into a secret room aboard their ships and keep them under guard with doors locked and the guards in with them. There must be no sign of where they are."

"Yes, sir!" She looked up from her work. "Done, sir!"

"Now, let's see if we can reach Bohina in peace." He walked to the armory sergeant. "When we get to Bohina, all the rebel ships must stay outside the orbit. That includes the Arab nations. We don't want them interfering with the plan. And control their com systems. I don't want them collaborating with the enemy."

"Yes, sir!" The sergeant entered more data.

"Sir, the Mexican ambassador is contacting us!" The com sergeant looked up from her station.

"Put him through." Mitchell stepped to the center of the bridge. The ambassador's image appeared on the screen. "What can I do for you, Mr. Ambassador?"

"First, you can release our ships!" The ambassador bellowed as he shook his fist. "You have no right to lock us out of our own controls!"

"Yes, I do, Ambassador, you were attempting to attack other vessels, so we had to stop you." Mitchell put his hands on his waist and rocked on his feet. "We will release your ships when I am confident you will behave yourselves and not a moment sooner."

"We have rights!" The ambassador shouted at the top of his lungs.

"So, do others who have the right to safety which you threatened." Mitchell began to pace in front of the screen. "You may demand more resources, but everyone gets the same amount. You must spread yours over all your people equally, not hoarding it for the few. You are responsible for the use of what you have. You do not have the right to demand more than your fair share. Everyone gets the same."

"We have more people!" The ambassador began to lose his temper. "We will take what we need for our people!"

"No, you won't." Mitchell motioned to the com to cut the signal.

"Sir, the other Latin American ambassadors are demanding to speak with you." She worked to keep control of all the signals that came into her station.

"Send them to the UN Secretary General. That's what he's for." Mitchell went back to his seat.

"Yes, sir!" The com sergeant pressed the buttons as Mitchell sat.

"Let's see what the Bohinan are doing." Mitchell checked the screens and located the enemy ships off to their port bow. "They are taking a shortcut home." He looked to the helmsman. "What's ahead on the Bohinan trajectory?"

"A meteor stream dead ahead, sir!" The helmsman checked his charts. "They are off the normal flight corridor, sir."

"Stay on our current course, Helmsman." Mitchell studied the main screen.

Contents

CHAPTER 18 Bohina

Several months pass by the time Bohina came into view. The humans stayed at a distance and held their positions outside of orbit, while the Bohinan ships entered their realm.

Meanwhile, aboard the first Bohinan ship, several guards came to the humans' cell. One of them who watched the humans came and opened a door in the wall.

"Come with me, Humana!" The first guard stood next to the doorway.

Richards led them out of the cell and followed the guards out of the room. They went to the deck where they met Mootoomoo. The commander took them to a large monitor.

"This will be your new home, Humana." Mootoomoo pointed to the screen. "Soon, all Humana will be ours."

"Mootoomoo!" a bull at a console looked up at him. "We are receiving a call for you. It's Moooo."

"Why are you bringing so many ships to Bohina?" Moooo leaned forward in his chair and glared at Mootoomoo.

"I am bringing the Humana ships." The captain watched the monitor with nervousness in his voice. "I was ordered to bring the Humana.

"You were not told to bring the Rahman, too!" Moooo pounded his fist on the armrest.

"Moooooooo snort, sir!" The commander conceded. "They came on their own. I had not anticipated an alliance between them."

"You'd better anticipate what to do next!" Moooo pounded his fist on the armrest again and pointed to the commander.

"Moooooooo snort, sir!" The captain looked down.

"Who is that with you?" Moooo turned his attention to the human captives with Mootoomoo.

"These are the Humana bait." The commander showed some pride. "They're to perform for the king."

"Get them cleaned up before you arrive." Moooo ended the transmission abruptly.

"Moooooooo snort, sir!" Mootoomoo spoke under his breath. Then he turned to the humans. "You are to be prepared for your appearance before the king. Take them away to the showers and give them clean cloth."

The bulls took them to the showers and gave them a washcloth and liquid soap. They stood around a corner as the Humana cleaned up.

After they finished with their long shower, the guards handed each a cloth. They dried off and then made a garment out of it. It was small but covered them adequately. They tore parts into strips and tied them around their hips and around their back and front. Samson and Rocky both had problems with their side strips. They were just barely long enough to knot. When they squatted, their clothes ripped. Then, they had more strip to tie, but it covered a little less. The general squatted and tore his cloth. He had longer pieces to fix, too. He tied them again and checked how much skin is exposed. He shook his head. Hunter made do with what he had and shrugged as he tested how much it left uncovered. He had the smallest cloth which did not cover his hips.

"What do you have to use to cut our hair and shave our beards?" Richards finished with his cloth as he adjusted it to make it a little more comfortable.

A bull brought a pair of scissors. While their hair was still wet, they cut it in a Marine field haircut. They cut off as much of their beards as they could.

"Do you have a razor?" Samson walked to a guard.

The bull gave a puzzled look.

"You know, something to shave with." Samson mimed the motion.

"Why would we do that?" The bull turned.

"Well, you would look more Humana." Richards looked at another bull.

That bull frowned. With the Humana cleaned and hair cut, the beasts brought them back to the commander for inspection. The commander inspected them thoroughly and gave his approval.

"We will be in orbit for an hour, by your time." Mootoomoo went to the monitor. "You will be taken to the palace where I will present you to the new king. You will perform for him, if you displease him, you will die. So, I advise you to please the king. He will have even harder tasks for you to perform."

As the Humana looked at the screen, Richards glanced down at the smaller one and saw the earth ships along with an alien fleet. They seemed stopped at an hour's distance.

"They must have a plan," Richards said to his men in English under his breath. "We can play along for a while."

"Pay attention!" Mootoomoo yelled at Richards. "Your life depends on it! You must do everything the king demands. Don't hesitate, just do it! The more impressed he is, the better your life will be."

Richards drifted off in his thoughts.

"Pay attention!" The commander yelled again. "Don't you care what happens to you? We have some serious business to discuss! Now, you must never speak unless spoken to. You address the king as 'Your Lordship.' Never make eye contact. Always bow to him when you approach him. Never, and I mean never, approach him without him first holding out the sacred horns." Mootoomoo turned to the guards and spoke Bohinan. Then, he said in Lorana. "Take them to their cell!"

Later, the Bohinan led the humans into a shuttle for the trip to the surface. Mootoomoo was already onboard. He turned to look at the humans. "Sit them in the back!" He ordered. "Chain them to the wall, there. There are not enough seats for everyone."

The guards chained them to a cargo wall in the back of the shuttle. Then, they went to take their seats. The door to the shuttle closed as the last Bohinan entered. The shuttle left the bay and headed toward the surface.

On the way, Richards stretched his chain, careful not to break it so he could look out the window. He noticed only one continent and the vast ocean around it. The northern polar icecap was visible with the weather seemed partly cloudy with a bit of haze as they descended. Once they were through the cloud layer, they headed for the east coast. There they went to a large stone city, which was heavily wooded and had large pastures around it. At the outskirts of the town, were many small farms with hills of grains. The trees had various kinds of fruit. The shuttle landed at the palace, a large stone structure, with stone walls around it.

The guards came back to the humans and unchained them. They waited for the commander and the other bulls to leave the shuttle. Then, they pushed the humans to get them started out the door. Outside, Richards stopped and looked around a moment. The guards forced him again. He looked back at them with an angry expression. Then, he moved on and caught up with the others.

They walked through the palace gate to the main house. When they arrived, the guards stopped them.

"I am Commander Mootoomoo here to see the king." Mootoomoo looked at the guards. "I have Humana gifts for him."

"Is the king expecting you?" A guard held his rifle ready to shoot.

"Moooooooo snort!" Mootoomoo stared at the guard. "I was to bring the Humana at once. I have them here."

"So, these are Humana, moo?" The guard turned his attention to the humans. "What's so special about Humana? They are short and have small chests."

"They can pick you up with one hand and throw you across a room." Mootoomoo glared at the guard.

"Big deal!" The guard refocused on Mootoomoo. "I can do that!"

"The king wants to see how much a Humana can do. The others followed us as planned." The commander stepped in the guard's face. "Let us pass!"

The guards stepped aside. Mootoomoo and the others entered the palace's main house. Inside the hall had tapestries of famous bulls. Richards and the others looked at the Bohinan signs.

"Mootoomoo, who are these bulls?" Richards looked at the tapestries as he passed them.

"Past kings." He kept his eyes forward.

They came to another corridor that went perpendicular to theirs.

"These are pictures of the nobles." Mootoomoo kept his eyes forward. "They are the head bulls of each herd."

"How do you become a noble?" Richards looked over the tapestries.

"Challenge a noble of your herd in the field." Mootoomoo continued to lead the group toward the throne room. "Nobles can challenge the king. But, no one has challenged the king in many of your months."

"How do you challenge a king?" Samson looked at Mootoomoo.

"By looking him in the eye in defiance." The commander walked down the corridor. "Never do that. He has many tricks to win. You lose, you die."

"I have no intention of dying." Richards stepped ahead of Samson.

Mootoomoo looked at him.

They continued their way in the current corridor. Soon, they approached large wooden doors. The guards stopped them.

"I'm Commander Mootoomoo." He stopped in front of the guards and showed a crystal, which displayed a 3D image of his credentials. "I have been ordered to bring Humana to the king."

"I will confirm that." One of the guards took the crystal and inserted it into a box. He called on his communicator. "Mooshoo here. Moooooooo snort. I am calling to confirm Commander Mootoomoo has an audience with the king. Moooooooo snort. Go ahead." The guard returned the crystal as they opened the doors and allowed the commander to enter.

They stepped inside the royal throne room where King Moovoo was already on his throne. His court was all about him. They discussed various matters. He motioned them to be silent as Mootoomoo and the others arrived. Moovoo looked at him as he waved his court to back away. The court backed away and turned toward Mootoomoo.

"So, these are Humana males." Moovoo looked over the humans. "What do we have to compare them to? They certainly look strong." Moovoo stood and walked toward Richards. He circled Richards at a distance as his robes trailed behind him. He then circled Samson, Rocky, and Hunter. "You say they can lift a bull with one hand." Moovoo stopped and looked at Mootoomoo.

"Moooooooo snort, Your Lordship." Mootoomoo did not make eye contact. "They can bend steel as well."

"I have some tasks for them to see how strong they are." Moovoo started back toward his throne. "Come, I am eager to test them." The king went to his throne and stood as he looked at the humans. "Bring in the beasts!" Moovoo clapped his hands twice. "The old one first."

Everyone backed away from Richards. Two great beasts came into the room. They barely fit through the doors. The guards turned them around near Richards. They placed heavy chains to the armor of each beast. The other ends of the links they connected to Richards's wrists. As the bulls stepped away, Richards grabbed each chain. He started to take deeper and deeper breaths as the guards led the beasts away. The steel links lost their slack. When they became tight, Richards stopped his deep breaths. He put his right foot forward with his arms stretched out toward each beast.

As the beasts continued to slowly walk away from him, Richards's muscles began to tighten. He breathed slowly and started to go into a trance. He cleared his mind and focused entirely on his task. Soon, the chains began to creak. The beasts began to sound. Despite the trance, Richards strained to hold on to the shackles. The links in the chains started to stretch. Richards's muscles strained with every fiber. The steel links began to creak loudly as a link after connection extended to its maximum length. The Bohinan looked in awe as Richards continued to hold the chains tight. But, the cables could not keep the strain controlled. Link after link began to break. Finally, links in both chains gave way.

With the chains broken, Richards began to relax. Moovoo started to applaud Richards. The court commenced clapping also. Their applause was all in unison. Clap ... clap ... clap. They praised. Richards broke the wrist bands and threw the chains to the floor. He shook his arms out. Then, he bowed to his audience.

The king stepped forward to offer another test of strength. This time Rocky was the one to do the task. The king had large vines tied about Rocky. Then Rocky was to break free. He puffed himself up and raised his arms. The vines began to stretch. He snapped them with ease as he raised his arms up in a flexed position. Then he relaxed and stepped out from the pile of vines. The Bohinan court applauded just as they did for Richards.

As the king finished his applause, he came to his last test, which was for Samson. He had four bulls carry a steel beam into the room who placed the slab on Samson's shoulders. The Marine took the shaft and adjusted it on his shoulders while four more bulls brought in another beam. They laid it on top of the first as Samson strained under the weight. A guard came and had Samson kneel while four more bulls came and stacked the third beam on his shoulders. Then, all watched to see what Samson would do.

He strained to stand as he fought to keep the beams balanced. He placed his hands under the rafters to hold them steady. He yelled as he pressed the beams overhead. He threw them forward. The beams cracked the stone floor and fell over. The people who stood nearby ran back as Samson threw the large bars. The king applauded again.

"Imagine, Your Lordship, a whole herd of such Humana." Mootoomoo leaned toward the king.

"How?" Moovoo leaned toward Mootoomoo.

"They're just outside orbit, Your Lordship. All we need to do is go out and get them."

"But, what of the Rahman you brought with them?" Moovoo kept an eye on Samson.

"We can deal with them, Your Lordship," Mootoomoo advised Moovoo. "Just focus on the Humana. Imagine the work they could do with this strength. Some of the males are even bigger. Just imagine how strong they must be. One still to have a test."

Samson stood as he shook out his arms. Then, he stepped forward two steps. The guards moved toward him and stopped. Then, the whole court gasped as he looked up at the king himself and stood tall in front of him.

The king swallowed hard. "Do you dare challenge me?" Moovoo gathered his courage to talk harshly to Samson."

"I do. I'll be a slave to no one!" Samson did not hesitate.

The king stepped down from in front of his throne and walked to Samson. The guards closed in on him with their spears ready. Samson used his quick martial arts skills to disarm the guards, then he stepped into the face of the king himself. The whole court gasped. Samson took the king by the robes.

"I challenge you in the presence of your people!" Samson was furious and breathed hard and deep as he lifted the king off the floor.

"Ve... ve... very well, Humana." Moovoo fought to hold back his fear. "We shall see who will be king of Bohina.

Samson let go of the royal robes. Moovoo dropped and led them out of the palace and into the Field of Challenge. The court followed along with Mootoomoo and the Soldiers. As they came out of the castle, a crowd began to support them. They collected in the Field of Challenge. Moovoo removed his robes and handed them to Mootoomoo. Moovoo began to loosen up. Then, he came to confront Samson. He lowered his head as if to charge O'Connor.

Moovoo charged while the massive sergeant grabbed his horns and flipped the king. The king landed hard on the ground. He stood slowly. When he was on his hooves, Moovoo charged again. Samson gave him a sidekick to the face. The force sent Moovoo back to the ground. It took Moovoo several minutes to stumble back to his hooves after several attempts. Once on his feet, Moovoo charged again. This time O'Connor backhanded Moovoo across the face. It sent him back to the ground after which the king struggled to stand. He fell several times. When he stood, he motioned to a guard. The guard shot Samson, who dropped to the ground.

The fellow awoke face down with Richards, Rocky, and Hunter in a cell somewhere in the palace. He looked around. The confinement was much the same as that on the Bohinan ship. The floor had a definite crack with bales of straw for beds. He got up and walked to the wall of the cell where Richards stood. He touched the beams of light and tried to press his hand through. It just stretched and forced his hand back.

"Don't bother." Richards came to him. "We tried since we were here. It's useless."

"Samson, save your strength." Rocky also came. "They plan to execute you soon."

"He couldn't beat me, so he executes me?" Samson was angry.

He went to the bundles and sat. He raised his arms, moved them back as far as he could, and then brought them forward as he wrapped them around his chest. He repeated this until he calmed down.

A guard entered the room. "I see the cell can hold you, Humana." The guard taunted them.

Richards looked at him "All cells are escapable." He glared at the bull. "I will get out of here. It's only a matter of time."

"Not this cell." The guard laughed. "It fights back against any attempt to break free." The guard walked away and sat at a table outside the cell.

Contents

CHAPTER 19 The Secret

King Moovoo entered his throne room. He went to his throne and plopped down. He rested his arms on the armrests of the throne and frowned as he stared forward. The court tried to comfort him. However, he refused every attempt. He just stared ahead.

Finally, he shook himself out of his stare. "I want the training rings placed on each of them. For the big one, put his at the next higher setting. I want them trained to submit!"

"Moooooooo snort, Your Lordship." The head of his court left to see to his wishes.

The king stood and paced before his throne as he thought of what to do about the Humana. He shook his head as he weighed his options. His court thought about it as well.

"Separate them as they are trained." An old bull finally spoke up.

"For what purpose?" Moovoo snapped harshly as he stopped in mid-stride.

"Without knowing what is happening or where the others are located, will make it easier to control them." A heifer batted her eyelashes at the king.

The king thought as he rubbed his chin. "That's an idea! What else?" He glared at his court.

The court thought hard and long. Then, another heifer stopped. She bowed low to the king. "O Your Lordship, how can your servants advise on such beasts? If we learn their secret to strength, maybe we can strengthen our bulls."

"Moooooooo snort!" The king sounded his agreement as he stretched his neck out, then relaxed it. "But how do we learn their secret?"

The old bull also bowed low to the king. "Once the training rings are on the neck, we can alter their thinking and get their secret that way."

"But, their language is strange to us. How will we understand the Humana?" The king glared at the bull.

The bull rubbed his muzzle as he thought. "Cannot our communications station translate their language?"

"I don't know." The king started to pace again as he went down on all fours. The court did as well. "We can try it. But I don't know if it can do the job!" The king turned to face his court. "Let's go try this. It's the only way we will know."

The king led his court to the Humana. There he stood upright again as the guards opened the door. The court raised upright as they entered also. As they came to the cell where they kept the Humana, the guards stood and bowed to the king. The king stopped in front of Richards.

The king looked Richards over. "Why do these beasts have cloth coverings?"

"They insist, Your Lordship." One of the guards walked to the king. "This old one seems to be the leader."

A guard opened a door before the general. The Bulls entered the cell and stood in front of Richards.

"Why do you demand clothes, Old One?" The king reached for Richards's cloth.

Richards grabbed his hand before he could reach his cloth. The guards stepped in and aimed their weapons. Samson and others stepped forward to aid the general who motioned them to stay back. The king frowned as Richards took several steps back away from the king.

Samson stepped into Richards's old place. "You want my cloth off?" I'll take it off for you."

"No, you won't!" Richards stepped close to Samson.

"Awe, sir! Let me take it off!" Samson glanced back at the general. "I don't mind."

"I'm sure you don't." Richards glared at Samson. "You're still in the military. Therefore you will stay in the uniform of the day."

"Yes, sir!" Samson looked at Moovoo.

A heifer looked up from the com station near the cage. "I got part of it, Your Lordship!"

"Play it back in Bohinan." The king glanced back.

The heifer pressed some buttons as Richards's and Samson's voices repeated their statements in Bohinan. The Humana could not understand it.

"But, how do you verify the translation is correct?" Richards stayed just out of the reach of the king.

The king tried to reach Richards several times. But, Samson stepped in between them, so Moovoo grabbed Samson's cloth instead. He did not pull it off. However, he did hang on to it.

Samson took a step back, which caused it to stretch his cloth. Richards blocked him from another stride and nudged him forward again. Samson complied and moved forward. This released the tension.

Finally, Moovoo let go of Samson's cloth. "I see the collars are on them." The king checked Samson's.

Samson puffed his neck out and stretched the collar. The collar started to pull apart. But, before it did, Samson jerked in pain. He relaxed his throat while the pain faded.

"Old one, come carry me to that heifer over there!" The king pointed to the heifer at the com station.

Richards did not move and received a jolt. He cringed in pain. As the general started to move toward the king, the pain began to fade. He stepped to the king and picked him up. He carried him to the heifer. There he stood as he continued to hold the king.

"Good, you will learn quickly." Moovoo put his arm around the general's neck. "You will be working the mines of Bohina soon. There is much Gyogite to bring out. We will become tremendously rich!"

Moovoo motioned for Richards to let him down. The general complied. Once back on the floor, Moovoo turned his attention to Rocky. He pointed at him, so Rocky strutted out of the cell toward the king.

When he reached the king, Moovoo had him pick up a metal beam and bend it. Rocky twisted the pole into a pretzel with ease. He handed it to the king, who dropped it immediately.

Then, the king looked to the guard with the collar control. "Raise the setting. I want to find out information."

The guard turned up the controller and set the mind controls. The Humana all went into a trance. The king walked to the old one and stood before him.

He waved his hand in front of him. After he lowered his hand, he glanced at the guard. "How do you get such strength?" He waited for the answer.

Richards tried to keep silent, but he blurted out the answer. "We have a serum that increases our strength and other abilities."

Moovoo was surprised at the ease of the success and more than he requested. "What other abilities?"

Richards again tried to avoid the answer but was unable. "We can survive: biological warfare, low oxygen, climate others cannot, we age more slowly, and others."

The king looked at his guards, his court, and then Richards. He paused for a few minutes. Then, he stepped closer and whispered in Richards's ear. "What ... are ... your ... weaknesses?"

The general fought to hold back his answer much longer than the others. He held out a long time, about 10 minutes or so. Then, he blurted the answer. "We have none." He started to relax.

The king whispered again. "What ... are ... your ... weaknesses?"

Richards again fought long and hard but blurted out the same answer.

Moovoo looked at his court. "That must be true. But then, the rings do not work on them. So, they must have a weakness."

"But, that would mean he could lie despite the ring." A heifer shook with fear.

"Moooooooo snort!" The king turned back to the old one. "Either they're faking the response to pain, or he's lying despite the ring. But how can that be?"

The court looked at each other, bewildered.

"Perhaps, you should ask a series of quick questions, Your Lordship. That way, he cannot lie." The old bull leaned toward the king's ear and whispered. "Need to outwit him, Your Lordship."

"Moooooooo snort, and I know just what to ask." The king went to Samson. "Who knows how to make this serum? On which ship is this creature?"

Samson fought to keep silent, but it slipped out. "Dr. Hosteen. She is on ... the ... USS ... Washington."

The king studied him." What does this heifer look like?"

Again, Samson fought not to answer, but to no avail. "She is ... tan with large ... white spots. ...She has ... a large udder."

Moovoo looked confused. "You have a Bohinan heifer aboard your ship?"

Samson continued to struggle. "Wimi."

The king went nose to muzzle with Samson. "You lie! Turn up the mind control settings!"

The bull with the remote turned up the settings as ordered.

The king narrowed his eyes. "Who knows how to make the serum?"

Samson strained as hard as he could to control his mind. "Dr. Hosteen!" He was in great pain as he spoke.

"You lie!" The king yelled. "Raise the settings!"

"I can't, Your Lordship!" The bull fiddled with the settings frantically. "The settings won't go any higher."

Moovoo turned to him with a glare of death. "Off with him!" He pointed at the guard.

Two other guards seized that guard while another guard took the controls. He tried to raise the settings, but the levels could not go any higher.

"The animal is telling the truth, Your Lordship." The beast cringed at the sound of his own voice.

"Moomoomoooooo!" The king shook his head and twisted his neck. "He lies! You can't believe a heifer would be off world and marry Humana! Our heifers never go off world."

"Your Lordship, they do, and quite often." The old bull raised a hand to block any assault. "Some have even gone to live with aliens. So, it is possible."

The king snorted. He thought hard for a moment. Then, he turned to Rocky. "What is your name?"

Rocky answered with ease. "Rocky!"

"What kind of name is that?" Moovoo raised his arms and made fists.

"I am as hard as a rock, the people started to call me 'Rocky.'" Rocky flexed both arms and held them.

The king was not impressed; he turned and walked away.

Rocky let down his arms and watched as the king and his court left the room. The guards ushered the Humana back into the cell.

The king suddenly returned to the cell. He went straight to the old one. "Who knows how to make the serum?"

The general fought to hold the truth back. "Dr. ... Hol ... steen!"

"Are you telling me the truth?" The king glared at Richards.

"Wi ... mi!" Richards continued to fight back against the urge to answer.

Moovoo started to turn away, but quickly turned back, "Are you telling me the truth?"

"Wi ... mi!" The old one blurted out.

"Do I believe you?" Moovoo grabbed him by the neck.

"Ni ... mi!" Richards replied with great difficulty.

"What would make me believe you?" Moovoo pulled the general closer.

"Tell you who knows how to make the serum."

"So, who is it?" The king became flustered.

"Dr. ... Hol ... steen!" The old one fought to withhold information.

"Are you lying to me?" Moovoo forced Richards to go nose to muzzle with him.

"Ni ... mi!" Richards stuttered.

"Moooooooo snort!" The king let go of Richards, "Mo mo ho snort!"

The guard went to a console and began to press buttons. Soon, Richards's thoughts started to broadcast in English over the speakers.

"We must not tell him what he wants to know! Stop thinking about this! Change the train of thought. Think about life before our journey!"

"Translate!" The king looked back at him.

Richards's voice changed to Bohinan. Richards fought to control his thoughts. He focused on the meeting before he left.

President Thompson's voice came out. "I want you to lead the survivors."

"Get him to think of the serum, Your Lordship." The guard turned to Moovoo.

"Who knows of the serum?" The king turned to Richards.

His thoughts shifted to Dr. Collins's voice, telling me about the serum's new ingredient. Then it quickly went back to Thompson.

"Who knows of the serum?" The king demanded.

The general's thoughts went back to Dr. Collins as she discussed the dangers of the new ingredient. He tried to go back to Thompson, but his thoughts came back to Collins.

"Who is that female?" The king pressed against the wall of the cage. "Who is she?"

He thought. "Dr. Collins, how do you make the serum?" But the reply returned too distorted to understand.

"What does she look like?" Moovoo pressed for more.

Richards fought to change his thoughts, but he failed to block the description of a Bohinan female that Samson had described. The harder he tried to avoid any impression of her, the more he thought of her.

"We have enough!" The king turned to the guard. "Shut it down."

