Earth United

“I hope Craton hasn’t added any defense shields that we don’t know about,” Cal said in a half-joking, half-serious tone as their transport entered Craton’s atmosphere.

“The coordinates Frank sent us show the detection somewhere in this vicinity,” Diane said. She made a circle with her finger over the impulse detection grid on the spacecraft’s control panel.

“Okay,” Cal replied. “Let’s get the long-range scanner online. The scanner will pinpoint the exact location and give us some readings. The video com will tie into the scanner signal and be able to bounce back a picture to us.”

Jake moved the lever to power up the long-range scanner. Nothing happened. He flipped the backup switch. “The scanner’s not coming online.”

“Did you reconfigure the grid?” Cal asked.

“That’s what I’m doing now.” Jake typed in the reconfiguration commands, then moved the power lever again. “Nothing. It’s not working.”

“Let me see,” Cal said. He leaned over to where Jake was working. “You’re right.”

Cal jumped up and quickly went down into the cargo hold. A few moments later he came back up. “All right. This mission is over. Call Frank.”

“Why? What is it?” Jake asked. The mission couldn’t be over. This was his chance. They had to do something. Maybe this was an opportunity. A reason to land.

“I missed it the first time,” Cal said. “The pirate spacecraft also took out our long-range scanner. And without the scanner to link to, the video com does us no good.”

“Can’t you fix it?” Jake half wanted the answer to be no, not so they could leave, but so they could land and physically check out the coordinates.

“No,” Cal said. “When I rerouted everything to get things back online, I left out the scanners. And before you ask, no, I can’t reroute things again. If I do, there’s a ninety percent chance that I weaken the circuits and cause a hyper-flux. In other words, a complete burnout.”

“And that means what?” Diane asked.

“That means we have no quantum drive, no weapons, no long-range communications, still no scanner, and it could even take out life support,” Cal replied. “So no, it can’t be fixed. Not out here, anyway.”

This was his chance, Jake thought. He just needed to convince one of them not to contact Frank, and to land. “We need to land, and go to the coordinates with the portable scanner and video com. If we don’t, we’ll be letting down the Imperial Majesty, again. That will really weaken our already fragile alliance with Vernius.”

“No way!” Cal said. “That’s way too dangerous, and goes directly against Frank’s orders. Besides, without the long-range scanners, we can’t find the exact location of the coordinates, so we could be looking for days. The portable scanner will only get us to the general vicinity. That’s no better than what we already have from the coordinates in the impulse detection grid.”

“How general is general vicinity?” Diane asked.

Cal turned toward Diane. “About two square miles. And from the detection grid, those two square miles include Craton’s military headquarters. So we might as well forget it. A search there would be impossible. Besides, Jake doesn’t care about the Imperial Majesty or Earth’s alliance with Vernius. He wants an opportunity to confront Romalor.” Cal turned back to Jake. “Isn’t that right?”

Jake thought. Yes, that was right. But he couldn’t admit it. That would be the end of it. He had to convince Cal, or Diane, another way. “Wait a minute. Frank’s first order was to get a scan and picture at the site of the coordinates. Frank’s second order was not to land. When he gave the orders, we didn’t know our long-range scanner would be out. It isn’t disobeying an order if we have to work around the second order to achieve the first. And yes, it’s dangerous, but that’s what we signed up for. We’re all members of the Legion. This is our duty. If this is the giant crystal that I saw Romalor take eight years ago, he could very well have some sort of weapon of mass destruction now ready to use it in. It makes sense. That’s probably why Vernius just now detected it. If he has such a weapon, you can bet that it’ll be pointed at Earth for its first test. This may be our best chance to find the weapon before it’s operational, so that the Legion can figure out how to defend against it and stop him.”

“This may be our only chance,” Diane added.

Cal turned to Diane. “Diane, no.”

“I’m sorry, Cal,” Diane said, “but I’m with Jake on this one. I do care about the Imperial Majesty and about Earth. I am the ambassador between these two planets. This is my job. We have to find out what’s going on down there. There’s too much at stake to turn back. Earth is counting on us, and Vernius is counting on me.”

Jake felt a relief come over him. He had done it. They would be going down. But then he thought about Diane. He’d just helped talk her into a mission that could very well kill all three of them.

“But what about locating it?” Cal said.

That was Cal’s last chance to dissuade Diane, Jake thought. Should he side with Cal and get out of there? No, he wanted to go down to the surface more than anything. “That’s easy, Cal. No matter the planet, politics are all the same, and the locals know more about what’s going on than the government. We’ll just ask around.”

“Cal,” Diane said, “whatever the reasons, Jake and I want to go down there. I am the ranking soldier here, but I won’t order you to go with us. You can drop us off and then pull the spacecraft back up.”

Cal shook his head. “Not on your life. If you two stubborn fools are going down there, then somebody with half a brain has to go to take care of you. But promise me that you two will do everything possible to obey Frank’s third order, and not engage. That means no fights. This is still a reconnaissance mission. This is not the time for revenge, okay?”

Jake was