"Wimi, My Lordship." The guard pressed buttons.

The king left the room.

Contents

CHAPTER 20 Ready Set

Hanks arrived on the bridge of the USS Washington. Mitchell and Russell greeted him. They turned their attention to the main screen, which showed the planet Bohina a short distance away.

"Have everyone fall into formation, Captain Mitchell." Hanks walked to the center of the bridge.

"Sir, that is my call." Mitchell followed him. "I oversee the fleet. You oversee the American ships only, sir."

"Yes, I stand, corrected." The president glanced at him. "Go ahead with your plans, Captain."

"Sergeant Drake, notify only the ships included in this operation to enter orbit." Mitchell looked around Hanks to his com sergeant.

"Yes, sir!" He began to relay the message.

The ships moved into orbit with the Rahman ships inline amongst them. The remaining vessels held positions away from the formation.

"Sir, the Arab ships are all calling in." Drake monitored his console.

"Put them through." Mitchell went to his chair and sat while the image showed the Arab ambassadors on the screen. All spoke at the same time in Arabic. Mitchell held his hands up to quiet the enraged diplomats. "One at a time."

The Saudi ambassador spoke in English. "Why are our ships not responding to our commands? Have you done something?"

"We have overridden your controls until we are sure you and the others behave properly. We are in the middle of a rescue mission and don't have time to play your games, Ambassador. Now, sit tight and wait for us to leave the area, then we will take you with us."

"No! Release our controls, now!" The Saudi ambassador stepped closer to the screen. "We will not sit by and let you run our lives!"

"You will sit still and be quiet!" Mitchell motioned for Drake to drop the signal to the ambassador. "Next!"

"What have you done to our systems?" The Egyptian ambassador stood with his captain and several other officers.

"Didn't you just hear what I said to the Saudi ambassador?" Mitchell leaned toward the ambassador.

"I heard, but I don't accept it." The Egyptian crossed his arms. "We will find a way to override your control of our ship."

Mitchell just motioned Drake to end the signal. "Next!"

The Iranian ambassador took his turn. "Turn off your override and let us go!"

Mitchell motioned for his signal to end. "Cut them all off. We have other matters to attend. Tell the involved ships to triangulate their target points and prepare to begin our quakes."

"Yes, sir!" Drake passed on the message. "Sir, the Arabs and the Latin American ships are all trying to flood our com systems with messages."

"Block their com systems. We'll talk to them when we're ready." Mitchell put his hands on his knees and shook his head as he looked down.

"Everyone involved in the mission report ready, sir." Drake was busy with his com.

"Good, let's get going, shall we?" Mitchell stood.

"We have visitors, sir." The armory sergeant looked up from her console for just a second. "At least 100 ships are approaching, sir."

"All ships, lock on fighters and destroy!" Mitchell took a step toward the screen as he watched the vessels attack the invaders.

The Bohinan ships exploded, many flew over them, and circled back around for another pass. Many of them blasted and drifted apart. The survivors made another pass. This time they were able to use their weapons on the human and Rahman ships, but they only shook the vessels.

"Sir, the Bohinan are sending a distress call to the Imperial Guard. They claim we are attacking their homeworld." Drake glanced at the captain as he continued to monitor the fast pace of the activity at his station.

"Jam their signal!" Mitchell ordered quickly.

"Trying, sir!" Drake worked frantically to block the Bohinan transmissions. "Bohinan are using all frequencies to send out the messages."

Mitchell went to the armory. "Lock onto the origin of those signals and destroy the origins of the signals!"

"Yes, sir!" the sergeant replied. She worked the controls.

"The signals have stopped, sir!" Drake's activity slowed. "The Rahman are hailing us, sir."

"Put it through!" Mitchell stood before the main screen. The image of Hovah appeared on the screen. "Hovah, what can I do for you?"

"It is what I can do for you, Captain." He held out his hands toward the captain. "We are preparing to go to the surface and begin the mission. Are you ready, Captain?"

"Yes, by all means!" Mitchell replied. "We were just mucking up the waters. We wanted this to be interesting."

"Just as I thought, Captain." Hovah put his hands out to the sides. "You can't have things too easy, or it is such a bore."

"Exactly, let's start sending in the troops. We'll send in the ALFs and have them assist in the search for Richards and the others."

"Very well, Captain." The chancellor let his hands down to his sides. "I will keep you posted."

"Thank you, Hovah. I look forward to your updates." The captain started toward his chair.

The image of Hovah vanished while Mitchell turned to the armory sergeant as he sat. "Send in the ALFs and keep them invisible to the Bohinan."

"Yes, sir!" The sergeant sent a message to the other ships in orbit. "All ships report ready, sir. They are now sending ALFs to the surface, sir. We have visual, sir."

"On the main screen." Mitchell looked at the screen as the image of a large stone structure appeared on the screen. "Send them inside and have a look around."

"Yes, sir!" The armory sergeant pressed some buttons as the image changed to a hall with the tapestries of bulls. The scene changed to the throne room where the king and his court discussed unknown matters. "We need a way to translate their language, sir."

"Do you have a way, Drake?" Mitchell glanced at the com station.

"I'll try, sir." He pressed some buttons. "I can get some of it, sir, but most of the language is visual rather than audio. Our system can translate the audio, but unable to do so for the visual component of the language, sir. It makes the translation unreliable, sir."

"Do the best you can. We need to know what's happening there." The captain studied the image on the screen.

"Humana Bohina Gyogite can." The king moved his head around to his young heifers. They affectionately caressed snouts.

"Them we own." A heifer licked the king's neck.

"Can you get any more out of the system?" Mitchell glanced as his com sergeant. "This is not making any sense."

"Sorry, sir. That's the best I can do in English." Drake checked over his console. "I will try to use the Lorana translation. We will have to translate into Lorana and then retranslate into English and see if that will improve our understanding, sir." He began to punch a series of buttons. The message came over the speakers in Lorana. Then it started to broadcast in English. "It's no better, sir, sorry." He threw his hands up in frustration. "Without a translation of the visual cues the Bohinan depend upon, we cannot understand them, sir."

"Very well." Mitchell paced in front of the screen as more images passed by. "Have the ALFs ... What is that?" He stopped and pointed at a large machine on the screen. Some bulls observed the activity on some of the human ships. "That, whatever it is, must be destroyed! Have the ALFs destroy it!"

The machine exploded as the bulls ran for cover. There was a series of explosions. When the dust settled, there was nothing, but debris left. Bodies of beasts that had not reached safety laid strewn about the room.

"Continue the search for our people." Mitchell paced again as the images shifted from one scene to another.

Contents

CHAPTER 21 Quake!

The earth and Rahman ships began to spread around Bohina. Hanks, Mitchell, and Russell were on the bridge of the USS Washington as they monitored the planet. They awaited the Intel of the Rahman troops as they went down and looked for Richards and the others.

"Anything yet, Hovah?" Hanks became impatient as he paced in front of the screens.

"Nothing." Hovah stood center screen as he looked at Hanks. "They just arrived and are searching the minds of millions of people. The Bohinan language is difficult to understand. Our people are attempting to see the images in their mind's eye. Memories are far deeper than thoughts. The Bohinan capital is large and spread out."

"We have company coming from the surface, sir." McCoy at the armory station looked up from his screens.

"They are hailing us, sir!" Drake at the com station looked up as he shifted his weight to the other foot.

"On screen!" Hanks went to the main screen as the others joined him.

Mootoomoo appeared on the screen as he sat in his command chair aboard his ship. "Drop your shield and prepare to be boarded!" Mootoomoo ordered angrily as he leaned forward in his chair.

"This is getting old!" Hanks was sarcastic as he stood before the main screen. "Don't you guys have any other greeting? You're slightly outnumbered. We have come hoping to have a diplomatic solution to our differences."

"A diplomatic solution to what?" Mootoomoo was angry. "No diplomatic problem exists that requires such a solution. You belong to us; we take what is ours."

"In the case People of Bohina versus the People of Earth, case number 2471, we won over your salvage claim." Hanks used his diplomatic tone and language. "You have no ..."

"You belong to us!" Mootoomoo interrupted him. "Prepare to be boarded, or we will take you by force!"

The communication terminated. Hanks looked at Drake. "Did you record all that?"

"Yes, sir!" Drake looked at Hanks. "It is in storage for the Interstellar Authority."

"Good!" Hanks turned his attention back to the Bohinan ships. "Now, we can show that we tried a diplomatic solution." He went to the armory. "McCoy, give them a hot welcome."

"Yes, sir!" McCoy pressed some buttons as did the armory officers on the other human ships.

Communications reinstated within minutes. Mootoomoo struggled to get his armor off as he overheated. "What are you doing? We are burning up over here!"

"We're just giving you a warm welcome." Hanks smiled pleasantly as he rocked back and forth on his heels. "We can turn up the heat more if you'd like."

"Nimi!" Mootoomoo yelled.

"Then, return to your surface." Hanks lost his smile. He turned to McCoy. "Raise the heat!"

"Yes, sir!" McCoy pressed another button.

Mootoomoo broke off communications again. The Bohinan ships remained in orbit.

"How are we going to get our people to the surface and keep our shields up at the same time?" Hanks looked to his advisors.

"We can get them to call their troops back." Mitchell looked over at McCoy. "We can shake them up a bit."

"Hanks walked toward McCoy. "Are you ready, Sergeant?" Hanks reached McCoy.

"Yes, sir! We are creating plasma bombs under the tectonic plates of the planet. All our ships are in position. Raising the tectonic plates and causing new fractures on the planet, we can shake the planet enough to cause the Bohinan to take notice."

"Be careful of the level of power used. We'll need to get back to the station." Hanks looked at him.

"Yes, sir!" McCoy prepared to perform the task.

"Have you located the rifts in the plates?" Hanks looked at the screens on the console.

"Yes, sir!" McCoy pressed some buttons and showed the cracks in the plates deep below the surface.

"Start the quakes!" Hanks ordered as he turned to go back to the main screen. "Keep the tremors just enough to get their attention."

"Yes, sir!" McCoy prepared for the plasma bombs. He called all the earth ships and coordinated the execution of the order. "We are ready, sir."

"Go ahead!" Hanks turned to the main screen and watched for any signs of movement.

"Sir, you are overstepping your authority ... again, sir." Mitchell turned to him. "You are over only the American ships, not the whole fleet. I am the one who gives orders to the whole fleet."

"Sorry." Hanks stepped back as Mitchell nodded to McCoy.

"Fire!" McCoy relayed to the other ships' armory officers. "They're shaking down there, sir."

"Good!" Mitchell glanced back at Drake. "Get me the chancellor or whoever oversees Bohina."

"Yes, sir!" Drake began to search for a contact on the planet below.

"Bohina is ruled by a king." Hovah looked at Mitchell as he stood aboard the Rahman ship. "His name is Moovoo."

"King Moovoo, I am Captain Thomas Mitchell of earth," Mitchell said in a professional tone.

"I did not give you permission to speak to me!" Moovoo was angry as he tried to stand while the ground still shook.

"Call off your ships!" Mitchell took a step toward the screen.

"Who do you think you are?" Moovoo glared at the screen.

"The one with the button that shakes your world!" Mitchell became just as angry.

"You can't shake our world!" Moovoo yelled in disbelief.

"McCoy, do it again!" Mitchell glanced over at him, careful to speak in Lorana so the king could understand the order.

McCoy contacted the ships. "Fire!" He pressed his button.

Bohina shook violently. The office of Moovoo rocked as pieces of stone fell from his ceiling. The light fixtures swung wildly in the background as Moovoo looked around. He looked back at Mitchell.

"You can't control that." Moovoo was still in disbelief. "We have quakes here all the time."

"Nimi, you don't." The captain was firm. "Call your ships back!"

"Nimi!" Moovoo was defiant while he motioned to someone off camera. The communication terminated.

"He cut us off, sir." Drake kept one eye on Mitchell and the other on the console before him.

"Okay." Mitchell turned back to McCoy. "Shake them up more this time."

"Yes, sir!" McCoy pressed the intercom button again. "Increase power and fire!" He ordered the other armory officers.

The Bohinan ships began to fire at the earth ships. The earth ships fired back as they continued to shake Bohina to its core. Other armory officers came to assist McCoy in the fight while the Rahman began to shoot at the Bohinan ships and at the capital city. The Bohinan people started to flee the city. The Bohinan fleet began to withdraw as they lost ship after ship.

"All ships, battle stations!" Mitchell ordered from Drake's station.

"Aye, sir!" Russell went for his intercom. "All ships, battle stations!" He repeated into the intercom.

"We need our fighters out there!" Hanks told Mitchell as he looked to the com station.

"Our fighters are no match for them, sir." Mitchell stood straight. "We have no shields plus our weapons are just pea shooters. They can't leave while our shields are up anyway, sir."

"There's no real need to send them out." Hovah walked up to his command chair. "We have them on the run."

"Increase power to the plasma bombs!" Mitchell steadied himself as the USS Washington rocked.

"All ships, increase power to the plasma bombs!" McCoy ordered the other armory officers.

Bohina shook violently as the quakes increased in strength and frequency. The people fled to the pastures as the ground began to open. Several people fell into the fractures in the field while others started to run in another direction. Lava began to spew out of the ground. People mooed and ran in herds. They had to change directions often as new cracks in the terrain formed while lava flowed out.

Hanks made his way to the armory station. "Can we get our people down?"

"Negative, sir!" McCoy looked at him as the USS Washington shook again. "We would need to drop our shields."

Mitchell turned to Hovah. "Have your people located ours, yet?"

"They have made it into the palace." Hovah looked at him. "They are searching the palace now."

Meanwhile, Richards and the others stumbled around their cell as the ground shook beneath them. The field began to crack, the stone fell from the ceiling, and stacks of hay bales fell to the floor. Lights swung as the ground shook. Half the soil beneath the cell suddenly dropped about 30 centimeters, as it left a gap which quickly filled in by the rays from the projectors. Samson and Rocky jumped and bent the projectors away from the floor. All of them ran through the holes and to the door.

The door refused to open. Samson went to the hinges and pulled them from the wall. He pulled on the door. However, it still refused to open. The Marine took hold of the door handle and attempted to make it turn. The door handle broke in his hand, so he tossed it away and looked the door over. Three steel bands held the door together, so Samson used a two-handed grip to work his fingers in between the top strap and the door. He pulled the belt slowly out from the door. The nails creaked as Samson pulled them out. Then, he went to the middle band and pulled it out from the door. The wood began to fall apart. Samson grabbed the top of the wooden door and pulled pieces out of the entrance. Finally, he made a hole big enough to fit through.

Once outside, they looked around as pieces of debris fell from the ceiling. The four quickly searched for an exit. A couple of guards lay on the floor, dead with blood and debris over their bodies. They jogged down a corridor which led to yet another. The humans had to decide on which direction to take. The corridor sign would tell them if they could read Bohinan. Richards decided to take a right turn and followed the new corridor. The corridor ended abruptly as they saw the ceiling had caved in. So, they turned around and headed down the other direction. This direction took them to the remains of the throne room. When they entered the throne room, several guards confronted them. The bulls surrounded them and held their spears ready. They took the humans before the king.

"Your people have done this!" Moovoo yelled as he tried to stand straight and still. "How can your people do this? How can we defend against such a weapon?"

"I don't know what they are doing!" Richards looked at Moovoo. "And I wouldn't betray my people if I knew what was happening!"

Moovoo came down the steps from his throne. He went among the guards and stopped. He took the spear from the bull to his right. He stepped forward as the spear pointed at Richards. Moovoo stopped when the spear poked Richards in the throat.

"Now, tell me how to defend against it!" Moovoo snorted as he held the spear at Richards's throat.

The general stood defiantly silent as he stared Moovoo in the eye. Moovoo pressed the spear harder. It started to draw blood. Samson began to move toward the king, but his superior motioned for him to stop.

"Tell me!" The king yelled at Richards.

"I will not betray my people!" The human was defiant. Then, Richards grabbed the spear.

The guards poked Richards in the midsection with their spears. The general let go of the spear and Moovoo moved back out of the circle of guards. He handed the spear back to its owner, as the guard joined the others with his spear in the human midsection. Richards stared defiantly at Moovoo.

"Get me the lead ship!" Moovoo ordered in Bohinan.

A servant went to the communication center and dialed the USS Washington.

"We're being hailed, sir," Drake announced as he scanned his console.

"Put it on the main screen," Hanks ordered as he continued to monitor the situation.

Moovoo appeared on the screen. "I have your people! Stop the quakes!"

"Stop the quakes!" Mitchell looked over at McCoy.

"Yes, sir!" McCoy pressed a button and relayed the order to the other ships.

"Now, call off your ships!" Mitchell turned back to Moovoo.

Bohina calmed as the two sides discussed the situation.

"Very well!" Moovoo motioned to someone off-screen.

The Bohinan ships started to leave for the surface.

Mitchell walked to the armory station. He whispered to McCoy. "Can you drop the shields and get the transporter chief to lock on to Richards and the others?"

"Yes, sir," McCoy whispered back. "Transporter chief this is Armory, over."

"Chief Pierce here, over," Pierce whispered.

"I need you to lock on to General Richards, Samson, Rocky, and Hunter. When I drop the shields, transport them to the ship." McCoy whispered to Pierce.

"I have a lock on to them." Pierce came back.

McCoy whispered. "On my mark." McCoy dropped the shields. "Mark!"

"Got them!" Pierce exclaimed with excitement.

McCoy raised the shields. "We got them, sir," McCoy whispered to Mitchell.

"Good!" Mitchell looked at McCoy.

Moovoo continued with his threats to kill humans.

"You should check your prisoners." Mitchell remained calm.

"You're not supposed to have that technology!" Moovoo yelled as his guards told him the humans were gone.

"We have more technology than you think." Hanks stepped closer to the screen.

"Sir!" McCoy sounded urgent. "I'm detecting Tsunamis approaching the capital. They need to flee to the higher ground fast!"

"You need to get to higher ground!" Mitchell warned Moovoo. "A giant wave is coming toward you."

"Don't give me that!" Moovoo yelled back in disbelief. "It's another of your tricks."

"Look at the sea to the east of your location!" Mitchell became urgent.

Moovoo looked at one of his monitors. His eyes became large as he saw the wave approach.

"Sir, that wave must be a kilometer high!" Stone sounded urgent.

"Run!" Hanks yelled to the screen.

Moovoo and his bulls ran out of the palace. The quakes became worse. The signal with the castle ended.

"What's happening down there?" Mitchell rushed to the armory station.

"The tectonic plates are shifting, sir!" McCoy monitored his screens. "The whole planet is shaking to its core. I am detecting lava flow on the surface and in the oceans."

Richards and the others entered the bridge still in their rags. "What's going on?" Richards approached the senior staff as Samson went to the com station and Rocky took over the armory station.

Hanks turned to him first, and then the others did. "The quakes have touched off Tsunamis which are headed toward the capital." He turned back to McCoy. "Can we stop the quakes?"

"Negative, sir!" McCoy pressed buttons as he frantically tried to stop the quakes. "Once we released the tectonic plates, we cannot stop them from slipping, sir. We have lost control of the quakes. Sir, there are now Tsunamis headed toward the West coast of the continent."

"We must do something before the whole planet is torn apart!" Richards came to look at the screens.

"Negative, sir!" Rocky looked over the instruments. "The quakes have taken on a life of their own, sir."

"You must have had a backup plan!" Richards stood next to the armory station. "Tell me you had a backup plan." He looked over to Hanks and Mitchell.

"We only meant to shake them up a bit." Hanks looked at Richards. "We didn't intend to cause quakes like this."

"We have to either stop the quakes or get the people away from them." Richards looked back at Rocky.

"We have a bigger problem, sir." Rocky looked at his monitors. "I am showing the whole planet is coming apart."

"Can we transport as many people as we can to our ships?" Richard looked to Rocky.

"Where would they stay until we can get to a space station?" Hanks looked at Richards.

"We don't have time to worry about that, sir." Richards looked back at him.

"Yes, we can transport them." Hanks looked down at the console.

"Transporter chief!" Richards pressed the intercom button. "We need you to start transporting people from the surface to the USS Washington. Quickly!"

"Beginning to transport, sir!" Pierce's voice came over the intercom. "We have 20 people."

"Sir, we need to flee ourselves!" Rocky looked up at Richards.

"Pierce, how many do you have?" Richards pressed the button again.

"Sixty people, sir." Pierce's voice came back.

"The other ships report they have a thousand in total, sir." Samson looked over from his station.

"That's all we can do." Richards pushed off from the station. "Let's get out of here!"

"All ships, break orbit!" Russell pressed the intercom button on his chair. "Head to the nearest space station! Full speed ahead!"

The earth and Rahman ships broke orbit and headed out of the system. As they left the system, the aft monitor showed Bohina explode. Fragments of the planet were sent out in all directions. The earth ships manage to move in time to avoid the chunks, but barely. The vessels gathered away from the planet also left in time.

Contents

CHAPTER 22 Aftermath

Richards returned to his quarters to shower and shave. As he dressed, Jacob returned from school. He went out to greet him. Jacob looked at him and stared. Richards, perplexed, looked at the reaction he received from his son.

"What's wrong?" Richards finally broke the silence.

"When did you get home?" Jacob continued to stare at his father.

"What's wrong?" Richards took a step toward Jacob.

"What are you wearing?" Jacob broke his stare.

Richards looked down and noticed he had put his rag back on. "Oh, I'm so used to wearing this cloth; I just put it back on out of habit. I'll change in a minute. How have you been? You sure have grown."

"I've been okay." Jacob put his things down. "Captain Mitchell has been watching us. He made sure we went to the gym and worked out every day."

"I can see that. You're in great shape, especially for an 8-year old." Richards took another step closer. "Aren't you going to give me a hug?"

Jacob gave his father a hug. They hung onto each other for a few moments before Jacob pulled away.

"Let me go and change. I must run again. We're dealing with a tragedy." Richards turned and went back into his bedroom as he untied the side straps.

"What happened?" Jacob went to his father's door.

"Bohina was destroyed." Richards came to the door as he held the cloth in front of him. "We have to deal with the aftermath."

The door sounded, so Jacob went to answer it. He left as the door opened to reveal Martha.

"Your father in?" She looked at Jacob as they passed in the doorway. But he was gone. "I guess so." She entered and looked around. She noticed him at the door of his room with the rag still hung in front of him. "Well, I guess you are at home."

"Well, hi!" He came to her and gave her a hug. "How have you been?"

"Fine, but shouldn't you have some clothes on?" She looked him over.

"It can wait." He stood motionless as she ran her hands across his shoulders and down his arms.

"Don't you ever age?" She put her hands on his chest and awaited the answer.

He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug and a kiss that lasted an eternity. When he finished, he gave her a grin. "I'm older than you are, Kiddo. The serum only makes my body age slower."

"You look in your 40's while I look in my 70's, and you're older than me?" She put her arms around his right one.

"By five years, Martha." He dropped the cloth as he kissed her again and pulled her close to him.

"Down, Atlas!" She tried to pull away without success. "The President says ... there is ... a crisis. Shouldn't ... you ... get dressed?"

"I'm fine. My animal instinct is in overdrive right now." He smiled at her.

Later, Richards rushed to the makeshift transporter room. There he met several guards and Pierce, the transporter chief.

"Got tied up, sir?" Pierce grinned at him.

"Imagine if you suddenly met your woman after being separated for two years and multiply it by 50." The general looked at him as he straightened his uniform and looked at the crowd before him.

"Understood, sir." Pierce worked his console. "Being enhanced is a mixed bag, sir."

The Bohinan huddled together, terrified to find themselves aboard an alien ship. They all spoke at the same time in Bohinan.

The general raised his hands to get their attention. When he had it, he spoke in Lorana. "Please, calm down. We will find your rooms and help you get settled in."

"What happened?" A bull stepped toward Richards.

"Bohina experienced quakes as I am sure you are aware." Richards looked at him and then to the others. "We were in the process of evacuating your people when the planet exploded. We were able to transport you off safely. Our other ships were also able to transport several of you to safety. We are on the way to the nearest space station to let you reunite with other Bohinan. We need you to stay here until we can find you a place to stay."

"What will happen to us now?" A cow from the middle of the group poked her head between two bulls.

"We'll take you to the nearest space station to meet up with other Bohinan. Then, you'll be able to find a new home." Richards stood in front of the transporter.

"How long will it take us to reach this station?" A bull next to the cow came to the front of the group.

"It will take about six months at top speed, sir." Pierce looked over at Richards. "That's the closest station, our station is two years away, sir."

The recruits entered the popper room. A Navy Seal walked to Richards.

"Sir, we have rooms ready for our guests." The Seal stopped next to the general. "We're here to take them to their rooms and see to their needs."

"Good." Richards looked at him. "How good is your Lorana?"

"It's fair, sir." The man glanced at the people.

Richards turned to the Bohinan. "These men are here to take you to your rooms. They will see to your needs. We will meet your needs as best we can. After you've settled in, you may roam the ship. Please, be sure to have one of these men with you always. It's for your safety." He turned back to the Seal. "Take them to their rooms."

"If you will follow us, please." He said in Lorana as the man led them out of the room. The other recruits walked alongside and behind them.

"This will be a long six months, sir." Pierce looked to Richards as the general started out the door.

Richards stopped and looked back at him. "Yes, it will." Then, he continued out the door.

The general arrived back at the bridge as Hanks paced back and forth in front of Russell's chair. The captain watched.

"Is there something bothering you, sir?" Russell looked at Hanks as Richards walked up to the chair.

"Yes, there is." Hanks stopped in front of Richards. "I murdered millions of people. I should resign my position."

"Sir, don't you think it's a bit drastic?" He looked at him.

"What else can I do?" Hanks raised his hands as if to surrender. "I can't bring the people back. The planet is gone so those off-world can't go back. What do I do now?"

"Before you resign, sir, let's go have a talk in your office." The general turned to leave.

"What good would that do?" Hanks stayed in place. "We could talk 'till kingdom come. It wouldn't bring them back."

"But, we can make things better or at least keep them from becoming worse." Richards turned around and looked at Hanks.

Hanks started to the door with the general behind him.

Once they entered his office, Hanks walked to the window and looked out at the stars. Richards stood at the front of the desk. He paused a moment to allow the president to collect his thoughts. Then, Richards spoke.

"Sir, what makes you think you are at fault?" Richards waited for Hanks to respond.

Hanks turned around to face Richards. "I gave the order to use the plasma bombs to shake up Bohina." Hanks stepped to his chair and stood as he held the back of the chair.

Richards pressed the com button on Hanks's desk. "Captain Mitchell to the president's office."

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell's voice came back. Within moments Mitchell reported to the general.

"What happened back there?" Richards crossed his arms.

Mitchell cleared his throat. "The plan was to shake up the planet to get the Bohinan to surrender you and the others, sir. President Hanks gave the order to fire the plasma bombs, but I gave the order to keep increasing the power of the quakes until the king was willing to release you, sir. By the time we could locate you and get a lock on you, it was too late. We stopped the bombs, but the quakes kept becoming worse. We pulled you out but were unable to stop the quakes, sir."

Hanks added. "We should have had a plan or not used the bombs at all. But, I thought the quakes would stop once we stopped the bombs. I should never have ordered the use of the bombs."

"You could not have known what would happen, sir." The general stood with his feet apart and put his hands on his hips.

"I could have sought the advice of the scientists before using the bombs." The president turned back toward the stars.

"Even they would not have known the composition of Bohina." Richards walked around the desk to face Hanks. "It's not in the database, sir."

"But, they could have told me there was no way to stop the quakes, once they start." The president glanced over at the general. "I would have been more informed. But, I had to play it close to my vest. I didn't want anyone else to know what I had planned."

"It was an accident, sir." Richards tried to make eye contact. "You can't always foresee the result of your actions."

"But, even for an unintentional act, we have a man sitting in the brig for killing one man." Hanks put a hand on the window cell and leaned against it. "How can I send a man to the brig when I just brush aside, killing millions of people? It doesn't matter if it's intentional or not, enemies or not."

"Sir, we could debate the moral issue to the end of time and never resolve it." Richards leaned against the wall.

"So, I am just to brush it aside?" Hanks turned to Richards.

"No, sir!" Richards made eye contact. "Accept it and move on. That doesn't require you to resign, sir."

"It's the same thing if there is no punishment for the act." Hanks couldn't bear the eye contact. He looked away.

"Is that really what you want, sir?" Richards moved to make contact again. "Would that ease your conscience?"

"No, but it might be the right thing to do." Hanks looked down and away from Richards's gaze.

"Sir, presidents through the years, have faced this." Richards looked out at the stars. "It's part of being president. The presidency is never easy, sir. We were at war with a people bent on enslaving us. You had to stop them at their homeworld. You had to take the war to them and show we will not allow them to enslave us. People who are unwilling to fight for freedom don't deserve it. You fought for the freedom of all that remains of humanity. Think about the lives you saved. They brought us to Bohina. They brought the war to themselves."

"So, I am to just let go of it?" Hanks looked at him.

"Yes, sir!" Richards made eye contact again. "Many presidents, even in times of war, gave orders that led to the deaths of many people. They did not resign, sir. They learned from their errors and became better people. No president is infallible, sir. Learn from the mistakes, sir, and move on. Even Joshua, in the Old Testament, was ordered by God Himself to wipe out whole nations and have Israel take over the Promised Land. There are times when it is necessary, sir."

Hanks let out a heavy sigh and looked back at the stars.

"I'll leave you to think it over, sir." Richards turned and left the president to mull over their discussion followed by the captain. He went back to his quarters.

Once he arrived at his quarters, he met Jonathan. "How have you been? Do I get a hug?"

"Yes, sir!" Jonathan went to him and hugged him. Then he pulled away.

"Well?" His father looked at him. "How have you been?"

"Fine, sir." Jonathan wouldn't make eye contact.

"What's this 'sir' business?" The general put his hands on his son's shoulders. "You are not in the military; you are not a stranger. So, just call me 'Dad.'"

"Yes, Dad." He did not sound enthusiastic. "I didn't do much but go to school and the gym every day."

"I can see that." Richards looked his son over. "You've done an excellent job. What are you learning in school?"

"The usual." Jonathan started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" He followed his son to the bedroom.

"Out." Jonathan went in and put his things away.

Richards hung his head and went to the window and stared at the stars. Each one reminded him of someone he killed in battle. They had no number just like the stars. Their faces blurred. Their names were forgotten. They began to flood back into his mind, especially the ones, who turned out to be innocents. They bothered him the most. Were their deaths an accident? Really? Could he have done something different and they'd be alive? The weight became heavy.

Jacob's voice came from behind him and that of a man. "Hi, Dad!" Jacob's voice sounded as Richards turned to face him.

"Hi, you ready to go to supper?" Richards smiled at him.

"We've already eaten, Dad." Jacob looked at his friend as he hung on to his friend's back pocket. "This is Clay Morgan. He has been watching us when Captain Mitchell couldn't."

"Thank you, Sergeant." Richards glanced over at Morgan and back at Jacob. "Sergeant Morgan has been keeping you in the gym, too?"

"Yeah." Jacob gave his father a hug and stepped back. "It's been boring." He went back and clung to the man's back pocket.

"But you're looking great!" Richards looked at him. "It's good for you, especially being out in space for so long."

"We've had an enjoyable time, sir." Morgan put a hand on Jacob's shoulder. "Jacob has been good for the most part, both of them, sir."

"Are we talking about the same boys?" The general looked confused.

"Yes, sir!" The sergeant chuckled.

Jonathan came out and stood with Morgan.

"Will you go eat with me, Jonathan?" Richards approached them.

"I've already eaten, Dad." Jonathan started for the door.

"I think you should stay with your Dad, Boys." Morgan looked back at Jonathan. "He's back and wants to spend time with you."

"You and Captain Mitchell have been more Dads to us then he ever has." Jacob snapped as he turned away from his father.

Richards was shocked both by the attitude and how clearly Jacob spoke. "My, your speech has improved!"

"The Captain had him go to therapy five times a week." Jonathan started toward the door again.

"Well, that's all fine. But, the boy is going to learn to respect me!" Richards became upset. "And you, Mister, are going to learn it, too. We're going out together after I eat. We're going to have some fun." Richards headed for the door with family in tow. The sergeant just shook his head as he followed.

Days later, Hanks and Richards entered the bridge. Hovah was already on the screen as he spoke with Russell. Hanks and Richards walked over to them.

"Good morning, Hovah!" Hanks stopped next to the Russell.

Hovah and Russell looked at them. "May Dusya bless you and provide all your needs!" Hovah was cheerful. "I was just telling Captain Russell about the chatter we are picking up on the communications channels. It seems word has gotten out about what you have done to the Bohinan."

"I was afraid of that." Hanks sighed as he hung his head.

"Oh, no!" Hovah looked at him. "It's not bad. People are excited about it."

"That's not bad?" Hanks was shocked. "The deaths of millions of people are something to rejoice?"

"No." Hovah smiled. "They are rejoicing in the fact the Bohinan have been defeated and at their own world. It's the sign of the end of slavery."

"That part is good." Richards glanced over at Hanks. "But, I agree with the president that we shouldn't rejoice over the deaths of millions of people."

"I understand." Hovah turned his attention to Richards. "No one is rejoicing over the deaths of millions of people. It's the end of slavery that is so joyous. Many people only know the threat of slavery from the Bohinan. People want to know how we did it."

"Oh, no!" Richards became very adamant about the issue. "We can't tell them that. We can never let that out by anyone. We have been in a comparable situation just after the end of World War II. When word got out, everyone felt they needed the bomb, too. It started problems that only became worse. We shouldn't go down that road again."

"How long can you keep it a secret?" Hovah looked at him. "You realize many species are telepathic and others are spirits and can watch you without your knowledge."

"Understood, but we must try to keep it a secret as long as we can." The general glanced at the president.

"How is this going to end slavery?" Hanks changed the subject. "If anything good is to come of this, let it be the end to all slavery."

"That's good." Hovah looked at the president. "I am sure this is the beginning of the end. People are saying that they are willing to stand against slavery throughout the empire. However, not everyone agrees. The Bohinan are not the only ones involved in slavery. Besides the slave merchants and the buyers, you have other species that deal in the slave market. Then, there are the Emperor himself and his Imperial Guard."

"We can start by taking away the buyers." Richards looked at the president and chancellor.

"That sounds good and easy to do." Hovah crossed his arms and put a finger to his cheek. "But, we're talking about a society that has been built on slavery for thousands of years. Who will do the work of the slaves? How do you get the slave masters to stop buying slaves and release those they have?"

"We used robotics to replace workers." Hanks walked to the com station. The others followed.

"What is 'robotics'?" Hovah looked at him strangely as he followed them with his eyes as they went to the station.

"Machines which performed certain mechanical tasks are called 'robots.'" Hanks looked at a screen. He brought up a video clip on robotics and had it broadcasted to Hovah. "The machines could do the work faster, cheaper, and more precise than we could."

"Do you have any such machines to show anyone?" Hovah looked to the humans.

"No, they were left back on earth." Hanks looked to Richards.

"We have the plans to make such machines." Richards looked at the screen.

"Sirs, if I may." Rocky looked at them from his armory station. "We have more technology than we are using. We have plans for Artificial life Forms or ALF for short. It's created by a conglomeration of electromagnetic fields." Rocky pressed another button which caused a Marine to appear as a collection of circles that interacted with each other. "Since the fields do not produce compressed plasma, they are stable. There are millions of these electromagnetic fields that make up the image you see and feel. It's an illusion rather than living matter. For instance, our sense of touch is only through the electrical impulses going from our skin to our brain. When we touch the ALF, it sends the same impulses to our brain as does the live person. Therefore, we cannot tell that the ALF is not alive. It feels real to us. Because it is a conglomeration of electromagnetic fields, it can change into another image simply by ordering it to change to a given image of our choice, sir."

Hanks and Richards looked the image over again and ponder these statements. Hanks turned to Rocky.

"Can you make it wake up?" Hanks stopped in front of the ALF.

"Yes, sir!" Rocky pressed some buttons.

The ALF became a person and opened his eyes. He looked around at Hanks and Richards. Then, he looked at his surroundings.

"Hello, sirs!" The ALF greeted them in a human voice. "I am Gunnery Sergeant Timothy Hewitt at your service, sirs."

The general walked to the center of the bridge and turned around. He stopped and called out to the ALF. "Gunny, come and report to me!" Richards waited to see what happened.

The ALF walked to Richards's location and stopped in front of him. He saluted Richards and held the salute. "Gunnery Sergeant Timothy Hewitt reporting as ordered, sir!" Hewitt awaited Richards's return salute.

Richards waited a long time then returned the salute and Hewitt lowered his as did Richards. He remained at attention.

"Stand at ease!" Richards looked the ALF over.

Hewitt stood at ease while Richards looked around and found an electronic pad on a console. He went to retrieve it and returned.

"Take this pad to President Hanks and give it to him." Richards handed over the pad.

Hewitt took the pad in his right hand and switched it to his left. He came to attention and saluted Richards and afterward, the Marine waited for the return salute, and then did an about-face. He marched to Hanks and stopped. Hewitt saluted Hanks and waited for the return salute. Once Hanks returned the salute, the ALF put the pad in its right hand and handed it over. Hanks took the tablet as the ALF stood at attention. Hanks looked back at Rocky.

"That is all fine and dandy." Richards walked back to Hanks. "However, we wouldn't hand over something military."

"Yes, sir!" Rocky looked at his console and pressed several buttons. Finally, he pressed a button and looked up again.

Another ALF appeared in front of his station. This one wore a miner's uniform complete with helmet and headlight.

"This would do better." Hanks looked it over. "Can you do something about the Marine?"

"Yes, sir!" Rocky pressed some buttons as the Marine disappeared. "The problem with these ALFs is that they are dependent on our computers. When we leave the area, the ALFs will cease to function, sir."

"Is there a way we could make them dependent on another computer?" Richards looked at Rocky. "That way we could leave and the ALF would be able to function."

"Negative, sir!" Rocky looked over his schematics. "We would have to build a computer big enough to handle the work and copy the program and data to that computer, sir."

"How long would that take?" Richards came to Rocky.

"We don't have the spare parts to make the computer, sir." Rocky looked at him.

"Could you save the program to a medium and give them the program?" Russell touched the miner on the shoulder, the miner looked at him, and smiled. Russell didn't know how to react to this.

"Negative, sir!" Rocky watched him check out the ALF. "It would need our language to run. Even if we built them a computer to run the program, they would still have to use our language to run it."

"It sounds like we're back to square one." Hanks walked away. "Do you have anything in the system that we could use instead of slavery that wouldn't be dependent on our computer or language?"

Rocky looked through the database and shook his head. "Negative, sir!" Rocky continued to search through the database. "They all require the computer, sir."

"I guess we hit the end of..." Richards looked at Hovah.

"We have company coming, sirs." Rocky monitored his station.

"We are being hailed, sir." Samson looked up from his console. "It's the Bohinan."

"On the main screen!" Richards walked to the main screen with Hanks and Russell in tow.

The screen showed a Bohinan captain and his guards.

"Drop your shields!" the Bohinan demanded.

"For what purpose?" Hanks stepped in front of the screen. "You don't own us."

"We're not here for you, Humana." The Bohinan leaned forward in his chair. "We're here for our people you have aboard your vessels."

Richards leaned toward Hanks and whispered into his ear.

"Alright." Hanks agreed. "We will give you your people. We were planning to drop them off at the nearest space station."

Richards turned to Russell. "All ships stop!"

"Aye, sir!" Russell passed it on. "All ships stop!"

"Drop the shields!" Richards turned back to Rocky.

"Shields are down, sir." Rocky looked at Richards.

"The shields are down." Hanks turned back to the main screen. "Now, take your people, then leave us."

The Bohinan captain said something to someone off camera in Bohinan. "We have located our people and transported them to our ship. The bull turned back to the screen. "You did not need to destroy our homeworld! Go, may you never see home again!"

The communication terminated as the Bohinan ships left.

Richards turned to Hanks. "That was as peaceful as they can be, I guess." Richards looked back at Rocky. "Now, we go back to our other problem. How are we to persuade people to give up slavery?"

Contents

CHAPTER 23 The Meeting

Six months later, the earth ships continued to the station without any problems. Hanks and Richards entered the bridge. Russell paced back and forth between Samson and Rocky.

"We have company approaching from aft, sirs." Rocky looked up from his console.

"Are they Bohinan?" Richards approached him.

"Negative, sir!" Rocky read his screen. "They're from several distinct species. The ships are of different configurations, sir."

"How many ships?" Richards stood in front of Rocky.

"I count 100 ships, sir." Rocky pointed to each ship as he counted.

"We are being hailed, sir!" Samson looked over from his com station.

"On screen." Hanks approached the screen. The image of a known species appeared on the screen. "This is President Timothy Hanks of the earth. How may we help you?"

"May Dusya bless and provide all you need!" the man glanced off the screen. "I am Moshly of the Hokan. We represent many people who request your help to set our people free. We heard what you did to the Bohinan. Now, we request your assistance."

Richards whispered in the president's ear. "Sir, he's Gorenan, not Hokan. Beware of him. He's already lying to us."

Hanks nodded to Richards. "Who holds your people?" Hanks glanced to Richards quickly.

"They are called the 'Hohshoo.'" Moshly waved a lower hand just above the bottom of the screen. He may have hoped the humans did not see it. "They have enslaved my entire world. Only those of us who were off-world at the time remain free. There are 27 worlds represented here. May we meet?"

Hanks looked toward Richards, who nodded.

"Yes, we can meet." Richards turned to Russell. "All ships stop!"

"All ships stop!" Russell repeated the order to the other ships.

"We are in the lead ship." Hanks looked to Rocky. "We will drop shields to allow you to board."

Richards went to the popper room. He stopped at the intercom in the corridor and pressed the button. "Richards to security, over!" Richards released the button.

"Security here, sir, over!" Mitchell's voice came back.

Richards pressed the button again. "We have 54 delegates boarding in the popper room. We need assistance, over!" He released the button.

"Understood, sir!" Mitchell's voice came back. "We're on our way, over!"

Richards pressed the button one more time. "Richards, out!" He released the button and moved on to the popper room.

When Richards arrived, Mitchell and his troops joined him. Richards nodded to Pierce at the controls.

"We are ready to begin receiving the delegates, sir." Pierce pressed the intercom button. Then he released it.

"I need some to go to the conference room and set up 56 chairs, 28 chairs at the table and 28 around the room." Richards leaned toward Mitchell.

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell pointed to four people and motioned them to go.

As they prepared, several delegates began to appear on the transporter pad. Mitchell had them escorted to the conference room. Each time the deputies arrived, Mitchell had more troops escort them out. Each delegate greeted their host as they arrived. As the last of the representatives came, Richards led them out of the room. Richards motioned Mitchell and the troops to follow.

When they arrived in the conference room, Hanks was already at the meeting. The room was full of delegates from many worlds. All stood around and talked to each other with their varied skin colors, which made the room look much like a Christmas tree. There were red-, blue-, black-, green-, yellow-, brown- and even aqua-skinned people. They were of different shapes and sizes. Some had two sets of arms, while others had many eyes.

"Captain, you and your troops wait outside the room." Richards stopped in front of Mitchell. "The room is a little crowded right now."

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell and his troops left the room.

Richards walked to Hanks. "Are you going to start the meeting, sir?"

"Yes, are they all here?" Hanks stepped forward.

"As far as I know, sir." Richards looked at Hovah who was on the screen behind Hanks.

"Then, let's get the show rolling, shall we?" Hanks took his place at the head of the table. "May we begin our discussion? Please, have a seat."

The delegates took their seats. The principal negotiator sat at the table, while their assistant sat behind them along the walls.

"I call this meeting to order." Hanks looked them over. "I am Timothy Hanks, President of the American people from the earth. We welcome you to the USS George Washington. Now, I understand you want our help to free your planets from slavery at the hands of the people called "Hohshoo.' We would like to help but have some limits."

"We would be very grateful for any help you can give us." Moshly sat to Hanks's right.

"Are all your worlds enslaved by the Hohshoo?" Hanks looked them over.

"Wimi!" Delegates at the table responded as each nodded.

"Then, it seems best we go to their homeworld." Hanks folded his hands before him.

"I say, 'Destroy Hohsh!'" A brown slug from the other end of the table leaned forward.

"Wimi!" Several other delegates joined in the call.

"We are not mercenaries!" Hanks looked at the slug.

"You destroyed Bohina." A blue-skinned man spoke up as he leaned against the large window. "Why not Hohsh? It is far worse than Bohina. We will pay you well."

"We are not mercenaries." Hanks began to frown. "We never intended to blow up Bohina. That was an unfortunate accident."

"If you destroy Hohsh, you will set billions of people free." A bright red-skinned man from the middle of the window side of the table spoke.

"I understand the problem." Hanks looked at each of them.

Richards walked over to him. "Sir, can I have a word?"

"Sure." Hanks looked at Richards.

"This is starting to sound like a police action, sir," Richards whispered in Hanks's ear. "They want us to become the police and take action against a planet. How do we know this planet is enslaving people at all? We only have their word. This world has not had its say in the matter."

"Understood." Hanks pondered the advice.

"Remember history." Richards continued to advise him. "The United States thought it could police other nations and ended up in many wars. Becoming the police got the United States into a lot of trouble plus the nations who asked for help later turned their backs on us. Don't make the same mistake, sir. It's said, 'Whoever fails to learn from history is bound to repeat it.'"

"I understand, General." Hanks glanced at the delegates. "I have no intention of policing anyone." Hanks turned back to the representatives. "What is it that you want us to do?"

"We want you to free our peoples." The delegates joined in as they raised a hand to signify their decision.

"Where is Hohsh?" Hanks tried to feel his way through the motives of the delegates.

"It's near the Hoshsk nebula about a six-month journey from Li Lyo." Moshly turned to Hanks in anticipation of his assistance.

"We will try a diplomatic course of action first." Hanks glanced at Richards and back at the delegates. "The problem is we have the Rahman with us who asked us to help them find a new home. Our own people are looking for a home."

"We would be willing to go help," Hovah spoke from the screen. "Are these people willing to send ships to help?"

"Wimi." Each of the delegates at the table asserted.

"We will send ships to assist." Moshly became very nervous. "The Hohshoo will not give in easily. So, we should expect a fight. If we stand together, we can defeat slavery for the last time."

"Then, we can all meet at Li Lyo." Hanks looked them all over. "It will take us one and a half years to reach Li Lyo. I suggest we have several plans in place before we reach Hohsh."

"It would help if to know what it was that you did to the Bohinan." Moshly leaned toward Hanks.

"That's a military secret." Richards stepped forward. "We can't divulge that information."

"Can't we just tell them about the quakes and not how we did it?" Hanks turned to Richards and asked in English.

"No, sir!" Richards replied. "It would only invite more questions; we cannot discuss the issue with them, sir."

"I understand, you're right." Hanks turned back to the delegates. "He is right, we can't divulge that. I am sorry."

"It must be some weapon!" A blue-skinned female looked from delegate to delegate quickly. "How do we know you won't use it against our worlds?" She looked at Hanks.

"We have no intention of using the weapon against anyone." Hanks leaned forward in his chair. "What happened at Bohina was not intentional." Hanks turned to Richards and switched to English again. "This Bohina issue is going to be a thorn in our side for years to come."

"It will, sir." Richards leaned toward him. "We have to keep it under wraps for as long as we can."

Hanks turned back to the delegates and switched back to Lorana. "Let's focus on the Hohshoo. How long have they been enslaving your people?"

"Some have been enslaved for generations." Moshly began to make motions with his hands as he talked to emphasize his words. "My world, for example, has been enslaved for 50 imperial years. I was young when my people were enslaved."

"Are there any of your people on Hohsh itself?" Hanks sat back again in his chair.

The delegates looked at each other and then back at Hanks.

"We don't know." Moshly became nervous again. "We have not had much contact with those on our homeworlds."

"Then, if we destroy Hohsh, we could be killing the very people we are trying to set free." Hanks looked around the table. "Why don't we take a diplomatic approach first and see if we can find out how many, if any, of your people, are on Hohsh. Taking a strategic approach first will give you time to scan for your people's bio-signs and may even give you a chance to transport some to freedom. On the other hand, if we were to go in shooting, we could kill them or never know who was there."

"I see your point." Moshly sat back in his chair although he still seemed nervous. "I say we use a diplomatic approach, too."

The other delegates mumbled among themselves and then gave their nods to the plan.

"Now, we need a backup plan." Hanks leaned forward in his chair. "What do you have for suggestions?"

"Use your weapon, if they don't release our people." An aqua-skinned man near the head of the table raised a hand.

"That would be a last resort." Hanks looked at the man. "We need other, less destructive plans." No one responded. "Then, I say we adjourn until we can come up with a plan." Hanks looked around the table again. "We won't get any closer to Hohsh unless we get moving."

"I agree with that." Moshly looked frustrated but resigned to the situation. "We need to get moving again. Thank you for your time." Moshly stood as did his colleges while he bowed to Hanks and Richards and took out his radio. He said something just before the two representatives vanished.

After all the other delegates did the same, Hanks turned to Richards. "This will be a hard matter to keep under wraps, General." He looked at him and then started toward the door. "How do we keep it under wraps, when they clearly want us to use it?" He stopped at the door and looked back at Richards and Hovah on the screen.

"We'll have to find a way, sir." Richards went to him.

"Beware of these 'People.'" Hovah raised a finger. "They are not truthful with you. I can sense it strongly."

The humans looked at the screen. "I agree." Richards motioned for Hanks to proceed as Hovah's transmission ended.

They step out of the conference room and met security.

"They're all gone." Richards stopped in front of Mitchell. "Thank you for your assistance. You can go now."

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell led the team back to the office.

"What do we do now?" Hanks led the general back to the bridge. "We don't want to get involved as police for the galaxy, yet we may need their help someday. I thought it was tough handling international problems, but this interstellar level is going to drive me nuts!"

"Sir, take it one step at a time." Richards walked around some other people in the corridor. "We have a year before we reach Li Lyo. That will give us time to sort through things. Then, we have another six months before we reach Hohsh and find out their side of the story, sir."

"Yes, we need to find out what their side of the story is." Hanks made his way through the crowded corridor. "Everyone seems to be telling the truth until the other side of the story is told. How are we going to keep trigger-happy people under control until we find out the whole story?"

"That will be tricky, sir." Richards stopped at the bridge door. "We don't know yet who the trigger-happy party is, to begin with. They could all be trigger-happy for all we know, sir. It would be best to treat them all as if they are an unpredictable one. Eventually, we will find out who, if any, is trigger-happy."

Richards reached up and opened the door. Russell came to meet them as they entered the bridge.

"Have all ships return to full speed ahead, Captain." Hanks went to his chair deep in thought.

"Aye, sir!" Russell turned and went to his chair. He pressed the intercom button. "All ships, full speed ahead!"

Contents

CHAPTER 24 The Hohshoo

Several months pass without incident. Russell and crew monitored their progress. Russell walked over to the armory station. He looked over Rocky's shoulder to view the screen of ships around them. He also sought other vessels in the area.

"Sir?" Rocky looked back at the captain.

"Nothing." Russell straightened and looked at another screen. "I was just curious about who is out there."

"I'm not showing anyone, but our friends and us, sir." Rocky looked back at his screen.

"Sir!" Samson looked up from his com station across the bridge. "We are being hailed, sir. It's Moshly of the Hokan."

"On Screen!" Russell walked to the center of the bridge.

The screen showed Moshly on his bridge.

"I am Captain Steven Russell of the USS George Washington. May I assist you, sir?" Russell awaited a response.

"We must all stop quickly," Moshly spoke with urgency in his voice. "The Hohshoo warships are at Li Lyo."

Russell walked to Samson and pressed the intercom button. "All ships stop!" Then he walked back to the image center.

Soon all ships came to a full stop. The captains wanted to know what was going on. Samson handled their calls while Russell handled Moshly.

"What seems to be the problem with the Hohshoo being at Li Lyo?" Russell studied the alien's movements as he listened.

"They are slave traders and far worse than the Bohinan." Moshly became nervous and looked to someone off-screen and back at Russell. "We must hold back until we have a plan."

"Understood." Russell looked at Samson. "Have President Hanks and General Richards come to the bridge." Then, he turned back to the screen. "I have had President Hanks and General Richards asked to come to the bridge. They can assist you better."

"Thank you." Moshly started to become nervous again.

"You're welcome! Is there anything else I could help you with?" Russell watched Moshly's mannerisms.

"Nimi." Moshly became even more nervous. "It would be best to speak to President Hanks."

Within minutes, Hanks and Richards entered the bridge.

"It's Moshly of the Hokan." Russell turned around to face them. "He wishes to speak with you, Mr. President."

"Moshly, May Dusya bless and provide all your needs!" Hanks stumbled through the Lorana traditional greeting. "What can I do for you?"

"May Dusya bless and provide you with all your needs! The Hohshoo have docked their warships at Li Lyo." Moshly had trouble as he tried to keep his nerves under control. "We need a plan before we arrive at Li Lyo."

"It will be a year before we reach Li Lyo." Hanks was curious. "Why have we stopped and why the urgency?"

"We need a plan to protect ourselves." Moshly tried to cover his emotions. "We don't know how long they will be there or if they will come our way."

"Can't we do the planning en route?" Hanks became uneasy with Moshly's behavior. "Would they attack our fleet?"

"Nimi, we cannot do it en route." Moshly was barely able to contain himself. "Wimi, they would attack this fleet."

Hanks looked at Richards.

"Be careful, sir." Richards stepped toward Hanks. "We don't know them well enough yet, sir."

Hanks looked back at the screen.

"We need to do this on the move." Hanks hoped to find out what really was the problem.

"Why?" Moshly began to pace in front of the screen. "We get in sensor range, we will be detected. It's too dangerous!"

"We need to get our people to the station." Hanks picked up on Moshly's nervousness. "We have guests who need to disembark and back to their people. We need to pick up..."

"Sir!" Richards interrupted Hanks and spoke in English. "Be careful of what info you mention."

Hanks glanced at him and then looked at the screen. "We need to get moving."

"Sir!" Rocky looked at his screen. "Their ships are moving in front of us. They're blocking our path."

"Why are you blocking our path?" Hanks became angry.

"We need to make plans here." Moshly's actions began to show nervousness.

"Move your ships, or ..." Hanks showed his anger in his expression.

"Sir!" Richards interrupted him again. "They're trying to get us to use our weapon. They want to know what it is, sir. Be very careful what you say. Don't get us forced into using it."

"Remove your ships!" Hanks showed more anger as he began to turn red in the face.

"Nimi!" Moshly insisted. "It's too dangerous."

Hanks looked at Rocky. "Fire some shots between them?"

"Yes, sir!" Rocky pressed some buttons. The USS Washington fired its phasers at the ships. "Sir, our phasers have no effect on their shields."

Richards walked to Rocky. "Can you get some ALFs into their ships?"

"I can try, sir." Rocky pressed some buttons. He tried several times.

Suddenly, ALF troops showed up on Moshly's ship. They were combat ready. They quickly captured all the bridge crew, including Moshly.

"How did you do that?" A terrified Moshly asked as a Marine had him in a chokehold.

"Move your ships!" Hanks calmed somewhat.

Moshly said something in his language. The ships moved out of the way.

"Get the troops back!" Richards looked at Rocky.

Rocky pressed some buttons while the Marines disappeared off Moshly's bridge.

"All ships, full speed ahead!" Hanks looked at Russell.

"Aye, sir!" Russell pressed a button on his chair. "All ships, full speed ahead!"

The ships took off. The Rahman followed suit.

"The others are not following, sir." Rocky looked at Hanks.

"It seems they didn't get what they wanted." Richards walked toward the president.

"Now, they know our trick." Hanks watched him approach.

"But, they don't know about the plasma bomb." The general stopped next to him. "Besides, they probably think the troops were real. So, they may not know our trick."

"What if we meet the Hohshoo?" Hanks looked at him.

"Be cautious yet, courteous." Richards walked to him. "They may be innocents, or they may be guilty as charged. Let's just worry about getting to Li Lyo." Richards watched Hanks as he studied the screens. "The natives are getting restless."

Six months later, they come across two large ships. "Sir, we are being hailed." Samson looked up from his station.

"On screen!" Russell stood from his chair.

A man appeared on the screen. His red skin stood out even more against the white of his robes. He had long wavy brown hair down to his shoulders.

"May Dusya bless you and provide all your needs!" The man greeted Russell. "I am Hah'el of the Hohshoo." He put his left hand under his right lower ribs and bowed as he introduced himself. "We are on a journey of enlightenment."

"May Dusya bless you and provide all your needs! I am Captain Steven Russell of the earth ship USS George Washington." Russell moved toward the screen. "How may we help you?"

"We were wondering if your ships were heading to the Gregor Nebula for the Festival of Dusya." Hah'el raised his hands as if to pray. "If so, you are going in the wrong direction."

"Nimi." Russell stopped. "We are headed for Li Lyo."

"They will be busy with pilgrims this time of year." Hah'el tilted his fingertips to his mouth as he spoke.

"Notify President Hanks of contact," Russell told Samson.

"Yes, sir!" Samson pressed the intercom button.

"You're very different from what we were told." Russell eyed Hah'el. "You were described as barbaric slave traders."

"Who told you that?" Hah'el looked shocked. "We're priests of Dusya. We seek only peace and are against slavery."

As they spoke, Hanks and Richards entered and walked to Russell at center stage.

"May Dusya bless you and provide all your needs!" Hanks stopped next to Russell. "I am President Timothy Hanks of the American ships of the earth."

"May Dusya bless you and provide all your needs!" Hah'el greeted Hanks. "I am Hah'el of the Hohshoo, high priest of Dusya. I heard you believe we're barbaric slave traders. We are not, but priests of Dusya."

"We met a group of 100 ships that claimed your people were holding their worlds in slavery and wanted us to go to your world and destroy it." Hanks looked at the screen.

"They must have been the Kahshoo," Hah'el lowered his hands to a praying position. "They regularly rob ships in this area. They have also tried to rob the Treasures of Dusya on our homeworld. So far, we have been able to defend the Treasures."

"That makes sense." Richards turned to Hanks. Then he looked back at the screen.

"We call them 'Pirates.'" Hanks fixed his eyes on him. "They wanted us to use our weapons on you. We wanted to hear your story."

"I am glad you did." Hah'el tilted his fingers and hands outward to form a V-shape. "We are a peaceful people."

"We are looking for a new world." Hanks took a step toward the screen. "Do you know of a planet nearby?"

"There is said to be a planet in the Arohmahd system." Hah'el closed his hands again with a slight clap. "It's the fifth planet from the star of an isolated system. It is a livable planet, but not much is known about it."

"We thank you for the information." Hanks had to fight to keep his hope in check. "We will find the Arohmahd system. Hopefully, we can live there. Thank you again for your help."

Hah'el bowed as the signal ended. Hanks turned to Richards.

"You were right not to trust the delegates." Hanks started to leave the room. "They used the old 'Wolf in sheep's clothing' trick on us for which we nearly fell."

"But, we didn't, that's the main thing, sir." Richards followed. "We cannot trust everyone out here. Bring up the star chart of the Arohmahd system." Richards stopped and turned back to the main screen."

"Yes, sir!" Samson pressed some buttons.

The star chart appeared on the main screen. Richards stepped toward it.

"There's Li Lyo right of center and Arohmahd up and to the left of Li Lyo," Richards pointed to each location as Hanks came to him and looked at the screen, too. "The chart says it's a six month-journey from Li Lyo. That would be a convenient location for trading with the space station, sir.

"But, why is a planet so close being ignored?" Hanks looked confused. "There must be a reason."

"We'll find out when we reach Li Lyo." The general turned to leave again.

Contents

CHAPTER 25 Li Lyo

Two years after the incident at Bohina, the earth and Rahman ships docked at Li Lyo. This time there was no threat of Bohinan attack. The people quickly disembarked the vessel. Hanks and Richards walked down the now quiet corridors to the docking port. The Richards boys followed at a distance. Martha hung on to the general's upper arm as she walked beside him.

"Will you be continuing on with us?" Hanks looked at the chancellor's image on his wrist radio.

"No, I think not, sorry." Hovah's image glanced off-screen and then back to Hanks. "We have caused you enough inconvenience and have our own world to seek."

"It's been nice getting to know you, Hovah." Hanks reached the docking port.

"It's been nice getting to know you, also." Hovah looked at him through the device. "And General, welcome back."

"Thank you." Richards looked at the image on Hanks's radio and then signed them both off the ship.

When they reached the market place, they faced a strange sight. The people ceased their activities and bowed as the humans approached and even the station's security guards bowed. The humans stopped before them.

"What's going on?" Richards watched the people and then looked at Hovah's image.

Hanks turned the radio toward the crowd so Hovah could see them. "You have their respect for which they honor you." His friend surveyed the people.

"Do we bow back?" Richards looked back at the people.

"Nimi, just nod your head." Hovah looked back at Hanks's image again.

Hanks, Richards, and the boys nodded as they passed by the people. They stopped at a light show that celebrated the end of slavery. Many former slaves were there as people gave them gifts of friendship.

"Until we meet again, Hovah." Hanks showed the event to his friend.

"President Hanks, General Richards, best wishes to you as may you find a new home in the Arohmahd system." Hovah put his hands together as if in prayer and bowed to his friends. "I thank you again for your assistance. We are indebted to you."

"Thank you for your help in getting General Richards back." Hanks watched his friend and bowed to him.

Hanks and Richards walked around the noisy market place. Jacob wrapped his hand around his father's free upper arm from underneath and tugged on it. "Dad, can I go explore the station?"

"No." He continued along without even a glance at him. "It's not safe, yet."

"Dad, I'm 10 now." Jacob kept an eye on his father and one on the activity around him.

"And you're still my son." Richards glanced at his son. "This is an alien station."

"Dad, I'm not a little boy anymore." Jacob shifted his attention to the activities around him.

"I know that, Jacob. But, you're still too young to be alone out here." His father stopped and gave him a stern look.

Jacob sighed, but followed as a good son ... at a distance.

Jonathan stepped up to his father. "Can I explore the station, Dad? I am 16 now."

"If you stay in a group of humans, fine. But if you go by yourself, no." Richards looked at Jonathan. "You're still not old enough to be on your own."

"Yes, sir." He moped. Then he saw a group of kids his age as they walked about the market with no adult. He went to be with them but did not tell his father.

Soon, Richards and the others reached a shop that sold energy cells and cells for the food dispensers. They took the time to look at the other equipment that the merchant had to offer. But, they thought it best not to purchase anything other than what they really needed. Richards arranged for the delivery to their ships. When they were ready to leave, the merchant stopped them.

"What species are you?" The merchant handed back a pad to Hanks.

"We are humans. What you would call 'Humana.'" Hanks took the pad.

"Ah!" The merchant's eyes lit up. "You are the people of whom so much is being talked about. Is it true that you blew Bohina apart?"

"Unfortunately, it is true." Hanks started to turn. "We never intended for that to happen."

"May the stars light your way!" The merchant moved closer. "You are the talk all over this empire. In the past few years, you have become heroes."

"Heroes?" Hanks kept an eye on the merchant's dance movements. "We're not heroes. Millions of people died."

"You stopped slavery in this empire." The merchant stopped in front of Hanks. "After you defeated the Bohinan, many others started to take up arms and defeated many of the other slave traders."

"Oh, no!" Hanks looked at Richards and frowned. "What have we started? What have I started?"

"Sir, we definitely need to pay more attention to the com signals." Richards glanced at Hanks and then back at the merchant.

"I don't understand your language." The merchant looked at them both nervously.

"It's not important." Richards started to turn and led Hanks out of the shop.

"Do you think the Bohinan threat is over?" Hanks walked alongside Richards and Martha as they walked through the market place.

Richards stopped and looked at Jacob, who still followed at a distance. "What did you want to see?" He waited for Jacob to catch up with them.

"I wanted to look around and see what's here." Jacob walked up to him. "But, I wanted to do it alone."

"I understand you want to spread your wings, but you know the answer to that." Richards turned back to Hanks. "This is not earth where it is safe for you to wander off on your own. Wait for a year or two. Then, you can go off with your friends. This is an alien environment, not earth. We still don't know what all we can and cannot do ourselves. What if someone took you, what would you do? Someone took me already and look at what happened. Your time is coming. Don't worry."

Richards took Jacob to see some of the shops and other things around the market place. They came to a pet store where Jacob wanted to look around at the various creatures. They spent some time in the store. One animal caught Jacob's attention.

The creature had a head like a Pug dog and the body like a very hairy donkey, but the size of a small dog. The animal came up to Jacob and panted. It leaped up on the side of the cage and looked at Jacob with its sad eyes. Jacob smiled at it and knelt in front of the cage. He looked up at his father.

"Can I have him, Dad?" Jacob looked back at the pet as it stuck its tongue out at Jacob and licked his fingers.

"What would you do with a pet while you were at school?" Richards knelt beside Jacob. "What would you feed it, and how would you care for it, especially if it became sick? There's a lot of caring for a pet. How will you train it to do things? We don't know about this species. Our people don't have Vets anymore. We wouldn't know how to treat it if it became sick."

"We can ask the merchant." Jacob stood and went to the merchant, a Gorenan female.

The merchant turned to face him as he approached. "Hello, young one. What can I do for you?"

"I want to know about this pet over here." He led her back to the pet and pointed to it.

"Ah, it's a fyado." She pointed to the sign on the cage. "She comes from the Torsa System. She can eat regular food with no special requirements. The fyado do not get any bigger than she is now. They make perfect pets."

"How do you train her?" Richards stood next to the merchant.

"Here, I have a training crystal." She went back to her counter and picked up a small object. She handed it to Richards.

The general looked through the table of contents of the 3D image and reviewed several of the pictures.

"Can I have her, Dad?" Jacob looked up at him.

"She'd be your responsibility." Richards looked at his son as he turned off the crystal.

"I will take loving care of her, Dad." Jacob turned his attention back to the very affectionate animal.

"Okay." Richards handed the female his chip. "Wimi, we'll take her."

"An excellent choice." She went to ring up the sale and returned with the collar and leash. She put the collar on the fyado.

"Thanks, Dad! Come on, Suzy!" Jacob took the leash and stood.

Jacob led Hanks, Martha, and Richards out of the shop. Suzy was eager to lead the way. She danced and barked all the way to the USS Washington. The other children on the ship came to see Suzy. They eyed her as Jacob did.

"We'll need her checked out by one of our doctors." Richards stooped down to pet Suzy. "We need to learn all we can learn about her before she becomes sick. Show them this training crystal."

"Okay. Come on, Suzy." Jacob led her down the corridor with the other children close behind.

The general stood. "I hope I don't live to regret this."

"Ah, it will be fine, Mike." Martha started down the corridor. "He needs to learn some responsibility; thus, having a pet is just the thing."

"Yes, it's a big step for him." He followed her and Hanks.

Richards's radio beeped. "Yes?" He replied to it.

"Sir, we have another skirmish at the Shalom." Mitchell's voice came over the radio. "The Arabs are at it again, sir."

"Send troops from all ships. Have them meet me at that locale." Richards spoke into the unit.

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell's voice came back. "Mitchell out, sir."

"Duty calls, sir." Richards turned and went back the way he came.

Hanks shook his head and went back to his office. Martha continued on alone as she grinned.

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CHAPTER 26 Lo-Shalom

By the time Richards and the troops arrived at the Shalom, it was anything but peaceful. It was an all-out brawl. Richards motioned his soldiers to fire on the people. The forces opened fire as the people began to drop, men, women, and children alike, both Jew and Arab.

Once all were down, the troops moved in and separated the two groups. The forces took the Jews into their ship and put them in confinement. They took the Arabs to their vessels and put them in detention.

Since the Arabs refused to wear the ships' uniforms, the troops had to guess on which ship to put them. They noticed the stench and the trash scattered through the corridors, even the compartments had garbage everywhere.

With the people confined, Richards looked for the leaders of both sides. He took them to the USS Washington for interrogation as the troops guarded the captives.

When the leaders started to awaken, Richards was in with the Israeli leaders. "What's going on now?" He looked at them sternly as he paced before them. One leader sat up as he stooped before them. "I asked you, 'What's going on now?'"

"They claim we are harassing them again." Scheinberg held his throbbing head.

"Can't you two ever get along?" Richards looked the man over while he turned Scheinberg's head. "Just stay away from them."

Scheinberg looked up at him. "We do! But they won't stay away from our people. They follow us and threaten us."

"Would you like to have our troops stay with your people and make sure the Arabs stay at a distance?" Richards stood.

"That would be greatly appreciated, General." Scheinberg looked up at him. "They couldn't claim we were harassing them."

"Then that's what we will do. But, it means your people will have to stay in groups." Richards looked down at him.

"Understood." Scheinberg put his hands on the floor behind him.

"What's this agreement?" David began to sit up. "I haven't agreed to anything. Scheinberg explained everything in Hebrew. "Very well, I'll agree." David rubbed his eyes to clear them.

Richards started to step away as a Soldier came. "I'll go get their side of the story and see what can be done. There are too many dangers out here to be feuding amongst ourselves."

He left for another room where a guard stood over the two new Arab leaders. The two leaders sat on the floor.

Richards stopped before them. "Now, what's the problem?"

"You are!" The one on the right shouted. "We were settling the issues once and for all, but you interfered as always!"

"You were not accomplishing anything." Richards walked around them. "Abd Al-Aziz, you should know better. You are considered the voice of Allah, but you speak more like the voice of a Dasin."

Abd Al-Aziz became upset as he muttered in Arabic.

The general stopped in front of him. "We will be having troops escort the Israelis about the station. We will see who is the one harassing whom."

"You always protect Israhell! When it is them that harass us!" Abd Al-Aziz shouted and flung his arms.

"We shall see who the instigators of these problems are." Richards went to the guards near the door. "When the Israelis are taken care of, escort these men back to their ships."

"Yes, sir!" They came to attention as the general left the room.

The two Arab leaders stood and came to the guards as they yelled in Arabic. The guards pointed their weapons at them, but the leaders still approached. The Arabs became more violent. So, the guards stunned them again.

"Don't these guys know how to act?" One guard picked up Abd Al-Aziz.

"They've been rebellious all through history. The Arabs even fight among themselves." The other guard picked up the other leader, they put them in the middle of the room and tied their hands behind them.

Later, Richards and a large group of enhanced troops arrived at the Shalom with the Israeli leaders. The enhanced forces assigned to the Shalom met them at the docking port.

"These troops are to escort the Israelis who wish to move about the station." Richards stopped in front of the troops. "They will keep the peace between the Israelis and the Arabs. Notify the people if they wish to go anywhere, they must go with the troops assigned to them."

"Yes, sir!" One of the troops on the ship went for the mic. He made the announcement in Hebrew, soon people signed off the vessel, and went with the soldiers.

"Toda Raba!" The Israeli leaders thanked the general. "Shalom!" They called back as they entered the ship.

The general and Hunter led a group as Scott and Carter brought up the rear. They escorted them to the center of the market place where people gathered for a performance of some kind. The Israelis found seats among the people while the troops stood guard at the entrances. Scott was the only one not in uniform.

As Scott turned and faced the stage, he saw a two-headed person walk out to the front of the stage. The person bowed to the crowd and then to the instrumentalist off to the right of the stage. The accompanist started to play soft melodies that mesmerized the audience, even humans. The female head of the person sang a love song to the male head who sang back to her. Scott could only understand a few phrases. He did not notice some people approach from behind him.

The people attacked him and started to beat him with metal rods and anything else they could grab. Scott fought back and punched many with all his might while he grabbed his weapon and started to shoot the people. Carter joined in the fight.

Carter shot several people before they finally gave up and started to leave the area as they pulled their wounded away. Then Carter checked on his friend who checked himself over for wounds of his own. He had some bruises and welts, but he was fine.

Richards came to them. "Who attacked you?"

"It was a mob of Arabs, sir." Scott found some blood that ran down his forearm. "Why do they hate so much?"

Richards's radio sounded. "Richards! What is it?"

"We have a mob of Israelis attacking the Arabs at the main restaurant near your locale, sir." Samson's voice came over the radio. "We are taking them into custody, sir."

"Good, lock them in their compartments for 30 days," Richards ordered Samson. "We just had an attack by the Arabs. They're both attacking each other. Take the leaders of both groups into custody and hold them until I speak with them ... again."

"Yes, sir! Samson out!" Samson's voice cut off as Richards put away his radio. He turned back to Scott, who bandaged his wound with his field kit. "Get the Israeli leaders here and tell them I need to speak with them about an attack. Don't give out any more information."

"Yes, sir!" Scott went to round up the leaders. As he searched the crowd, he spotted Scheinberg and David together. Scott managed to get their attention and motioned for them to come. When they reached him, he passed on the information. He led them to the general.

"Well, you two, it seems the Arabs are not the only ones causing trouble." Richards had some troops take the two into custody. "You will be confined for 30 days just as the people who caused the trouble. You will stay confined as long as your people cause trouble. The same is true for Arab leaders. Take them away!" The troops took the leaders to their ship.

Later, Richards met with the leaders of the Arabs and the Israelis aboard the Shalom. He paced in front of them. "This ship is named 'Shalom' meaning 'Peace,' but there is no peace. So, it should be called 'Lo-Shalom' meaning 'No Peace.'"

"There is peace if the Arabs will leave us alone." David tried to raise a hand, but the troops had it tied behind him.

"No! It is IsraHell who starts the fights!" Abd Al-Aziz tried to stand.

"Sit!" Richards shouted at him. "It's both sides are starting it! You both lost your land and your sacred sites. Out here, you can start over if you learn to stop hating each other. You always try to up each other. You're like kids in a sandbox. Now, stop it! The mission of Operation Phoenix is to give us all a fresh start from the ashes of war. You two stop the fighting, or you will both be destroyed! We will not tolerate this feud of yours!" He looked to his troops. "Confine them for 30 days, if this keeps up, confine them till it stops!"

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CHAPTER 27 U2?

Richards took a group of enhanced and unenhanced troops through the station as they guarded various groups of humans. The people went about their business in restaurants, shops, musical performances, and other entertainment not available onboard the ships. Scott noticed a mob form to the left of the group.

"Sir, we have trouble brewing at 10 o'clock!" Scott moved up to block the mob.

"Sir, we also have trouble brewing at 2 o'clock!" Carter moved to block them.

"Add trouble at 8 and 4 o'clock, sir!" Samson motioned several enhanced troops to encircle the group.

The mobs charged them from all directions with clubs, firearms, and anything they could find. Men and women charged the group by the hundreds. They all yelled various slogans in Spanish. Some of the mob stunned several of the enhanced troops as the troops attempted to fire back at them.

Scott turned up his weapon's power and widened the spread and began to lay down a wide swath of firepower. Many of the people vanished while others screamed as they tried to get away. However, the mob kept them boxed in his line of fire. Carter turned up his weapon and came to assist Scott. Then everything went blank.

Mitchell stood in the center of the bridge as he spoke with the Mexican ambassador. "What makes you think we will give you more supplies?"

"We have your general!" The ambassador shook his fist. "He will starve to death if you do not meet our demands!"

Mitchell signaled to silence the transmission. Then he turned to Owens. "Have the transporter sergeant bring the general to the bridge ASAP."

Richards's radio appeared on the floor of the bridge. Mitchell picked it up and went to Rocky. "Have the ALF put this in the pocket of the general. Then have the transporter sergeant transport the general here."

"Yes, sir!" Rocky took the radio, summoned the ALF, handed the radio over, and gave the orders. The ALF disappeared. "Done, sir!"

"All right, let's get the show rolling, shall we?" Mitchell went to the center of the bridge and motioned Owens to unmute the signal. "Ambassador Rodriguez, we will not give you more resources. You are no better than anyone else. So, learn to live with what you have and pass out the resources you are hoarding from your people."

Rodriguez made a rude gesture and terminated the signal. Mitchell turned to Rocky. "Have the ALFs locate and transfer all stashed food cells to the USS Washington from their ships."

"Yes, sir!" Rocky went to work on the assignment.

Richards popped onto the bridge.

"Welcome home, sir." Mitchell nearly walked into him.

Rodriguez appeared on the screen again. "What have you done with our food?" He was as angry as ever.

Richards turned to him. "You have enough food. You don't need to hoard it for the few."

"We need more food! We must serve the people!" Rodriguez bellowed. "Give us more food!"

"No! Spread around what you have to all people if you are truly for the people!" Richards went to his chair and sat. Then he motioned to sever the link. "Where are Scott, Carter, and the others that were with me?"

"We are searching for them, sir." Mitchell looked over Rocky's station and the others behind him. "They took their radios and hid our people, sir. We have ALFs searching for them."

"Located Carter, sir!" Rocky notified Pierce to bring him back. "Located Werner, sir!" He passed it on. "Still, no Scott, sir."

"Prepare to pop him here, when you see him on the screen. Don't wait for my order." Richards went to his screen. He signaled for the communications to be reestablished. "Ambassador, bring the people you hold, so we may see them."

The ambassador motioned to someone off-screen. Soon, only Scott appeared with him. "He will starve if you don't meet our demands!"

A guard with Scott struck him with a pipe in the lower back. Scott went down in agony but did not make a sound.

Rocky ordered Scott popped to the USS Washington, but Pierce notified him that he could not. They had their shields up. Rocky quickly sent ALFs to the Mexican ship and had them disable their shields.

Scott vanished from the ambassador's presence. The ambassador exploded in undiplomatic discourse, all of which was in Spanish. Richards just smiled at him and let him rant.

Later that day, as Richards walked down a crowded corridor, the stewards yelled to get his attention. They seemed to be in a panic. He made his way to them quickly.

"What's the emergency?" He went to the monitor as they turned to show him the outside view of the situation.

"Those from the Latin American ships are outside demanding we let them in. They demand asylum and a better life, sir." The woman showed him the banners they carried and the hostages they held just outside the ship.

"It's the same as the other two American ships, sir." The man showed scenes at the other ships.

The general studied the monitors for a few moments. "Riot troops aboard the Washington, New York, and the Lincoln, report to the port doors in full combat gear immediately!" He turned his attention back to the stewards. "Don't let them in!" Richards pressed the com button. "Rocky, use the microwave weapon outside our ship, ASAP! A mob is attempting to force entry!"

Rocky's voice came back. "Yes, sir! Right away!"

At the port door, Mitchell and his troops checked the video feed to see what the crowd looked like. There were many signs in Spanish which demanded asylum from persecution and the lack of food on their own ships.

Richards picked up the mic and pressed the button. "Go back to your own ships! You are not coming here!" The mob pressed closer to the USS Washington. They stormed the other American ships, too. "All American ships, this is General Richards on the USS Washington, send the people home. Don't let them aboard your ships. You will not get any more food to feed them."

The people refused to leave. Rocky and the armory sergeants aboard the other American ships used the microwave weapon against the mobs around their vessels. The hordes slowly moved away from the craft.

Secretary Song of the UN called the general who took it at the docking port. "Yes, Mr. Secretary, what can I do for you?"

"What are you doing?" Song's voice sounded concerned. "Why not let the refugees in?"

"They can go back home and do things right." Richards watched as the mob remained at a distance. "Their governments must care for their own people, not hoard the resources for their own supporters so they can blackmail the people into staying in power."

"Let them in!" Song's voice had more force.

"No!" The general yelled back. "We have been through this for many years, so we won't tolerate it anymore."

"They need food!" Song yelled back at him.

"Then get their governments to feed them. Don't send them to us to do their jobs." Richards cut off the transmission. "Get ready to go out shooting at the people on stun only!"

"Yes, sir!" The troops readied their weapons.

Richards opened the door and out they went in rapid weapons fire. The people fell to the floor as the Americans spread out among them. The hostages came to them and went aboard the ship.

After the situation calmed, the troops returned the people to their assigned vessels. However, the ships' crew would not allow them back.

Richards pulled out his radio. "Pierce, pop each person back to their ship. They are outside their vessels.

The people vanished as the troops returned to their own ships.

Richards went straight to the com station and called all the enhanced troops aboard the Latin American ships. "Guard each dispenser and make sure the people can eat. Don't let the government take away the dispensers or keep the people away from them."

The people lined up for the food, but the government officials would not allow them to enter. They kept weapons ready to shoot anyone who attempted to reach the dispensers. The enhanced troops shot the officials, took their guns, and allowed the people to eat. Mob action took over again. So, the forces held weapons on them till they stayed in line.

Meanwhile, back on the Washington, Richards and the troops entered the popper room and went to Pierce. "Lock onto all the officials of the Latin American ships."

The captain did as Richards ordered. Soon, the room was full of officials. The troops held their weapons ready as they led the officials into the stasis tubes. Although they tried to stop the American forces, the Soldiers trapped them in the cells while the mist quickly overtook them.

"How long will they be held there, sir?" Samson came to the general.

"Another 300 years." Richards led Samson out of the room. "Let's notify the people about new elections."

"Can they ever have a stable government?" The master gunnery sergeant stayed close to his superior. "They have had these same problems for centuries, sir."

"They are great people and must have the opportunity to display it. This is their chance, but we will have to teach them how to avoid these problems."

The two walked to an elevator. Inside, the general and the master gunnery sergeant continued their discussion.

"How are you going to teach them, sir?" Samson looked over at his superior. "This is all they've ever known, sir."

"It will take more than just Americans." Richards stepped onto the bridge as the doors opened. "They first have to elect the right people. Many have tried to do the right thing, but the level of corruption in their government is so entrenched, it will take the removal of all officials and workers and start from nothing with the help of advisors. They will have to ask for help. No one can just force it on them. They must want and decide what a stable government is. Socialism is rampant in their thinking." He went to his command chair. "Socialism destroys all incentive to work and succeed. That's why it always fails. No one sees any point in succeeding because, if you do, it's all taken away to give to those who won't work."

"We've faced similar problems as some candidates for office tried to push it on the voters, but they lost." Samson took over at the com station.

Russell came to Richards from the armory station. "Sir, we were contacted by several ships while you came onboard wanting help in controlling the mob rule on the Latin American ships."

The general sighed as he put his hands over his face and drew them down.

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CHAPTER 28 Suzy

Jacob sat on the floor of his bedroom as he played with his new pet fyado he named "Suzy." He tried to make her retrieve a small ball he rolled across the room. It was a simple game of fetch. However, Suzy only watched the toy as it went past her. Jacob tried it several times, but Suzy did not learn the game. Jacob became upset, "You stupid half-breed!" Tears ran down his cheeks. Suzy whimpered as Jacob turned to the door. "Dad?!"

Richards came into the room. "What's wrong?"

"This stupid fyado, can't learn to fetch." His face was red while tears poured down his cheeks.

"Just take a breather." Richards came and sat beside him. "Where's her crystal?"

Jacob went to his bed, picked up the crystal, and brought it back to his Dad.

The general flipped through it and found the image on training the pet. He read the Lorana and found out how to teach her to do things. "She's actually quite smart, Jacob. You just have to teach her differently."

He put the crystal down and took the ball as he placed it on the floor. He got on all fours and rolled the ball to Suzy with his nose. Suzy used her nose to roll it back. They repeated it ten times. Each time Suzy did it correctly.

Jacob's attitude toward Suzy began to change. He started to try other things. He got on all fours and rolled on the floor. Suzy copied him. Then, Jacob smiled at her. She yapped and wagged her small tail as she bounced on her front hooves.

"How do I teach her to obey voice commands?" He looked over at his father.

The general looked it up on the crystal. "It says to act out the command and say it at the same time."

Jacob rolled. "Roll!" He did it several times. "Roll!" He repeated the voice command without the action and Suzy obeyed. Jacob rubbed her head as she cuddled to him.

"Okay, that's enough for one day. Take her for a walk." Richards stood.

Jacob reached for the leash and hooked it on her collar. He stood as Suzy jumped up on him. She was ready to go.

The boy eagerly brushed her down and led her out of the room on the leash. She quickly took the lead from him as she pranced to the hall door. She waited for him to open it and then danced down the corridor.

As Jacob passed the elevators, he heard a boy's voice. He cringed at the familiar sound. He shortened the leash quickly as a group of bullies converged on them. Jacob tried to walk away, but the boys surrounded them. The lead bully unhooked the strap, which let Suzy run away.

"Oh, did I do that?" The bully sounded his sarcasm. "Too bad." He laughed as the boys pounced on Jacob.

"Jacob's Daddy is a monster! Jacob's Daddy is a monster!" The boys taunted Jacob as they beat on him.

Hands grabbed each boy to their shock and tossed them away like rag dolls. It was Jackson, one of the recruits. He helped Jacob up as the bullies ran off.

"Are You alright?" Jackson stood next to Jacob as he looked him over.

"Yeah, but they let Suzy go." Jacob held up the leash.

"What does she look like?" He followed Jacob in the direction Suzy had gone.

"She's a fyado, with a head like a pug puppy and the body of a tiny donkey. She has been learning tricks." Jacob went down another corridor.

They came to a T-intersection.

"I'll go left." Jackson started off. "Go right. We'll find her."

Jacob ran down the corridor as he looked for Suzy. He checked every door and asked people if they had seen Suzy. Often, he had to describe what a fyado looked like.

After a long time, a girl stopped Jacob. "I've seen her. She was on the port deck."

"Oh, no!!" Jacob yelled as he ran off. But, he came back. "Thank you." Then, he took off again.

When he reached the port steward, he stopped him as he closed the door. "Have you seen a fyado come this way?"

"What's that?" The steward looked bewildered.

Jacob described his pet as the steward nodded. He pointed toward the market place. Jacob ran after her.

When he entered the market place, he caught a glimpse of a Gorenan male snatch up Suzy. He ran there but found nothing. He looked around frantically. As he started to cry, a green hand grabbed him from behind.

The next thing he knew, he was back at the corridor that led to the USS Washington. The top of his head hurt. He reached up and found a hard object which stuck out of his head. Memories started to flashback, but they made no sense to him.

Back at the USS Washington, Jacob's father scolded him. The reason was unclear to Jacob. He just knew he wasn't to go off again. His father had him taken to the brig as punishment. How was he to get Suzy back now?

The general had Mitchell check out the object on Jacob's head. He was to do it without Jacob's knowledge.

During the evaluation, Mitchell noticed the object transmitted whatever Jacob heard. It was unclear whether the device sent any optical transmissions. Mitchell kept Jacob under observation for possible communications to him through the protrusion. Without closer inspection, a full analysis of the object was impossible. It wasn't even possible to tell if it entered Jacob's brain or not. This upset him the most.

Mitchell watched as Jacob cried in his cell. He wanted to tell him his father wasn't really upset with him. It was just an excuse to get him in for an evaluation.

Jacob wiped the tears from his eyes. "What weapon was used against Bohina?" He began to speak in Lorana.

This shocked Mitchell. He went to Jacob's cell. "What weapon are you talking about?"

"The one that caused Bohina's explosion." Jacob walked to him.

"We don't have such a weapon." He looked down at Jacob. "What makes you think we would have such a weapon?"

"We know you were present at Ladorma when the control tower exploded, again at Th'el Tor when its tower exploded, and the Bohinan incident." Jacob crossed his arms, expecting an answer. His Lorana was perfect even better than a native speaker.

"We? Who are we?" Mitchell squatted down to Jacob's level. "Who wants to know?"

"What weapon did you use?" The boy insisted. "We know you have one."

"I cannot discuss anything without knowing with whom I speak." Mitchell hung on to the bars.

"What weapon ...?" Jacob started to speak but stopped.

"Not until I know who 'We' are." Mitchell's voice showed concern for Jacob's welfare.

"We demand to know what weapon you have, or the fyado will die!" Jacob started to cry again.

"We will not negotiate with terrorists." Mitchell looked deep into Jacob's teary eyes. "Who are you?"

"Jacob." He came closer as he put his arms around Mitchell's neck.

"You are in Jacob's body, but you are not Jacob." Mitchell stood as Jacob's hands brushed down his body.

Jacob sobbed louder. "I am Jacob." But Jacob used Lorana.

Mitchell used English. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Jacob did not answer. He looked confused.

Mitchell crossed his arms. "Answer me!"

Jacob still used Lorana. "What did you say?"

"No, Jacob!" Mitchell became upset. "Talk in English."

Jacob was confused. "What'd you say? I don't understand."

"Who are you?" Mitchell confronted him and held the bars.

He backed up. "I don't understand you." He cried again.

"In English, Jacob, in English!" Mitchell yelled at him.

Jacob went to his bed and sat; then he laid as the tears stopped.

"Jacob?" Mitchell continued to yell.

Jacob looked at him. "What?" He finally said in English.

"Who are you?" Mitchell calmed.

"Jacob, why?" He spoke English as if nothing happened.

"Who is the 'We' you spoke of?" Mitchell stood and then walked around the cell to the bed.

"We? It's just you and me." Jacob looked confused.

"You said 'We know you have a weapon.'" Mitchell squatted again next to the bed.

"What weapon?" Jacob gazed. "I don't know anything."

Mitchell stood and went to the door. There he opened it. He walked to Jacob and held out his hand. "Come on, Jacob. Let's find Suzy."

Jacob took his hand as they left the cell.

Soon they arrived in the market place with several armed guards. Jacob led the men to the corridor he last saw Suzy enter. They stepped inside and checked all doors which were all locked. Jacob stopped at one door and put an ear to it while he listened but shook his head. Mitchell put his ear to it. Then, he pulled Jacob behind him and stepped to the side of the door.

The door opened while a Gorenan walked out of the room. Mitchell grabbed him from behind. He pulled an arm behind him. He tried to catch Jacob with his free arms. But, a guard pulled Jacob back out of the way.

"I remember him." Jacob looked from the man to Mitchell. "He grabbed me and then everything went blank." He felt the top of his head. He found the object.

"Don't mess with it, Jacob. We don't know if it's embedded in your brain or not." Mitchell looked at the alien as he squirmed. "What did you do to him?" He asked in Lorana.

The guard held Jacob, who was apparently afraid. Jacob pressed hard against the guard as he held on to him.

"What did you do to him?" Mitchell repeated.

The man refused to answer. He just questioned them. "What weapon do you have?"

"What makes you think we have a weapon?" Mitchell twisted the man's arm harder.

"You were at Ladorma and Th'el when their towers exploded, and you were at Bohina when it exploded. You must have a weapon."

"There is no weapon!" Mitchell yelled at the man. He lifted the creature off the floor. "Is that object embedded in his brain?"

"Wimi." The alien tried to escape. "It was implanted."

"By whom?" Mitchell continued to inquire.

"Me!" He stopped. "I'm the only one who can remove it."

"Who are you and who wants to know about the weapon?" Mitchell pressed for answers.

"Masutra of the Imperial Guard." He became smug. "The Guard is watching you."

"You will remove it or die!" Mitchell yelled in his ear.

"Alright." The creature was reluctant. "Take him in the room."

A guard opened the door as the others entered. Inside was an operating table and medical instruments around it.

"Put the boy on the table." The man looked at Jacob.

Mitchell released the Gorenan as Jacob went to the table. Mitchell helped him onto it. The boy laid on the rather odd shaped table.

The man pulled an instrument down from the ceiling. He put it on the object. Then, he pulled another tool from the ceiling and turned it on. A laser beam went from the instrument to the device. He guided the ray around the protrusion as it fell off when he finished the circle. He pushed the arm back up out of the way. He pulled down another one and used it to seal the hole in Jacob's head.

Mitchell helped Jacob to sit up.

Masutra pushed all the instruments up out of the way. "He'll be fine. But the Guard will be after you. You cannot hide."

Mitchell picked Jacob off the table and stood the boy on the floor. "You can't stop us. The Bohinan have failed, so will you." Mitchell guided Jacob out of the room the guards followed.

"We will stop you!" Masutra called out after them.

Mitchell came back in and shot up the place, so it could never be used again. Masutra ran for cover until the humans left.

Out in the corridor, they found Suzy on the floor. Jacob went to her. But, she did not move. He looked up at Mitchell, who squatted and examined the fyado. He felt her body and noticed something strange. He looked closely at her ribs. Someone had removed her insides.

"She's dead, Jacob." Mitchell held him close as Jacob cried.

Mitchell led Jacob back to the market place.

Contents

CHAPTER 29 The Arrest

The next morning as Richards entered the bridge, Samson received a signal at his station.

"Sir, we have guards at the docking port." He looked up at Richards.

The general walked to his chair. "Put it through."

Samson pressed a button hand the voice of a guard came over the intercom. "Station security requests permission to come aboard."

"What is the problem?" Richards sat in his chair.

"We need to speak with the person in charge. It's about the Bohinan incident." The guard's voice came over the speaker.

"I'll meet you at the docking port." Richards stood. "Tell our people, I'm on my way. Don't let any of those security people aboard."

"Yes, sir!" Samson relayed the message to the stewards.

Richards walked quickly toward the elevator. He passed Hanks's office as he went, Hanks walked out of the office. He stopped Richards.

"What's the problem?" The president started down the hall with him.

"We have a group of security guards at the docking port, sir." Richards walked briskly. "I am on my way to see what the problem is."

"I'll go with you." He matched Richards's steps.

The two dodged their way to the elevator and went to the level with the docking port. There they went through the crowded corridor to the port. Once they reached the door, they met two stewards and four enhanced Seals armed and ready.

"Open the door." Richards approached the steward next to the door.

The steward opened the door. There stood a group of six guards who were also well armed. They aimed their weapons when they saw the Seals behind Richards and Hanks.

Richards held his hand up as the Seals lowered their weapons. "What is this about, now?"

"We need to speak to the person in charge." The lead guard motioned for his guards to lower their weapons.

"That would be me." Hanks stepped forward.

Richards put out a hand to stop him. "Don't get too worked up, sir." He looked over at Hanks. "I think we need to talk to them first."

"Alright." Hanks looked at Richards for a moment and then back at the guards. "I'll follow your lead."

"Have some of our attorneys come down." Richards looked at the steward next to him.

"Aye, sir!" The steward pressed the intercom button.

"What seems to be the problem, Gentlemen?" Richards changed back to Lorana.

"We are here to arrest the one responsible for the destruction of Bohina." The lead guard handed Richards an electronic pad. "This is the arrest warrant."

Richards accepted the pad and skim it. "How do you know it was someone aboard this ship?" He handed the pad back to the guard.

"We were told by the Bohinan counsel onboard this station." The guard took back the pad.

"Did he witness the incident?" Richards looked directly at the guard.

"Nimi." He admitted. "He stated that Humana went to his homeworld and destroyed the planet."

"How does he know that?" The general pressed the guard for the basis of the accusation. "Was he there?"

"He claims Humana has been bothering them for some time and went to Bohina to destroy it." The guard stood his ground.

"That is all that he claims and that is enough for an arrest warrant?" Richards was surprised.

"That is all we have to go on, so we need to get to the end of this." The guard held up the pad for emphasis.

"But, don't you have to have more than that to arrest someone?" Richards tried to stall the guards. "Just pointing the finger at someone is not enough to arrest someone of destroying a planet."

"A planet has been destroyed." The guard turned to his men while the others raised their weapons again. "That has been verified. So, a crime has been committed. The one who led the attack will be held responsible." The guard looked back at Richards.

"We have had problems with the Bohinan before." Richards's surprise began to change to anger. "We won a case against them at Ladorma regarding their salvage claim against our ships. We proved that they had no such claim on our ships. We have the Court's order to prove it."

"May I see it?" The guard crossed his arms.

"Wimi, you may come aboard." Richards prepared to lead the guard to Hanks's office. "But, your men must remain where they are."

"Very well." The guard stepped onto the USS Washington as Richards stepped aside.

"Please, follow me." Richards led the guard down the corridor. As he did, the attorney finally showed.

"Sir, you needed an attorney?" The attorney turned to follow Richards.

"Yes." He turned to the guard. "Your pad, please."

The guard turned over the pad once again.

The attorney read the warrant. "Everything looks in order, sir. They have a claim that someone destroyed Bohina."

"I know that." Richards continued toward Hanks's office with the guard and Hanks in tow. They dodged the people in the busy corridor. "What loophole is there?"

"There doesn't seem to be any, sir." The attorney walked along side of Richards. "It doesn't say anything other than the Bohinan counsel claims that someone aboard the ship was involved in destroying Bohina and the person must be arrested."

"Does it give any particulars as to how he knows this is the ship and who is responsible and how it was destroyed?" Richards stopped at the door to Hanks's office.

"No, nothing like that is given, sir." The attorney stopped as Richards opened the door.

"Thank you! That will be all." Richards entered the office followed by the guard and Hanks.

Inside Richards took Hanks's seat and looked around for the pad that contained the Court's order. When he found it, he handed it to the guard.

"Okay." The guard took the pad and read it. "I see you were awarded ownership of these vessels and that the Bohinan lost. That gives grounds to question the claim against you now. But, it does not relieve you of the charge."

"Then, I will go with you." Richards stood. "How would I prove my innocence?"

"You don't need to." The guard put the pad on the desk. "The Bohinan have to prove that you did it. You will be appointed an attorney to represent you."

"How long is it going to take to clear this up?" Richards walked around the desk to face the guard.

"It depends on what the Bohinan present to the prosecutor." The guard took some cuffs off his belt. "If you'll come with me, please."

Richards stood with his hands behind his back. The guard placed cuffs on his wrists and started to lead him out. Hanks looked on in shock at Richards and shook his head.

"It will be alright, sir," Richards said in English. "Take care of the boys for me."

"Doesn't he get his rights?" Hanks stopped the guard. "Don't you people read him his rights or something?"

"What rights?" The guard looked at him. "He has the right to an attorney. That is all. What else would he have?"

"I guess I am just used to our laws." Hanks took a step back.

Hanks followed them out to the docking port. There he stopped the guard again.

"Will he be allowed any visitors?" He looked at them.

"Wimi tomorrow." The guard walked off the USS Washington. "Today, he will be booked and arraigned."

The other guards walked away with Richards as Hanks looked on. Then he walked back to his office. In his office, he stopped at Martha's desk. Martha looked up from her work.

"Have Captain Mitchell report." Hanks walked back into his private office.

Martha paged Mitchell on the intercom. "Captain Mitchell, this is Martha in President Hanks's office."

"Hello, Martha, this is Mitchell, over." Mitchell's voice came back over the speaker.

"The president needs to see you in his office right away, please." Martha reached for the button again.

"On my way, out." Mitchell's voice came over the speaker.

Later, Hanks heard a knock at his door.

"Come in!" He looked toward the door.

Mitchell entered the office. He came to the desk and stood at attention.

"Captain Thomas Mitchell reporting as ordered, sir!" Mitchell saluted Hanks.

Hanks returned the salute. "Stand at ease."

Mitchell stood at ease in front of the desk.

"General Richards has been arrested for what happened at Bohina. We need to get him out." Hanks looked up at him. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"A jailbreak would only make matters worse and substantiates the growing rumors about us, sir." Mitchell looked down at Hanks. "If you turn yourself in it would substantiate the Bohinan rumors. But, playing along with Richards's plan would force the Bohinan to prove their claims."

"We need legal counsel for the general." The president sat back in his chair in his usual fashion. "I don't trust these local attorneys."

"How do we find him legal counsel and not tell them what happened, sir? We can't be sure they will observe confidentiality. You both could wind up in jail."

"We can go to the information booth to find several attorneys." Hanks leaned forward again. "Then, we can weed out the ones we can't trust. Once we find one, we can explain the Bohinan claims and only say we were looking for a new home with the Rahman. We don't know where they are now. That's the truth."

"A half-truth or a misleading truth is still a lie, sir." Mitchell looked straight ahead. "It's not hard to tell you're leaving out information, sir."

"Going along with the general's plan is still ..." Hanks folded his hands.

"A deceitful lie, sir." Mitchell interrupted him. "But, the plan seems our best option at this time. That is until we figure out what the general's plan is. We need to force the Bohinan to prove their case, sir."

"I should just turn myself in." Hanks put his head in his hands and stared at the desk. "Why should the general take my place?"

"I think the general is just trying to force the Bohinan to prove their case, sir." Mitchell glanced at the president. "If you went in, you would have to tell them everything. That would just get you put in a penal colony or worse, sir. Remember what they did to the Arab leaders back on Ladorma, sir."

"Why would it be so important to make the Bohinan prove their case?" Hanks sat up straight and looked at the captain. "What would it accomplish?"

"The general is betting on the fact the Bohinan cannot prove anything, sir." The captain crossed his arms. "They need you to admit to what happened, accident or not, sir."

"Why would he try to protect me?"

"You're the president who we are sworn to protect you, sir." Mitchell shifted his weight.

"I leave office in January." Hanks leaned on his straightened arms. "My presidency is nearly over. Why do this?"

"It doesn't matter, sir." Mitchell's expression turned to concern. "You will always be a president, sir."

"Whatever his reason, an old saying still holds," Hanks pushed himself back. "Honesty is the best policy."

"Sir, you sound like you have decided to turn yourself in." Mitchell unfolded his arms.

"I have." The president stood. "I think it is for the best. Honesty is the best policy to follow in any situation. We have tried for years to teach that to our children. My parents taught it to me from an early age. I can't turn my back on it now. Come with me!" He left with Mitchell in tow.

"Where are you going, sir?" Mitchell walked beside him.

"To the security office." Hanks walked with purpose.

"Speak some sense into him, ma'am." Mitchell looked worriedly at Martha as they passed her desk.

Martha just looked stunned. Mitchell hurried out the door after Hanks.

"Sir, think about this. This is not an appropriate time to do this, sir." Mitchell dodged people in the crowded corridor. "Sir!" Mitchell continued to follow Hanks, who did not reply.

They left the ship and crossed the market place. Hanks's stride was one with purpose while Mitchell matched his pace and still walked slightly behind him. The people in the market place watched them move through the crowd. They bowed in respect, but Hanks ignored all and continued his path to the security office.

When he reached the security office, he went straight to the desk person. The man at the desk was a muscular Gorenan who wore a uniform like a United States Confederate uniform. Its gray and gold colors stood in contrast to his dark green complexion. Hanks stopped in front of him as the man looked up at him.

"I am here about the Bohinan case." Hanks looked at the desk sergeant as he expected the sergeant to arrest him. "You have the wrong man in your cell."

"Which Bohinan case?" he looked over his pad.

"The case regarding the destruction of Bohina." Hanks brushed off Mitchell's attempts to get his attention. "You have a General Michael Richards of the earth in your cell."

"And you are?" The sergeant looked up the names of the criminals.

"I am the one who gave the order, which led to the destruction of the planet." Hanks became bolder as he spoke.

"I see." The sergeant found Richards's name. "You want to take the place of this general?" He stood and came out from behind his desk. He took a pair of cuffs from his belt and walked behind Hanks. "Please, place our hands behind your back."

Hanks did so.

"Sir, you don't have to do this." Mitchell put his hands over Hanks's wrists to stop the sergeant. "You did not cause the destruction."

"Then who did?" The sergeant tried to clasp Hanks's hands.

"I did." Mitchell looked at the sergeant. "I can tell you how it was done, too."

"NO!!" Hanks yelled at Mitchell.

"I will do this, if you insist on doing what you are doing, sir." Mitchell glanced at Hanks.

"Now, I have three people claiming to be at fault." The sergeant cuffed Mitchell. "The Court will be busy figuring out who is really at fault or that all three of you are at fault." He took a pair of cuffs from his desk.

"I must do this, not you, Mitchell," Hanks argued as the desk sergeant closed the cuffs around Mitchell's wrists.

The sergeant led them to a back room.

"Stay here!' The sergeant ordered as he put them in the back.

The sergeant opened the door and directed them to go through. They entered a busy room with several people who awaited processing. The desk sergeant stood them in line and then went to a guard. He told the guard something that the humans could not understand. Then, he left. The muscular guard, who was also a Gorenan man, walked over to Hanks.

"You're turning yourself in for the destruction of Bohina?" The guard did not seem to believe him.

"Wimi." Hanks moved in line.

"It was I!" Mitchell stepped toward the guard, which made him take a defensive stance.

"You, too?" The guard was confused. "Both of you come with me!" The guard took Hanks and Mitchell by their arms and led them away.

The guard took them to an interrogation room that just had a couple of chairs and a table. He sat Hanks at the side chair and cuffed his ankles to the legs of the chair. "Sit here until I return!" Then he took Mitchell to another room and did the same to him.

After the guard left, Hanks looked around the room. He noticed a large sign on the wall opposite him, which listed his rights under the Interstellar Authority. He had the right to an attorney whenever questioned, the right to remain silent, the right to a prompt trial, the right to confront his accuser, the right to trial by a jury of his peers, the right to be innocent until proven guilty, and the list went on.

Finally, an attorney entered the room. He was a red-skinned man with tilted yellow eyebrows and long yellow hair down to his shoulders. He wore a long black robe. He had multiple ridges on his forehead.

"Are you the one turning himself in?" The attorney stood at the door.

"Wimi." Hanks looked at the person.

"Hello, I am Brahkon of the ... (Garbled speech), a defense attorney." The attorney stepped into the room. "I've been appointed for your case."

"Hello, I am Timothy Hanks." Hanks watched the attorney walk toward him. "I'm glad to meet you."

"The guards are cautious about anyone that wants to turn themselves in." Brahkon sat across from Hanks. "It's something that just isn't done very often if it is, it usually means they will face trouble in Court. It's usually the wrong person." Brahkon leaned toward Hanks. "Do you understand your rights on the board?"

"Some." The president glances at the board and then looked at the attorney. "I don't read Lorana very well."

"Okay, I'll be here to protect your rights." Brahkon put his hands on the table in front of him, interlocked his fingers. "Understand, once you give your statement to the authorities, you cannot take it back. So, be very careful about how to choose your words. Now, why do you want to turn yourself in?"

"My general has taken my place, which it's not right." Hanks folded his hands in front of him. "He is trying to force the Bohinan to prove that we did it. I gave the order that led to the destruction of Bohina, not him."

"So, the general is protecting you and trying to get the Bohinan to prove their case." Brahkon tilted his hands upward. "What happened to lead to this destruction?"

"The Bohinan kidnapped General Richards and several others. So, we followed the kidnappers to Bohina." Hanks recounted the events which led to the Bohinan incident. "We tried a diplomatic solution to retrieve him, but the Bohinan refused. That is on record. So, I ordered our weapon we used to shake the planet, which it did. The Bohinan continued to refuse the release of the general and several others. So, I ordered an increase in the power of the weapon. It shook the planet more. We kept increasing the power until the Bohinan brought the general and the others out where we could transport them off the planet. But, by that time, the planet shook out of control. Even though we had stopped using the weapon. The planet began to shake so violently the planet broke apart. We managed to evacuate about 1,020 Bohinan. Then, we had to flee the explosion."

"What kind of weapon has that kind of power?" Brahkon leaned closer to Hanks.

Hanks leaned close to him. "I can't tell you."

"But, you will be asked by the authorities, and you won't be able to refuse to tell them. They can use any means necessary to get the answer from you."

"I can't tell you, sorry." Hanks leaned back.

"Alright." Brahkon leaned back and tilted his hands back down. "Was the kidnapping, the only thing that prompted you to go to Bohina?"

"Nimi." Hanks crossed his arms. "They attacked us repeatedly trying to enslave us. They killed thousands of our people. On Ladorma they killed 25 of our troops. It's been one attack after another. The kidnapping was just the last straw."

"Straw?" Brahkon had a confused expression. "What does 'straw' have to do with it?"

"Sorry." Hanks released his arms a bit. "It's an earth expression. It was the last thing that led to going to Bohina."

"So, you're saying the Bohinan committed acts of war?" Brahkon's expression changed back to interest.

"Wimi." Hanks put his hands on the edge of the table. "I guess I am. We had no choice but to take that war to their homeworld. We just wanted to them to leave us alone. We had no intention of blowing their planet apart. That was an accident."

"Then, that is how we will defend you." Brahkon sat forward and placed his elbows on the table. "We'll show the Bohinan started a war and brought it on themselves."

"We won court cases against them at Ladorma." Hanks continued to explain what happened. "The judge ordered them to leave us alone. But they didn't. We have a copy of the order."

"That would be of immense help to show that you even tried a court, but they wouldn't leave you alone." Brahkon turned his hands outward and pressed them forward to emphasize his words. "I believe we can win this."

"What if we don't?" Hanks sat back in his chair and stared at the table.

"Then, it's life on Arohmahd 5." Brahkon put his hands on the table.

"We were told to go there by the Vohshoo." Hanks looked up at him with concern. "We are looking for a planet to live on. And we wondered why no one colonized Arohmahd 5. That could be why."

"I don't know why they would have told you to go there." Brahkon leaned back as he slid his hands toward the edge of the table. "The penal colony has been there for 30 years. It has mines all around it to keep ships away and keep the prisoners there."

"They should have known after 30 years." Hanks looked away and folded his arms across him. Then he looked back at his attorney. "Anyway, what do these rights say? I know I have the right to ..."

Hanks explained what he understood to be his rights while Brahkon told the rest. By the time they finished, there was a knock.

"It must be the guard and deputy to question you." Brahkon looked toward the door behind him. "Come in! Let me do the talking."

The door opened as the guard with a deputy entered the room. The guard closed the door and stood by it with his massive arms crossed. The deputy walked to the table and sat in the third chair. He was like the guard in that he was also Gorenan, but a bit older. He put a small box in the middle of the table. Then, he pressed the button on its top.

"I am Deputy Kohlo." The deputy turned his attention to Hanks. "I'll be conducting this investigation. This interrogation will be recorded and can be used in Court. Now, please state your full name, species, and homeworld for the record."

"I am President Timothy William Hanks and human, which you often call 'Humana,' and from planet earth in the Sol system." Hanks sat forward in his chair. "The planet is dead."

"Now, sir, state your name and occupation for the record, please." Kohlo turned his attention to Brahkon.

"I am Brahkon of ... (Garbled words), a defense attorney for President Timothy William Hanks." Brahkon leaned toward the box and spoke in a professional tone.

"President Hanks, please state the nature of your business here today." Kohlo turned his attention back to Hanks.

"Go ahead and tell him what you want to do, but don't go into details yet." Brahkon leaned back and looked at Hanks.

"I wish to turn myself in regarding the destruction of Bohina." Hanks watched Brahkon nod his head.

"What brought about this destruction of Bohina?" Kohlo brought out a small object from his pocket.

"The Bohinan killed thousands of our people and kept attacking us." Hanks folded his hands on the edge of the table. "They had been attacking us for years even after we won a court case in which the judge ordered them to leave us alone. They, nevertheless, continued to attack us. When we were here years ago, they kidnapped our general. We followed them to Bohina, which took two years. There we tried a diplomatic solution, which had been recorded. It failed."

"So, you say you were at war with them?" Kohlo typed in some information into his object.

"Wimi." Hanks made eye contact with the deputy.

"If you were at war with them, why are you turning yourself in?" He stopped his work and looked at Hanks.

"Because the Bohinan filed charges and our general had been arrested for it." Hanks put his palms on the table.

"What's his name, please?" Kohlo prepared to enter more info.

"General Michael Richards, Humana, also of the earth." Hanks watched the deputy.

"Stay here while I go check on him." Kohlo stood. "I show he is in the next room.

Kohlo pressed the button on the box again. Then, he stood and left the room. The guard stepped out also.

"You did very well." Brahkon looked at Hanks. "You stated there was a war between you. That is allowed. The Interstellar Authority cannot try you in Court. Now, you have established several acts of war on the part of the Bohinan. That will help when you explain what happened at Bohina. Be sure you stay on the line of thought that this is a war between you and the Bohinan. It will help if we go to Court. There is a good chance you will be sent home with your general."

A few moments later, the deputy and guard returned. Kohlo sat again while the guard stood by the door with his arms crossed. After the deputy sat, he pressed the button on the box once again.

"I checked on your General Michael Richards and had him released." Kohlo looked at Hanks. "He verified your statements about what happened. He is concerned about what you are doing as am I. Do you really want to go through a trial?"

"Nimi." Hanks glanced at his attorney. "I don't want to go through a trial. But, a case against my people has been filed."

"Just because you have a case has against you does not mean it will go to trial." Kohlo pulled out his object again. "There has yet to be given any proof that Humana had anything to do with it. But, you came and established a war. That takes it out of our hands. Guard, release him."

The guard came and removed the cuffs from Hanks's feet and wrists.

"The case will be dismissed for lack of evidence and because of the war." Kohlo pressed the button again. "They seemed to have started it. I commend you for coming in."

"I learned honesty is the best policy." Hanks rubbed his wrists.

"So, it is." Kohlo stood as the guard walked back to the deputy. "It helped you here today." He nodded to Brahkon and left the room.

"Please, come with me. I'll take you to your general." The guard opened the door. "He is waiting for you."

"Thank you." Hanks stood. "And thank you, Brahkon."

"Always at your service." Brahkon stood and allowed Hanks to pass as he went to the door.

The guard led Hanks out to the waiting area where Richards stepped forward as Hanks entered the room. Mitchell was with him.

"How did they treat you, sir?" Richards followed him out of the room.

"They treated me well." Hanks led Richards and Mitchell down the corridor. "It seems that they are going to drop the charges against us for lack of evidence and that we are at war with the Bohinan. War is out of the hands of the Interstellar Authority."

"Why would a war be out of their hands? Wouldn't they be in the business of attempting to stop all wars? I have the feeling we haven't seen the last of the Bohinan, sir." Richards followed him to the market place.

"I agree." Hanks dodged some people. "We'll have to be careful. For now, let's get back to the USS Washington."

Hanks, Richards, and Mitchell returned to the ship.

Contents

CHAPTER 30 It Only Takes A Spark

Several months later, dignitaries of the American ships were on the lead ship for the Latin American ships. They had their new elections and were finally, indeed, free of the corruption and manipulation by career politicians that plagued them for centuries. Now, they celebrated their new found freedom.

Richards paid his respects to the new presidents of each of the Spanish-speaking nations. "See, you can do it! You don't need to flee your countries. We will give you all the assistance we can to support your new governments. However, you must represent all people and provide for them. Don't follow the mistakes of the past and hinder those who strive to better themselves. Don't take from the rich and give to the poor. Let the hearts of the people do that. Government interference with such things always fails."

"We have learned our lessons and will learn to follow the right road to prosperity." The Bolivian president made her way to Richards. "The old ways will be hard to shed, but we will accomplish it. We must build trust with our own peoples. After centuries of mistrust of government officials and police, it will be hard to do."

"Yes, we've been through it ourselves. However, time and challenging work will heal the past. By showing the changes instead of only telling them will help a great deal." The general shook her hand. "It only requires a spark to get a flame to burn bright."

"Very good!" She smiled brightly. "I will have to remember that. Same as the Phoenix, we will have to rise above the ashes of the past and bring new life to our peoples."

"Si, we will work to support ourselves." The Mexican president walked up to them. "We will show you we are a great people, too."

"I know you are a great people." Richards shook hands with him. "Start to make families strong, then there will be no need for gangs and cartels."

"That will be a monumental task, General." The president put a hand on the general's shoulder for a moment. "Most of those allowed on this voyage were loyal to them. But, we will work to change."

"Good, we will lend a hand to you, but it must come from you as well." The general went to each of the presidents and spoke to them.

Back on the USS Washington, Richards entered the bridge and went to Rocky.

"Restore the controls to the Latin American ships. We will see how they handle their new freedoms." He put his hands on the edge of the console.

"Yes, sir!" Rocky began to press his buttons. "Done, sir!"

Samson looked up at the general. "Sir, their celebrations have spilled out into the market place, sir. The locals don't know what to make of it."

"Rocky, get some ALFs out there and check around to see what's happening." Richards walked to the main screen.

When he stopped, the screen showed the market place overrun with a festive parade of Humana and the locals started to join in the festivities. Mariachi bands played their best music as people danced and drew in the crowds around them. Soon, everyone danced to the music. Some people even tried to sing, along with humans.

Some of the people pulled in the guards who stood around too close to the joyous celebrants. Although the guards were to control the area, they fell spellbound into the celebration. It didn't matter that they didn't know why the fun. They just let loose.

Richards watch with enjoyment. "Leave it to the South Americans, they sure know how to celebrate!"

Russell walked up to him as he watched the scene. He started to dance with the music and really danced his heart out. Richards took a double take and stared at the captain. Russell noticed and stopped as he tried to regain his composure.

"Sorry, sir." Russell wouldn't make eye contact.

Richards just stared at him. Suddenly, he broke into his own dance to the music. Russell about keeled over in shock, when he saw the general let loose. Soon, everyone on the bridge joined in the dance.

Richards suddenly stopped. "Okay, we never did that." He looked around at his crew. "No one saw anyone dancing on duty, did they?"

"No, sir!" Samson fought to keep a straight face. "I was too busy to notice, sir."

"I didn't see anything, sir." Rocky tried to get Samson to wipe the smirk off his face. It was a lost cause.

"Since there are no witnesses to anything unprofessional, I can't give out any Article 15's." Richards looked down like he lost his last battle. "Oh, well. As you were!"

Everyone went back to their duties. Some started to dance as the music played on screen. The others tried to get them to stop. But, the dances were contagious.

Back in the market place, the Brazilian people would not allow their spirit to be surpassed. They came with their own celebrations and showed the locals how it's really done. It was like Marty Graw on a space station.

The human spirit overwhelmed the usually subdued people of the empire. The two groups of humans had a friendly competition between their styles of celebrations. The locals didn't know what happened, they just enjoyed the happy dances and music. All species danced to the beat.

A group of multi-colored birds danced by a corridor. As they danced, two turned and bumped into a platoon of Bohinan Warriors. They let out a squawk that even drowned out the loud music which caused everything came to a halt. Everyone looked in the direction of the warning. The Bohinan pushed past the terrified birds and marched into the market.

Richards rushed to the com station. "Why do the bullies always have to show up at the party?" He pressed the button. "All ships, security details to the market place ASAP!! Bohinan alert!!" As he turned to leave the bridge, he motioned Samson to come. "Samson, Rocky, and you Want-to-be's come with me!"

The two sergeants followed quickly as the 10 Want-to-be's jumped over stations and ran around corners. Carter yelled the charge. "Happy hour!!"

When the teams reached the market place, the Bohinan already nabbed many of the humans. The locals tried to fight for the Humana. The aliens did all they could to stop the bulls. Many jumped the Bohinan and clawed their eyes, but the creatures fought back. It was a chaotic situation. Even the guards beat the bulls.

The Latin American guards started to shoot the bulls. They were a bit surprised at what "Full-power" meant. The beasts they shot vanished before their eyes. They looked the weapons over and then at each other.

A bull came up to them and breathed down their little necks. Their eyes enlarged as they quaked and slowly turned around. The beast breathed through his nostrils. They shook even more and pointed their weapons. As the bull took a swipe at them, they shot him. They fainted as the beast vanished.

The enhanced troops from all ships converged on the chaos with shots fired in all directions. The sounds of screams and screeches were everywhere. Bulls ceased to exist in large numbers as they tried to take the humans by force. The troops often fought hand-to-hand with beasts too close to innocents. The bulls were not very apt at such skills, so they tried brute strength to overpower the forces. Despite their smaller size, the humans outmuscled the beasts.

As the bulls started to flee the area, the Imperial Guard showed up. The lead guard came to Richards. "What is the meaning of this outrage?"

"The Bohinan tried to take our people." The general stood before the guards, who quickly surrounded him. "We were just celebrating with the other species when the Bohinan attacked."

"You have no right to fight here!" The guard was angry and motioned his guards to bring Richards.

When the guards grabbed the general's hands and forced them behind him, Richards brought his hands back to the front as he knocked all the guards to the floor. The lead guard looked surprised at Richards's power.

The guard aimed his weapon at Richards. "You will come with me."

Richards crossed his arms as all the species pounced on the guards. They beat the guards unconscious and bloodied. Then they disrobed the guards down to their skivvies and cuffed them with their own handcuffs to the posts of the center stage. By the time the guards started to awaken, there was no one around to help them.

The people went about the station as they continued their celebrations. Those who came to see the festivities were brought into the parties by the Humana. The spark had become a flame.

Contents

CHAPTER 31 Bohinan Trouble

A few days later, Richards was on the bridge as he observed Rocky go through the armory programs at his station. He ran simulations of various scenarios and came up with the solutions for each one. Richards had the whole bridge crew in training to keep them up to speed while the people were on shore leave after four years cooped up on the ships.

Samson broke the training session scenario with an announcement from real life. "Bohinan has been seen approaching the docking port of the Washington, sir." He looked up from his console.

Richards stopped in front of him. "Security to the docking port. ASAP!" He ran toward the door.

"Security to the docking port. ASAP!" Samson repeated into the intercom.

"On our way!" Mitchell's voice came back over the speaker.

Richards left the bridge in haste. He dodged others along the way as he continued to run toward the docking port. When he arrived, he met the Bohinan as they reached the port.

"What can I do for you?" Richards tried to remain polite.

"We have learned the Court dismissed our case against you." The ambassador came to the front of the group. "Why did you have to destroy our world?" He shouted. "Now, our species is doomed to extinction."

"We did not intend to destroy your world." Richards stood in the doorway to the port. "That was beyond our control."

"You started the quakes." The ambassador got in Richards's face. "You should have stopped them. This is not over, Humana!"

"About your species, why will it become extinct?" Richards stood his ground as security officers arrived.

"All our females were on Bohina." The ambassador glared at Richards. "There is no one to bear our young. This is not over yet! We will hunt you down and destroy every one of you!"

When he finished, the Bohinan turned and left. Hanks arrived at the port.

"What did they want?" He stopped next to the general.

"They threatened to hunt us down and destroy us, sir." Richards turned to Hanks. "We're going to need to be ready more than ever. We need to find our people and warn them before the Bohinan find them." He turned to Mitchell on his other side. "Call search parties and send them out to get all humans back to their ships. Warn them of the latest Bohinan threat. Tell them, we may need to leave quickly, and they could be left behind if they are not aboard the ship."

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell went to the intercom. "Search parties to the docking port!"

When the search teams reached the docking port, Richards was handed a weapon's belt. Then, he led them to the market place. There, the general and the team split and began to search for humans. They warned everyone they met. The people quickly returned to their ships. Mitchell had other armed groups out as they joined the search for humans.

Richards and Scott went by the old slave market and came face to face with three Bohinan Soldiers.

"You killed our people ... now you will die!" A bull took aim at Scott.

Richards and Scott dodge the blasts of the bull's weapon. People in the area also ran for cover. Richards shot one of the beasts who fell. The other Soldiers ran for cover. The humans and Bohinan exchanged fire for some time before backup arrived. The new security teams surrounded the Bohinan and shot them. With the Bohinan down, the troops closed in and tied them up with their plastic straps.

"Thanks, guys." Richards came over to the teams. "Anyone know how many people are still missing?"

"Twenty-three, sir!" Carter walked toward Richards. "All but two are from the USS Washington."

"It's a good thing most people are already aboard." The general left the market.

Station security guards came to the market and confronted the humans.

"What's going on?" a deputy walked in front of Richards and stopped.

"The Bohinan are threatening our people and shot at us." Richards stopped. "We stunned them and tied them up. They're all yours."

The deputy motioned his guards to take the Bohinan into custody. Two guards grabbed a Bohinan and dragged him away. Two more guards pulled the second bull away. The third set of guards dragged the third Bohinan away. The people in the area applauded as the beasts left the area.

"We're gathering our people to get them off the station," Richards told the deputy as he turned his attention back to him.

"That's good." The deputy started to turn away. "There are three Bohinan ships docked here. I'll get them rounded up and kept on their ships. That way, we can prevent further trouble."

Richards faced the guard. "We need to collect supplies before leaving the station. Would that be a problem?"

"Nimi." The deputy left the area.

"Thank you." Richards motioned the teams to move out.

The teams rounded up the rest of the missing humans and then returned to the ships. Richards returned with them. He went straight to the bridge. There he spoke with Hanks who studied more about the armory station.

"Sir, we need to get supplies and prepare to leave the station." Richards walked up to Hanks.

"Do we have a shopping list?" Hanks turned his attention to the general.

"All department heads were to turn in a shopping list to their captains, sir." Richards looked at Russell. "All we should have to do is collect the master lists from each ship's captain."

"Good." Hanks walked to Russell.

"Here's the list for the Washington, sir." Russell handed Hanks a pad.

"Samson, I need two guards per cart from each ship, and they are to have the ship's shopping list." Richards looked at Samson. "Have them meet us in the market place. Oh, and the lists must be in Lorana."

"Yes, sir!" Samson prepared to pass on the orders.

"Let's go, then." Hanks started off the bridge.

Hanks and Richards left the bridge and headed toward the docking port. There they met two guards for each cart as requested.

"Let's go!" Richards and Hanks led the group out to the market. Where they met the guards and carts from the other ships.

When they arrived, the group headed for the shops. They first went to the textile shops that were nothing more than open-air carts with many rolls of colored fabrics. The merchant, a two-headed creature with gold skin, came to them.

"How may I help you, today?" the male part turned to Richards.

"We need 15 rolls of light blue and 10 rolls of black material, please." He looked over the many rolls of fabric.

"Ten rolls?" the merchant was surprised. "Sure!" He went to his rolls of fabric and grabbed a roll of light blue fabric. "This is my light blue. Will it do?"

Richards looked it over and felt its texture. "Wimi, this will do."

The merchant made several trips to get the other 14 rolls of light blue fabric. Then, he collected the 10 rolls of black material. He allowed the general to check the cloth, which he approved. Richards did the same with each of the other ships' shopping list. However, he ran into a problem.

"You have bought all of my material." The merchant put his hands on either side of his mouth. "I have no more fabric."

"Okay, how much?" The general withdrew the pad.

"That will be 15,304 credits." The merchant was pleased with the sale. Hanks handed the merchant the credit chip and the merchant ran the transaction through his machine. "Thank you so much for your business." The merchant finished the sale and handed the disk back to Hanks. "Please, come back sometime."

"If we come back this way." Hanks took back his chip.

The group moved on to their next shop with materials. They did the same thing with the merchant. Soon, they bought out that merchant, too as they moved on to the following and the next one. Finally, they had all the fabric requested.

"We'll run out of money soon." Hanks showed the chip to Richards.

"We can go to the vault again, sir." Richards looked at the chip. "How long to the next target planet, sir?" He tried to decide how many modules to purchase.

"Three years." The president looked at the price of each module.

"We should make sure we have enough supplies for seven years, sir." Richards checked out other prices. "We have already seen that we can be stopped and have other delays, or we may have to return."

"Right!" Hanks cringed at the thought of the total price. "Plan for seven years." He mumbled.

They purchased more energy modules, filled up their carts, and returned to the ships to unload. Then, they came back for more supplies. After several hours, they finished their purchases and came back with the final load of supplies. Hanks showed the general the chip again.

"We're too low." Richards glanced at the chip. "We need to sell more gold and get the balance up just in case we need to buy more supplies."

"At this rate, we won't have anything left to set up our economy." The president looked to the ceiling and sighed.

"Sir, we have been in tighter spots in our history." Richards put a hand on Hanks's shoulder.

Later, while on their way to the bank, when they came across the Bohinan again. The general motioned for his men not to draw their weapons while they stood with their hands on their guns. The Bohinan stopped in front of them.

The ambassador came to the front. "You cannot hide from us for long. We will destroy you!"

"You can try, but you will fail." Richards stood nose to mussel with the ambassador who had bent down to him. "We do not fear you and your petty tricks won't destroy us."

Guards hurried to them, and the lead guard came between Richards and the ambassador. "There will be no hostilities aboard this station!" He pushed the two away from each other. "Now, go your separate ways!"

Richards broke his glare at the Bohinan and walked away. The Bohinan would not walk away from a fight and followed the humans. The human troops took up a defensive stance with their weapons ready. Richards stopped and looked at the Bohinan. "Let's go!" The forces holstered their guns and moved out.

The security guards followed the Bohinan who would not leave the humans alone. The guards finally had to arrest the Bohinan for trying to start a fight. The humans continued to the bank.

When they arrived at the bank, they wheeled the carts to the tellers. They waited for their turn in line. Soon, Hanks reached his teller, a large, feminine bird with brown plumage.

"I'd like to exchange gold bars for credits, please." He began to stack bars on the counter.

"How many bars do you wish to exchange?" The teller looked at the cart behind Hanks. "We cannot exchange all of them."

"How many can we exchange?" He stopped and looked at the teller. "We need to replenish our account."

The teller thought for a moment. "Well, alright. This time, but not another."

"It won't happen again," Hanks told her. He continued to stack bars on the counter as the teller weighed each one and tallied the price. When he finished, he handed her the chip for their account. "Here!"

She entered the amount of the exchange and handed it back to the president. He looked at the amount and the total now in the account. He looked shocked but was relieved that it was much more than he had expected.

Richards finally reached his teller and sat several bars on the counter. "I'd like to exchange these bars for credits, please."

His teller, a Gorenan woman, looked at the cart behind him and sighed. "All of them?"

"All of them." The general started to stack them on the counter.

When he finished, Hanks handed over the chip for the account. The teller entered the credits on the disk and handed it back to Hanks.

"Thank you for your help," Richards told the teller as he started to leave.

The humans left the bank with enough credits to pay for any improvements they might need. But, as soon as they left the bank, they met the same Bohinan. Richards ignored them and continued. His friends followed him. But, the Bohinan followed them. The people bowed to the humans but booed the Bohinan. The Bohinan started to taunt the humans.

"What's wrong? Don't you have any wadyo to stand and fight?" The ambassador mocked them. But, Richards continued to ignore them, as did the others. "Oh, go hide on your ships! Syodan!" The humans continued as Richards caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of the guards who watched the whole thing from a distance. He kept his pace steady. "Syodan! Syodan! Syodan!" The guards quickly came to the group.

"Ambassador, you and your bulls are under arrest!" The lead guard came to him.

"You can't arrest me!" The ambassador snorted. "I have immunity!"

"Nimi, you don't!" The guard took out his cuffs.

The bulls with him pulled out their weapons and aimed at the guards. The guards pulled out their guns as the Bohinan went down. The lead guard looked at the humans.

"What was that for?" He glared as Samson, and the other troops held up their weapons. Samson blew the end of his gun as if it was a pistol that he blew the smoke away.

"They were about to shoot you." Samson lowered his weapon.

The guards cuffed the Bohinan and had carts brought to carry them away. Richards turned and continued. Soon, they arrived back at the ship.

On the bridge, Richards went to the com station. He pressed the button for the intercom. "Secretary Song, this is General Richards on the USS Washington, over!"

"This is Song!" came a Korean male voice over the intercom.

"Please, inform the ships that we are preparing to leave the station." Richards watched Samson come to his station.

"Where are we headed?" His voice came back.

"We're headed for Tu Do and then on to Romasu." He reached for the button again.

"Isn't that Polish for 'here to?'" Song's voice came back.

"I guess it is, but I don't think these people speak Polish." The general prepared to press the button.

"Very well," Song replied.

Richards pressed the button. He looked at Russell.

"All ships, prepare to leave!" Song's voice came over the intercom. "We are headed to Tu Do and then on to Romasu. Secretary Song, out!"

Contents

CHAPTER 32 Round-Up

Richards paced in front of his command chair as he awaited word that all ships were ready to depart. Finally, he walked to Samson.

He stopped at the com station. "Any word, yet?"

"No, sir!" Samson checked over his console yet again. "I'll have the ships report their status."

"Good, I want to get going as soon as possible." Richards turned around.

"Yes, sir!" Samson started to press buttons.

Richards went to his chair.

"Sir, several ships are reporting people are still off the ship." Samson looked up from his console.

"What are they doing off the ship?" The general turned around and returned to the com station. "We still have a Bohinan threat."

"Unknown, sir." He reread the reports.

Richards pressed the intercom button. "All ships, why are your people off the ship? Get them back ASAP!"

"This is Captain Heikkinen of the Turunmaa. We have teams out searching for them." Heikkinen's voice came back.

"This is Captain Schultz, we have troops out looking as well." Schultz's voice came back.

The other ships with people off ship also had teams out as they looked for their people. Richards pressed the button again. He waited as he thought.

He pressed the button again. "Mitchell, send search teams out to look for people off the ship. I'll meet you at the docking port."

"Yes, sir!" Mitchell's voice came back.

Richards pressed the button. Then, he left the bridge with his 10 Want-to-be's.

At the docking port, Richards walked up to Mitchell and his search teams. Mitchell handed Richards a weapon that he holstered. Then, they left the ship.

In the market place, they met some other search teams and coordinated the search of the missing people. Richards took a group of four and went to the old slave market while the other teams separated and went to their search areas. The Want-to-be's formed two teams and joined the search. Hunter and Scott led their teams.

When Richards and his team arrived at the old slave market, they found it deserted. Richards went door to door in search of his people. He went down a corridor as he checked each entry. The general came to a locked door. He pulled out his weapon and turned the power ring to full power. He shot the lock and stepped through what used to be the door. Inside he found several humans in cells.

"Free the people!" Richards went to one of the cells. He holstered his weapon and jumped up and bent the lights so the beams would leave an opening for the people. "Come with us!"

Several other troops bent lights as the people followed the forces back out to the empty market. Richards took his weapon out and twisted the power ring back to stun. They came to another corridor.

The general came to a door he could not open. He took his weapon out again and set it to full power. He shot the lock and stepped through the doorway as the team went down the corridor as they checked doors. No one could open any doors. The troops set their weapons to full power and shot the locks. When they stepped through the holes in the doors, they found more humans in cells.

The troops went to each cell and bent the lights as the people quickly followed the forces out to the corridor. Richards led them back out of the hallway.

As they headed back to the ships, one man decided to go his own way. Richards turned to check on the people who followed him and saw the man leave.

"Get back here!" He yelled at the man.

The man stopped and turned around. "I'm not going to be cooped up in a ship for another year!" He yelled back. "We just got here!"

"You've seen the Bohinan are still after us! But, have it your way! You'll be left behind to fend for yourself!" Richards turned away and continued.

"You can't leave me here!" The man yelled as he folded his arms. "You can't leave me!"

Richards and the others left the slave market. The man looked around the empty place. Then, he slowly started to follow the group. The man caught up with the others.

The general took the people back to their ships then he gathered with the other search teams.

"How many are still unaccounted for?" Richards walked up to Mitchell.

"Ten, sir." Mitchell looked up from his pad. "The ships were sending out messages to their people to call them back. Here comes some."

The general turned around and watched as five people came toward them.

"That leaves five more, sir." Mitchell stopped them as he checked off their names from his list. He had a team escort them back to their ships.

"Sir!" A Marine pointed across the market place. "There goes Bohinan with some of our people."

Richards and the troops went in pursuit. They caught up with them when the Bohinan pulled their weapons on the people as they stopped.

"We'll kill them if you come any closer." The lead bull pointed his weapon at a woman's head.

The troops encircled the Bohinan at a distance. The bulls all aimed their weapons at the humans they held. The people in the market place headed for cover as the security guards marched into the area. They stopped behind the general. The lead guard walked up to him.

"We'll take it from here." The guard kept his hand on his weapon.

Richards hesitated but holstered his weapon. "They threatened to kill our people. They already locked up several in the slave market. We have those back. What will you do about it?"

The guard said something in an alien language to his troops. They took up positions around the Bohinan. The Bohinan looked around and held their ground with their weapons aimed at the human hostages.

"We'll kill them!" The lead bull pulled the woman's head back as if he was to slit her throat.

"You kill them, and you would have no one to protect you." The lead guard kept his weapon trained on the bull. "The slave trade is over. Why take these people? No one will buy them."

"They are our property." The bull fought to keep the woman still as she struggled to get away. "Someone will buy them. They are valuable in the slave trade."

"No, they're not." Richards kept a hand on his weapon. "We are the ones who are valuable in the slave trade. We are the ones with the strength you seek. They are no good for you. They can't do the work in your mines."

"Our mines have been destroyed." The bull glanced at the woman who struggled with him. "You cannot do our work now. Now, you will all do the work of others. You destroyed our home and our people."

"Your people were saved. We brought them to you." Richards slowly started to take out his weapon. "You can take us." He removed his gun from its holster and laid it on the floor. The troops did it, too. "We are more valuable than they are. Take us!"

Richards stood and waited for the bulls' reaction. The lead bull released his hostage as the others followed his example.

"Go back to your ships!" Richards raised his hands in surrender.

As the hostages ran away, Richards turned his attention to the Bohinan. The Bohinan aimed their weapons at the troops. One of the bulls gathered up all the humans' weapons and carried them away as the others led the humans toward the slave market. The guards followed at a safe distance.

By the time the Bohinan arrived at the slave market with the humans, several traders had already gathered there. The traders stood around as they talked and waited for the sale. The traders were wide-eyed and opened-mouth when the humans arrived. The traders gathered around the humans as the Bohinan led them to the stage.

The lead bull walked up to Mitchell. "How much do I hear for this one?" He held out Mitchell's arms to the side. "See how big he is. Do I hear 30,000 credits?"

"Thirty thousand!" yelled a golden-skinned man from the back of the pack.

"Thirty-one thousand!" yelled a blue-skinned man with bumps all over his bald head in front of the pack.

A brown man came up to Mitchell and felt his arms as he kept a nervous eye on him. But, he examined him just the same. "Thirty-five thousand!" The man yelled.

"Forty thousand!" A yellow man came out from among the others.

The lead guard stepped forward. "These Bohinan don't own them. They can't sell them at any price."

The bulls glared at the guards. "We do own them." The lead bull snorted at the guards.

"Not according to Honorable Cha' on Ladorma. According to his ruling, the Humana own you. They have the right to sell you as slaves. So, let them go!" The lead guard went nose to mussel with the bull.

Mitchell glared at the bull. "How much do I hear for this bull?"

The bull took a double take as he glared at Mitchell. "We are owned by no one!"

"Do I hear 500 credits?" Mitchell continued to try to sell the bull.

The yellow-skinned man raised his hand. The brown-skinned man raised his hand as he showed one finger.

"One thousand credits!" Mitchell pointed to the man. "One thousand going once, going twice, sold to this man!"

The brown-skinned man came up to the bull and put a training ring around his neck. The beast tried to stop him, but Mitchell prevented it. The trader quickly locked the ring in place with his remote. The bull tried to attack the man, but the man pressed the punishment button, and the beast went down in obvious pain. He mooed long and hard.

The other bulls tried to get away, but the humans caught them and held them for sale. They sold all the beasts to the traders and then collected the fees. Later, the humans escorted the traders to their ships with their new slaves. The highest price for a bull was 1,000 credits. It insulted the beasts who claimed they were worth much more than that.

"You're not worth even that much." Richards shut the door to the cell of the lead bull. "Be grateful for that price." He looked at the brown-skinned man. "Can you train him to obey?"

"Wimi." The man held up his remote. "This is the most effective tool to train slaves."

"Teach them what it's like to be reduced to a slave and mate them." The general started out of the ship.

"They will learn to obey!" The trader was jubilant. He pressed the train button for good measure. The bull dropped to the floor and mooed long and hard. The trader hopped around in a small circle in jubilation. He pressed it again as he watched with excitement over the agony of his slave.

Hunter and Scott showed up with their teams. They brought some more bulls to sell.

"We found these critters trying to get people to come off the ships." Scott pushed a bull toward Richards. "I hear they are going good right now."

"Let's take them to the auction block." Samson and other troops came to assist the regular forces.

They went to the block and sold more bulls for under 1,000 credits as they added insult to the Bohinan.

Richards entered the bridge of the USS Washington. He walked to Samson.

Samson looked up from his console. "All ships report all people accounted for, sir."

"Good, let's leave before anyone else decides to leave the ship." Richards stopped at the com station.

"Yes, sir!" Samson pressed buttons to pass on the message.

"Prepare to disembark!" Russell looked at his small screen on the arm of his chair.

The earth ships were soon on their way to Romasu.

Contents

CHAPTER 33 The Spartans Again

The human vessels proceeded to Tu Do on their way to Romasu as the fleet kept vigil for any sign of the Bohinan. The armory section under the command of Rocky was busy at their stations while they monitored all activity within their scanner range.

A female crewmember turned to Rocky in earnest. "Gunny, we have unknown vessels approaching starboard bow. There are approximately 100 vessels."

"What's their ETA?" Rocky switched to her screens.

"Approximately 10 mike, Gunny." She responded as she turned back to her station. "They appear to be large vessels. They register as vessels from various species, none appear Bohinan."

"Watch for any unusual activity." Rocky checked over his sensors.

Another crewmember turned from his station. "Gunny, another 100 vessels are approaching from the stern. They also are of various species."

A third crewmember looked at Rocky. "Gunny, another 200 vessels are approaching from the port."

A fourth crewmember spoke. "Gunny, another 200 vessels approach from starboard."

Richards went quickly to Rocky. "All ships, Bravo 2-0!"

All the earth ships vanished while the aliens converged on their last location. More alien vessels approached from above and below the former site of the humans. The ships formed an energy web between them.

"Avoid the web!" Richards ordered. "Use Spanish for comlinks. Bohinan is detected aboard those ships!" The general switched to Spanish and continued to give instructions. "Designated ships use Plasma Bombs to destroy as many vessels as possible. Break a hole in the field and flee. Use large holes so many ships can flee quickly."

Holes started to form all over the web. The alien ships tried to close the gaps quickly but could not tell if they were successful. There was no indication of movement.

The alien ships started to blow while the web collapsed. Those that remained regrouped and formed a new network quickly. They tried to squeeze the earth ships in the middle. But, there was no sign of them.

Mootoomoo became furious. He began to make all kinds of sounds as he went into a rage. "Get someone down to the windows and see if you can find any of the Humana!"

Several bulls complied. Mootoomoo went to his armory and checked the scans of the area as many vessels continued to explode.

"How are they doing that?" Mootoomoo scanned his bulls. "They do not have our technology, yet they outdo us! How is that possible?" He gave a battle cry. "Find them before they destroy all our ships!"

"Mootoomoo, we can use our ship's moo moo snort to cover their vessels and make them visible." A bull came from another station.

Mootoomoo looked at him. "Do we have that on this alien ship?"

"Moooooooo!" the bull stretched out his neck as he sounded.

"Have all ships use the moo moo snort. NOW!!" Mootoomoo went to his com officer. He watched as the area filled with white gas. But, nothing appeared. The human ships were not there. Mootoomoo pounded his fist on the armrest of his chair. "They escaped! Now, find them!"

The bulls scattered to search for the humans as they used all their technologies for their search. Yet, it was all for naught when the commander came and pushed them out of the way. He searched for the Humana himself. Still, there was no sign of them. Then there was a blip.

"There! Get them!" Mootoomoo bellowed as he returned to his seat.

The bulls rushed to comply as the blip quickly disappeared. The vessels made chase after the blip and caught up with it immediately. However, it was a false alarm.

The Bohinan ships began to explode without reason while all indicators showed no one in the sector. The Bohinan lost half their fleet then Mootoomoo threw himself into a raged. As he stood on all fours.

"Why are our ships exploding?" Mootoomoo glared at his bulls.

"The Gyogite seems to be exploding and causing a chain reaction in the vessels." A bull turned from his station to face his commander.

"We're losing more ships!" Another bull came to Mootoomoo.

"They're out there somewhere!" He turned to the bull and stepped to his face. "Move!"

The bull hurried back to his station and pressed buttons all over his console.

Meanwhile, on the USS Washington, Samson monitored his station. "Sir, engineering is notifying us that we are getting dangerously low on the Gyogite on all ships, sir." He looked to Richards at his command chair.

"What's draining our fuel so fast?" Richards went to him.

"Our stealth mode is, sir!" Rocky checked his station. "We need to return to normal mode soon, sir, or we won't make it to Tu Do."

"What are our options, quickly!" Richards glanced at both his sergeants.

"Switch back to normal mode, sir." Rocky continued to monitor his station. "We will lose valuable power, if we don't and won't make it to the station, sir."

"If we stay in stealth mode, we also lose contact with our fleet. We can't tell where each other are in stealth mode. We're flying blind, sir." Samson put his hands on the upper edge of the console. "Our ships could be getting dangerously close together or dangerously far apart."

"All ships, normal mode!" Richards put his hands on his head like he was about to pull out his hair. Then he let his hands fall and went to his chair.

The configuration of the fleet appeared on the main screen. The vessels were too close for some and too far for others. Richards looked at the poor formation and stood.

"All ships get into proper formation!" Richards watched as the vessels reestablished their proper positions.

"Enemy ships approaching 360 and above and below." Rocky went for his special weapons.

"ETA?" The general rushed to Rocky.

"Ten mic, sir." Rocky pounded his station. "Sir, we can't use stealth or our Plasma Bombs. We don't have the energy to do it. But we can still do a few ALFs, sir."

"Samson, search for the main commanders of each approaching convoy and relay the ships' info to Rocky." Richards looked back at the com unit. He turned back to Rocky. "The images of the past Bohinan kings are in our database from the ALFs' search, correct?" The general stopped by Rocky.

"Yes, sir!" Rocky checked to ensure they were. "I've located them, sir."

"Good, remember the old movie 'Fiddler on the Roof?'" Richards looked over the images.

Rocky looked confused. "Vaguely, sir. What did you have in mind, sir?"

"This will take must less power to do, when we do, we can spread around the fun." The general raised a finger and smiled into space.

Back on the Bohinan vessels, Mootoomoo conversed with his fellow commanders. They all appeared on screen in a series of squares.

"The Humana has reappeared within our grasp. Now is the time to attack and avenge Bohina!" Mootoomoo shook his fist as he stood from his chair.

An old commander in the center image spoke up. "We just lost over half of what fleet we had. It is wiser to wait for revenge when we are stronger. We must first rebuild our people before we go extinct."

"The time is now before the Humana breed out of control!" Mootoomoo stepped toward the screen. "Do not breed fear in our herd!"

The other bulls sided with Mootoomoo. They sounded the battle cry and stood on all fours and kicked as if they were about to charge.

The old bull backed away. "As for me and my herd, we will follow Moosnortmoo, go back to the gathering place, and breed life back into our people." His image vanished.

Mootoomoo shook his head as a third of the Bohinan ships pulled out of formation and left the area. The rest closed the gap around humans. They closed in on the human ships slowly.

A wind began to blow aboard the Bohinan ships. The bulls looked around for the source.

Mootoomoo stopped his pace and looked at his bulls. "Has the airflow changed?"

"Moo moo." The bulls replied.

"Look!" One bull pointed at the screen wide-eyed.

Mootoomoo turned around and looked. There was a mist that had formed. It took the shape of an ancient king of Bohina.

"Moosnortmoo, Your Lordship!" Mootoomoo went down on all fours and lowered his head very low. "What brings you to us?"

"Don't 'Your Lordship' me!" The bull shook his fist at the commander. "You should have listened to the wise old bull and left! You cannot defeat the Humana! What is wrong with you? Don't you know the Great Moooo is with them?"

"How can the Great Moooo be with them? They are not even one of us!" Mootoomoo went down on his front knees.

"The Great Moooo sent them to punish Bohina for its lack of faith! Now, you must depend upon the Great Moooo to survive! Now, go!" He sounded the king's summons as he faded from view.

"Moosnortmoo!!" Mootoomoo bellowed as he stood again. "It is trickery! The dead ... are dead! They cannot return to the living!" He turned to his bulls as his eyes narrowed. "Attack!!"

The bulls stood back from their stations while Mootoomoo glared at them. They refused to attack. The commander threw his head back and stomped his hoof. Still, the crew remained defiant. They believed the ghost of their king.

Mootoomoo came around to confront his defiant bulls. He prepared to charge each one. As he started his charge, the king bull returned but in solid form. The wind swirled around them. The lights flickered.

"You say I cannot come back to the universe of the living? Then who am I and how did I come to be here, if you are so wise?" The king prepared to charge. He held his head high as he gave out the king's battle cry. He blew fire from his nostrils.

"Back off, now, Mootoomoo!!" A bull came next to his commander. "You cannot defeat deity!"

"All he can do is blow fire!" Mootoomoo brushed off the warning as he prepared to challenge the king.

"Mootoomoo, only a fool would challenge or defy deity!" The bull moved closer to his commander.

"Deities don't exist! They are imaginary forces to explain the universe! Now, out of my way!" Mootoomoo sounded his battle cry. "Out of my way!!"

The bull backed away as the two competitors began to fight.

"Look into my eyes, Mootoomoo of the Moohoo herd!" The king challenged him.

Mootoomoo tried to avoid any eye contact, but something drew him into a stare. Mootoomoo's head began to sink as he let out a moo of horror like that of a bull which faced slaughter. He forced his head back as he fought against the force of this king or deity.

The king charged his challenger and went through him as Mootoomoo gasped for air. His courage vanished while he looked around with terror in his eyes. He cringed every time his bulls tried to speak to him.

Finally, a bull took command of the ship and the fleet. "With Mootoomoo in this condition, I must replace him. Send all ships to the gathering place as quickly as they can go. We must take Mootoomoo to the high priest to have him returned to normal." The bull took his place at the command chair as two crewmembers led their tormented leader off the bridge.

A bull at a station behind the command chair worked at his station and stopped. "What do we do about the Humana?"

"They will meet their destiny another day." The bull laid on the chair.

Back on the USS Washington, the crew was jubilant as they watched and celebrated the departure of the enemy. They congratulated one another as they turned their attention back to the ship's duties.

Samson leaned on his station with his hands on the top ledge. "What happened to the chorus, sir? Wasn't the 'Fiddler on the Roof' a musical?"

"Well, I'm not a composer." Richards walked back to his chair. "We won this time, but the next may not be so easy." He leaned back in his seat. "All ships, full speed ahead for Tu Do."

Samson relayed the order to all ships. They were off once more for a new station.

Contents

CHAPTER 34 The Log

While a few of the crew still joked around and celebrated the hoax they played on the Bohinan, the general cringed in pain as the headaches pounded him yet again. He left the bridge as Samson and Rocky followed with concern on their faces.

As Richards entered his office, he dropped to his knees as the pain became unbearable. Tears began to run down his cheeks. The sounds of war echoed in his head. The images of thousands of people he killed in battle came back to him and overwhelmed him. Then of all the memories of the five at the officers' club pounded him unceasingly. He could not block out their horrified faces as he beat each one to their death. He felt people pulling on his arms as he fought to break free, but he could not.

Distorted voices echoed in his head. "Sir? Sir?"

Richards looked around but saw no one. He tried to escape from the scene, yet something held him there, an unseen force. The images of those he killed that night at the club continued to haunt him. The pain grew and grew.

The voices echoed at him again. "Sir? Sir? They're dead, sir! They're dead, sir! Someone is going to find out, sir! Your career will be over! Come on, sir! Your life depends on this! Sir? Sir? Are you alright, sir? We must cover up the incident! Get rid of the bodies! Quickly!"

Hands drug the bodies to the floodgates nearby that steadily poured water down the river.

"Yes! Do it! No one will ever find their bodies!" The voices echoed in his tormented mind. "That's it!! Good job!! Now, to the club and pretend nothing happened! Make sure people see you! Sign in an hour early!" The general entered the club. "See, someone missed a line! Take it! Take it! Good, Boy!!"

People passed as he entered the club. He greeted the ladies as they responded to him. He had several girls hang onto his arms as he walked them to a table.

As they sat, another woman in a very alluring uniform sashayed to his table. "Captain, you signed in, but forgot to pay your cover charge."

His hand brought up his wallet while he took out some currency cards as he fumbled through them. "Sorry, here is my officer's card."

"Putting it on your tab again, sir?" She took the card and read it into a machine. She handed it back to him.

The images faded and then came a bright light. Richards shielded his sensitive eyes with a hand.

"Put your hand down, Richards!" A rough male voice barked his orders. The light dimmed. "You enhanced sure are dangerous!" Richards finally saw the MP in his Marine fatigues with a white utility belt and helmet. "You're gonna get it for this, eventually! We'll be watching you and your kind!"

The image shifted to another Marine MP who stood next to the door with his brand new, shiny, Ultra750 aimed right at the general. He looked like he was serious. He could have passed for an enhanced Marine.

The image shifted back to the first Marine. "I may not have enough to hold you now, but you better cover your hinny!"

Then everything went black.

Samson and Rocky shook their general but no response. Samson picked him up as they rushed him out of the room.

When they reached sickbay, they took him to emergency care. There Dr. Collins rushed to his aid. She checked him over and sent nurses for this and that. It was a whirlwind of activity for quite a while. A nurse came in with an injection. Dr. Collins used it on the general.

Richards shot up in bed as he gasped for air. He surveyed the room as he labored to breathe. His wide-eyed gaze stopped at the doctor. "What happened?"

"You tell me." Dr. Collins checked her sensor readings. "You nearly flatlined. What do you remember?"

"I entered my office with a splitting headache. War memories started to flood my mind, which began to overwhelm me. Then everything went blank." Richards would not make eye contact with the doctor.

"And?" The doctor crossed her arms.

"And?" He finally looked her in the eye.

"You're hiding something. You always hide from things." The doctor started out of the room as she unfolded her arms. "Stay put until you're willing to face your past." She stepped out the door.

Richards shook his head as he looked at his men. "What?"

Samson and Rocky left the room as Richards plopped back on his bed. "AAAAAHHH!"

"You still need that second chance, Mike." A now familiar voice echoed in the room like the sound of rushing water.

Richards looked around for the source of the voice.

"Looking for me?" The voice came from his left. A glimmering ball of bright white light appeared at the source of the sound. "I told you, you needed a second chance. Your time is fast approaching. You will miss out if you continue to deny a second chance to others."

"What second chance?" Richards sat up with his legs off the edge of the bed as he faced away from the light.

"Your past needs to be faced, or you will die, Michael." The light moved to face him.

"It's done and buried! It doesn't matter anymore!" The general glanced away from the light again.

"Doesn't matter?" The light approached him. "It nearly killed you just now, and it doesn't matter? It's not buried. It's more like a volcano about to erupt. The rumbles have come. The ash has come, but now the smoke bellows out of you ready for the molten rocks to fly and the lava to flow. It matters alright. The survival of your people hinges on you facing your past." The light moved closer, so the general could no longer resist visual contact with the entity. "Maybe you should feel the full weight of the pain you harbor within you."

"Just go away and leave me in peace!" Richards turned to face the other direction.

The light appeared before him again. "You and Mootoomoo are a lot alike. You both feel you can fight off deity. You both don't believe in a world you cannot see."

As he looked at the light, spirits of many aliens, he had never seen before filled the room. Some flew about his head, he ducked and fended off many as he tried to fathom the creatures he saw.

"Let's focus on the real problem, shall we?" The light came closer as all the spirits vanished. "You will need a second chance to stay alive, Mike. Your men need a second chance to serve you. But, you say 'They've chosen their path, so they must follow it.' True?"

"True." Mike surrendered.

"There is an ancient Aramaic proverb that goes something like this: 'If you wish to remove a splinter from your friend's eye, first remove the log from your own so you may see clearly.' Do you understand the message, Mike?"

"I believe so." He sighed as he let down his shoulders. "The log represents the much larger problems of the one trying to take the splinter or smaller problem out of the neighbor's eye. That means we must be careful not to judge others. We may have a much bigger problem we need to work on first."

"That is correct, Michael." The light began to dance before him. "What problem must you deal with first? How are you to deal with it?"

"I have to deal with the deaths of those five officers at the officers' club. But I don't know how. It was so long ago." Michael stared at the floor before him and frowned.

"So far, you are right." The light filled the space before him. "To deal with it, you must trust Dr. Collins with the information. You must release it. To solve a problem, you must always admit you have one. You must identify the problem. Third, develop a plan to resolve the problem. Fourth, follow that plan. Then fifth, let it go! In your case, you have killed five men and covered it up for all these years. This will be a tough plan to implement, but it will set you free. When you come to the place of admitting the problem, give it to me, and I will help the rest of the way through the process. Just don't take it back once you've given me your problem, or I'll just let you handle it on your own."

"Yes, sir!" Mike surrendered to him and let go of the problem. He felt like a heavy load had lifted from his shoulders. He stared at the light as he tried to see who it was that spoke to him. There was no figure at all, just a brilliant white glow that danced before him. "I'll talk to Dr. Collins about it."

"Good! Do not worry about what you will say. Just allow me to speak through you. The light faded as the doctor entered the room.

Richards looked around for the light but saw nothing.

"Lose something?" The doctor looked at him, puzzled as she guided a cart to him. When she reached him, she prepared several injections.

He looked at them. "What is all that for?"

"Oh, nothing much." She prepared to inject one of them.

"You better hurry up, or you'll miss your opportunity." The voice echoed.

Richards looked around for the voice as Dr. Collins jabbed him with the needle.

"Too late!" The voice echoed and faded as Richards collapsed.

The general awoke in the brig with several guards just outside his cell. "Whath goin' on?" He sat up on the bunk as he drooled.

"The doc found out about your secret, sir." Carter approached. "How could you judge me when you had such a secret yourself, sir? And you became a major general, SIR!"

Richards stood and went to the bars. "Whath seket, Catah?" He grabbed the bars. Carter and the others pointed their weapons at the general. "Whath was in tha in-jek-son?" He held his head as it throbbed. "Whath did oo people do to me?" He started to spread the bars.

The guards poked him with their weapons.

"You may be able to spread those bars, sir. But, you can't survive these weapons!" Carter glared at his commander.

Richards backed away from the bars as he looked around the room and at the guards. "Sothium Pen-otha, you used tuth se-um on me! Scientists pooved it fake in the mid-22nd century. It's just li he-o-in as it keates hal-lu-cin-a-sons and dug duced tips. Oo not weal. It's all a fan-sasy!" He went back to the bunk and plopped as he watched the scene shift into the sickbay room again with the light before him.

The brilliant light came toward him. "I told you, you should have told the doctor. What's going to happen now?" The voice echoed through the room.

"Stop messing with my mind!!!" Richards shouted as he started to pull on his short hair.

"Who's messing with your mind, General?" Dr. Collins wheeled in a cart of injections.

He turned toward her and saw all the medical staff encircled him as they stared at him with arms crossed. He looked down because he had no clothing. He turned back to the light, but it was gone. He turned back to the crowd but they were gone and he had his uniform again. He bent over the bed with his arms straight and breathed deeply. He suddenly felt a jab of a needle in his hip. He turned to face the doctor as she pulled his pants back up.

"Now, that didn't hurt, did it?" She returned the needle to the tray.

"Oh, no." Richards became dizzy, then everything went black.

He awoke as Samson and Rocky stood him in his office.

"Sir?" Samson's voice bellowed in the general's head.

"No need to yell!" Richards tried to regain his composure. He looked around wide-eyed and unstable on his feet. "I need to talk to Dr. Collins and Captain Mitchell ... ASAP."

"Yes, sir!" The two sergeants led the general out of the office.

In sickbay, Dr. Collins cleared a place for Richards on a table in an examination room. Mitchell entered as the two sergeants stepped out of the room.

Richards looked at the two and raised up on his elbows. "I have to tell someone about this before I go insane." He watched as the two gathered around him and he spoke in a faint voice. "Back when I was still a captain, I went to the Officers' Club in Washington and five officers started to harass me about being enhanced. They kept hounding me until I could take it no more, so I swung my fist as hard as I could. Before I knew it, they all laid on the ground covered in blood. Their heads were smashed, then I freaked out. I carried them one by one to the Potomac River and dumped their bodies. No one ever found out about it." He hung his head.

Mitchell took his cuffs from his back. "Sorry, sir." He motioned for the general to stand and turn around.

Richards obeyed as tears flowed down his cheeks like tiny rivers. As Mitchell placed the cuffs on him, he felt release instead of bondage.

"Wait!" The doctor turned to her pad and flipped through it to a document. She showed it to Mitchell. "It was signed by the President of the United States before we left earth."

Mitchell read the document carefully. Then he looked at the general. He removed the cuffs. "The president said your 'Bodies' were found and taken to the infirmary where they were revived. They filed charges against you but inadvertently proved they incited the incident and went to jail for it. No charges were ever brought against you. You did NOT kill anyone, sir. However, you could have. The president pardoned you of any wrongdoing, sir. You are free to go." He stepped away from the general.

"The torture is over, sir." Dr. Collins took back the pad. "You should have talked about it years ago and saved yourself all the pain. Face your past so it will set you free." She handed him a box of tissues.

Later in his office, a group of troops stood before him with Scott. They all waited as the general finished with his entry into their logs. Then he looked up at them.

He leaned back in his chair. "You each wanted to become enhanced, but each had something in your past that blocked it. It has come to my attention about an ancient Aramaic proverb. I was wrong in denying your desires. I just rescinded those blocks. You are now free to be enhanced in the next cycle."

The group celebrated the decision.

Scott, however, did not. "Sir, what about me? You said I could never even join the military with my tats, sir."

"Whatever happened to you getting them removed?" The general glanced at him.

"I wasn't able to before the last cycle, sir. So, I never did it." Scott had the look of disappointment.

"There is time now to do it. So, get it done ... fast!" The general stood. "Then, you are free to join and be enhanced like these others."

Scott joined in the celebration as he clenched his fists in victory.

As the men left the office, the general went to the bridge. There he looked over his crew as they worked at their stations. The men who were in his office took their places as Scott came and stood next to Richards.

Richards looked at him. "So, what is your specialty going to be?"

"Whatever you want, sir." He saluted the general.

"You really ought to learn to salute like an American." The general grinned as Scott changed to an American Salute. He returned the salute and looked back at the helmsman. "Helmsman how much longer to Tu Do?"

"Nine months, sir!" The helmsman looked at his controls.

"All ships reduce all non-essential power drains and continue to Tu Do full-speed." Richards took his seat.

Contents
About the Author

DON R. BUDD

While in Sacramento, Don R. Budd was diagnosed with a brain injury, which made it challenging to form words from the sounds he heard. The condition is now called "Auditory Processing Disorder" (APD). This was not a significant problem until something went. Mr. Budd eventually needed to use Sign Language Interpreters.

Mr. Budd continued to assist the Deaf while he worked at various jobs, including Paralegal work and the editing of a legal magazine, called "The Gavel."

Ten years later, Mr. Budd moved to Apache Junction, Arizona, where his parents wintered. The State had Mr. Budd retested for his form of deafness. The doctor upheld the previous doctor's diagnosis. Then the State of Arizona declared Mr. Budd as Deaf even though he could still hear sounds.

An opportunity presented itself in Reno, Nevada. Mr. Budd moved to Reno and started work. The State of Nevada also classified Mr. Budd as Deaf. He eventually worked for an Americans with Disabilities attorney. He did this as a part-time job until he was accepted to work with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Office. During this time, Mr. Budd was injured on the job. The injury continued to disable Mr. Budd. Because of the damage to the right arm and shoulder and all of his other disabilities, Mr. Budd was unable to work. He moved to Michigan to be with family.

Technology was a growing interest in Mr. Budd. While on Workers' Comp for his job-related injury, he started studying Computer Science at the University of Nevada – Reno. However, before he could register as a formal student, Workers' Comp denied his training. Mr. Budd continued to study AI and other areas on his own.

Christ continued to provide for Mr. Budd, who continued to seek some way of supporting himself. Writing had been Mr. Budd's outlet for many years. He took several correspondence courses for writing and studied many books on the art. After several urgings of friends, Mr. Budd began to publish his work. The Operation Phoenix series is an outgrowth of his interest in writing and technology.

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Connecting with DON R. BUDD

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If you wish to Friend Mr. Budd, do not merely have a few posts and pictures. Mr. Budd does not respond to such requests. There are too many Hackers around.

Twitter: <https://www.twitter.com/@donrbudd/>

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Other Novels by DON R. BUDD

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Contents

Coming Soon

OPERATION PHOENIX

BOOK 3

Imperial Guard

CHAPTER 1 The Weapon

The humans were on their way to Romasu when a ship the size of the whole human fleet pulled alongside the USS Washington. It had weapons of all kinds over much of its hull. It appeared to be a battlecruiser the humans had heard about over the radio.

Samson looked up from his station. "The ship is hailing us, sir."

Richards stopped his pace in front of the screens. "Put it through." He looked back at the com station.

"This is the Imperial Guard ship, Tusa. Stop and prepare to be boarded." A male spoke in Lorana.

"All, stop!" The general looked from Samson to Russell.

"All stopped, sir," Samson reported back.

Only the Washington dropped its shields as the guards appeared on the bridge. Richards walked to the lead guard who stood in front of his troops.

The general stopped in front of him. "What is the meaning of this?" He sounded angry.

"We know you have a weapon that destroyed the Bohinan homeworld." The guard glared at him. "We demand you surrender it to us immediately."

"We don't have such a weapon." Richards bore his eyes into the guard's eyes.

The guard was not intimidated. "You will surrender it, or I will destroy your fleet."

"Check for yourself!" Richards raised his voice toward the guard. "You won't find such a weapon!"

"We will." The guard motioned to his men to start their search.

They searched high and low. The guards came to Rocky at his armory station. A guard held his weapon trained on him as another guard went over his station. He used a hand-held device to try to translate the names of the buttons and what appeared on the screen. But he could not make sense of any of it.

Frustrated, the guard looked at Rocky and put his weapon on the sergeant's neck. "What does this station say in Lorana?"

Richards nodded to Rocky.

Rocky turned his attention back to the guard. "The screen lists the different weapons available."

"What are they?" The guard pressed his weapon harder against his neck.

"This is a phaser." Rocky acted as though he was nervous. "This one is a tracking beam to pull objects along behind us."

"Is it used to pull apart a world?" The guard looked at him with a scowl.

"No, only ships and small objects, sir." Rocky looked at Richards. "We don't have that kind of power."

"The next one." The guard looked at the screen again.

"It's a photon torpedo, and it doesn't have enough power." Rocky would not make eye contact with him. He acted scared.

"The next?" The guard grabbed Rocky by the jaw and forced him to look at him.

"It's a ... biological weapon. It releases germs to kill an enemy." Rocky glared at the guard. "Next is a microwave weapon."

"What's that?" The guard increased the power on his weapon.

"There are no words in Lorana to use." Rocky looked worried. "I can show you."

"Do it!" The man yelled.

Rocky pressed some buttons, and the guard's radio beeped.

The guard took it from its holster. "What is it?"

A woman's voice came over the speakers in Lorana. "Sir, the temperature is rapidly rising aboard ship. The controls are getting too hot to touch!"

He looked at Rocky again. "Did you do that?"

"Wimi." Rocky nodded. "I did."

"Stop it!" The man demanded.

Rocky pressed the buttons again.

The woman's voice came again. "It's cooling down now."

"Understood!" The guard looked at the radio. "What's the next one?"

"I'll show you." Rocky pressed a button, and several Marines appeared around each guard with their weapons drawn.

The guards lowered their weapons as Rocky collected them.

Richards walked to the guard. "Now, that we have your attention, what is this really about?"

The guard looked at him, smugly. "We know you have a weapon that can destroy a planet. Where is it?"

"We don't have one." Richards insisted.

"I don't believe that." The guard looked over at Rocky. "You were present whenever something exploded."

"That's not true," Richards replied. "Many things have exploded over the years."

While the guards were preoccupied with Richards, Rocky began to press buttons. Then he stopped and looked as if nothing happened. The guard looked at him. But Rocky just stood there. He looked back at Richards. His radio beeped again.

He answered it. A female voice came back. "Our systems are shorting out. You better get back."

He glanced at Rocky. "What did you do?"

"Nothing. I'm just standing here." Rocky became defensive.

The guard said something in a foreign language, and the guards all vanished.

Richards walked around some Marines and went to Rocky. "Okay, you can get rid of them."

The Marines vanished.

"What did you do?" The general looked at Rocky.

"I just made things go ping-pang-pong all over their ship, sir. Nothing major. It will take them a few hours to get things running again, sir." Rocky grinned at him with pride.

"It's stuff like that that will make them think we have a secret weapon even more." The general started to turn away.

"Should we continue?" Captain Russell stood from his chair.

"No, we'll wait for the all clear." He looked at the captain and headed toward him. "I don't want them to know we had anything to do with their malfunctions.

"Aye, sir!" Russell started to sit again as Richards reached him.

They both sat and waited. Before long, Richards became antsy. "Rocky, send ALFs to their ship and see what's happening over there."

"Yes, sir!" Rocky began to press buttons.

They watched the screens to see what occurred on the Guard ship. The guards ran about as they checked circuits. As they did, sparks flew, and smoke billowed out of compartments, other guards put out the fires. They spoke in a foreign language.

"Can you get a translation?" Richards looked at Samson.

"I believe so, sir." Samson started to press buttons. After a while, he looked up. "This is the best I can do, sir."

The voices came over the speakers in broken English. "They this did think I." The lead guard spoke with another guard.

"How?" The other guard looked confused. "They nothing did, right?"

"They us believe want." The lead guard started to walk away. "We them must let them not get away. They something know."

The lead guard walked away, and the other one went about his repairs. A third guard came with an electronic tablet. He showed it to the other guard, who nodded. The third guard left.

Suddenly, there was a big explosion followed by smoke and multiple smaller explosions in various circuits. Then, the lights went out, and emergency lights came on. The guard was upset and frustrated by all this.

A male voice came over the speakers on the screen. "What happened? Report?"

"I know not what." The guard stopped his work. "I work it on. I you know let."

The guard continued to work as more minor explosions and puffs of smoke occurred. He dodged the sparks as he worked. He reached in and pulled something, and the lights came back on. He backed out of the circuits and stood as a woman came to him. He turned to her. Their discussion was not loud enough to hear. Then, the two left the area.

"Is there something else of more importance?" The general walked to Samson.

Samson put up a view of the bridge as their captain took in reports of the repairs. The discussions were not explicit. Then, a man rushed in and went to the captain.

"Captain, I you need know. We us watch someone." The man stopped next to him.

"Can you clear up the message? It's confusing." Richards stood in front of the comm station.

"Sorry, sir, but there's nothing more I can do." Samson rechecked his station.

"Sounds like they've detected us." The general turned to Rocky. "Call our ALFs back."

"Yes, sir!" Rocky pressed some buttons.

Then, Richards listened to static as all the video feeds from the ALFs ended. He turned back to Samson.

"Do you have another way to observe them?" He put his hands on the console.

"No, sir, sorry. Without some cameras there or some ALFs, there's nothing we can do." Samson continued to monitor space and transmissions.

Suddenly, the guards returned. The general turned to them. The lead guard stepped forward.

"What did you do to our ship?" He came to Richards with his weapon drawn.

"We did nothing to you." Richards was nose to nose with the guard. "We could not have done anything. You were here at the time."

"You could have done it still behind our backs." The guard bore his eyes into the general's eyes. "This one did something." He turned to Rocky. "He controls the weapons. He could have used a weapon against our systems when we were not looking."

"You're paranoid!" Richards showed what it meant to get an enhanced angry. "He did nothing."

"We shall see." The guards and Rocky vanished.

The next thing Rocky knew he was in a room with just a table and three chairs. He walked about the room as he checked for a possible exit or a camera.

An orange-skinned man entered the room. Rocky walked to him.

"Why am I here?" He checked the man over.

The man walked to the table. "You know about the weapon that destroyed Bohina and the Ladorma Tower. I am here to get the information out of your mind. How would you like to do this, Humana? Easy or Difficult?"

Rocky stepped up to the man and put his hands on the man's throat. The man started to grow more muscular. He ripped out of his uniform. He put his hands on Rocky's throat. Rocky let go. Then, the man let go of Rocky.

After a short stare down, the man sat. "I will get the information I want. You can't stop me for long. I will get you to think about it."

Rocky sat across from him. "So, we have a mental stare down. I have been trained to control my thoughts."

"But you have not dealt with a telepath." The man put his massive arms on the table and leaned toward Rocky. "You are thinking of the weapon."

"Nimi, I am not." Rocky leaned toward him and put his arms on the table. "You will have to do better than that to get me to think about a weapon that does not exist."

The mental stare down began.

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CHAPTER 2 Interrogation

Richards paced before the screens. As soon as he turned around, Rocky appeared in front of him and slugged the general in the mouth. Rocky's expression suddenly changed from anger to shock. Richards checked for blood. He noticed a steady drip, drip, drip into his hand. He held his hand against his mouth and left the bridge.

"I didn't mean to hit him!" Rocky looked at the others on the bridge. "I was trying to hit a guard!"

Everyone, except Samson, went back to their duties. Rocky looked around, and when he gazed on Samson, the big guy crossed his arms and glared at him.

He went to Samson. "Samson, you know I would never intentionally strike the general."

Samson's glare seemed to burn through him. Then he spoke. "What happened on the Guard ship?"

"I was locked in a mental stare down with an Orangan telepath, who was trying to get me to think about a weapon that doesn't exist," Rocky stated his case to Samson.

"And?" Samson waited for more information after Rocky paused.

"He was making me live different scenes trying to get me to think of the weapon. It was kind of like now." His expression changed. "You won't get me to think about the weapon!" He yelled at Samson. "I won't play your game!"

Samson stared at him emotionless. Then, he became the telepath. The bridge became the interrogation room again.

"You are strong-willed. But you can't hold out forever." The man leaned back as he draped an arm over the back of the chair.

"You keep saying that, but you keep failing to get me to think of a non-existent weapon." Rocky leaned back and mirrored the man.

"Maybe, but persistence always wins." He chuckled. He stood and walked to the door. "We'll try again later." He left the room.

After a while, a Marine appeared in front of Rocky. "Don't worry! We are watching what's going on."

"You shouldn't be here. The Guard may have this room bugged and a telepath maybe outside." Rocky leaned toward the Marine.

"Don't worry! There's no cameras or listening devices here." The Marine tried to reassure Rocky.

"We can't be sure." Rocky looked around. "They're trying to get me to think of some weapon we used to blow up Bohina. How am I to think of a weapon that doesn't exist?"

"I don't know." The Marine sat across from him. He looked around. "Maybe you should ..."

The door started to open, and the Marine vanished. The man walked in and came to the table. He sat. He had a new uniform on and was his standard size again. He just looked at Rocky.

"Well, are you going to say something?" He looked sternly at the man.

"I'm just waiting for you to think of the weapon." He began to scowl at him. "Be careful! I might win." He smiled.

"I don't think so." Rocky put a fist on a hip as he leaned back.

"You just had a visit by an ALF." The man put his elbows on the edge of the table. "What is an ALF? A Soldier? Ah, Wimi! He was a special kind of Soldier. What kind? Nimi, you won't think of it. It's a special weapon. Wimi! Now, you're thinking of him. ALF stands for Artificial Life Form. He's not real. That's how he was able to come without detection. But, when he was here, I could hear your thoughts."

"You have it all wrong!" Rocky took his fist off his hip and pounded it on the table.

The man jerked back in shock. His eyes grew big as his mouth hung open.

"Now, I see! You can't read through anger." Rocky leaned toward the man. "I can block you. Let's see if you can get the information now."

"You can't stay angry forever. The man relaxed. "You'll come around. Your friends can't take you back. Nimi, they can't."

"Ah, Wimi, they can." Rocky insisted as he scowled at the man.

"Your temper is calming already." The man put his hands behind his head. "I can wait. However, you need to eat soon. In a weakened state, you'll talk."

"Don't count on it." Rocky kept an angry disposition.

"As you can see, I can also put thoughts into your mind. That's unusual for an Orangan. But, some of us develop more than others." He put his hands down on the edge of the table.

Rocky suddenly pushed the table into the man without warning. It knocked the man backward and caused him to hit his head hard on the floor; so hard his head bounced twice. He checked the man and found him dead.

He stood and listened at the door. With no sound, he left the room. He headed down a corridor to another place. Rocky attended and then opened the door. Inside he found food dispensers and ordered a meal. He quickly ate his fill and drank some juice. Later, Rocky left the room.

As Rocky continued down the corridor, he came up behind a guard and choked the guard unconscious and dragged him into a utility closet. There he found a cord to tie him up and a rag to gag him.

Rocky was soon back in the corridor and came to a junction. Neither way showed any more promise than the other. So, he went to the right. The Marine went to a map on the wall which was in Lorana and some strange language. He located a communications center just down the corridor from his present location. He headed toward it.

At the door to the Com Center, Rocky listened. There was a lot of activity inside. He waited for the sounds to move away from the door. Then, he snuck in and hid behind a wall of computers.

He listened to the conversations but could not understand any of it. He peeked around the corner and watched as people worked on repairs and monitored the earth ships.

As he watched, the lead guard spoke to the general via a big screen.

"What weapon?" The general crossed his arms. "You keep speaking of a weapon, but we keep telling you we have no such weapon."

"You do have it!" The lead Guard pointed the finger at the general several times as he yelled.

"If we had it, what would stop us from using it?" Richards rocked back and forth on his heels.

"We would have other ships hunt you down like Kuka." He stepped toward the monitor.

Rocky looked around and found a lever with a flame picture. When the coast was clear, he went to it and pulled it down. Immediately, the sprinklers started to spray everything, and the alarms went off. People scurried about like rats. Explosions began in the computer banks. People tried to stop the bombings and sprinklers.

Soon, the sprinklers were turned off, but not before he destroyed the comm center. The lead guard yelled at his people who continued to scurry around.

A man whispered into his ear. He whispered back. Then, the man went to various people and whispered to them. They, in turn, did the same. The people began the search for something. They searched everywhere but came up empty-handed.

Rocky walked down a corridor. He came to a door and listened. After he checked his surroundings, opened the door, snuck in, and hid behind a low wall. The people were of various species. They spoke Lorana.

He noticed it was a bridge. He hid behind some containers and listened to the conversations. But he could not separate all the chatter. He could only understand bits and pieces of the discussions.

Most were on operations of the ships, but one dealt with an escaped alien, which must be him. The more he listened in to that conversation, the more he realized they were closing in on him. Several guards started to walk toward the containers. Rocky kept an eye on them. As they came closer, Ricky moved toward a cabinet and hid behind it. However, he could not shelter enough.

"Come out here!" A guard ordered as he looked at Rocky sternly.

Rocky stood and walked to the guard.

The guard put handcuffs on him. "We've been looking for you. Come with me!" the guard took him to the ship's captain. He stopped in front of the captain. "Here's the Humana."

The captain looked him over. "Well, you certainly caused a problem. You left quite a mess in the comm room and a dead interrogator."

Rocky only looked at him.

"What, nothing to say?" The captain looked at a guard. "Take him to Teslo and stay with him. I want answers!"

"Wimi!" The guard led Rocky out of the room.

Soon, they entered a room with another Orangan interrogator.

The guard sat Rocky down. "The captain wants answers about the Humana weapon."

"Understood." The interrogator stood from his desk. He came around and stared at Rocky. "You think you can block my probes of your mind. Think again. I can get you to open to me."

Rocky cringed in pain as he held his head. He rocked back and forth as the pain increased. He screamed out in agony.

"You can stop the pain by opening your mind to me." The interrogator sat on the corner of his desk. "There's no need to suffer so. Just open up, and the pain will fade."

Rocky continued to rock and scream in pain. He seemed to fight the probe even more. The Marine turned side-to-side as tears started to run down his cheeks. However, the harder he struggled, the higher the pain level went.

This battle kept up for some time. The offers to terminate the pain preceded more struggle and intense pain. Eventually, Rocky started to relax and calm down. The tears stopped. Then, the proposals stopped.

"Humana!" The interrogator shouted as he leaned toward Rocky. "You can't block me."

"Wimi, I can." Rocky glared at him. "You have limits."

"You have limits and will reach them long before I do." The man straightened.

"I doubt that." Rocky leaned back in his chair.

The lights flickered. The guard and the interrogator looked around. Even Rocky looked around as the lights went out. They were out for just a second, but when they came back on, Rocky was gone. The door was open. The two men looked around in wonder.

Thank you for reading this story. Please, post a review.

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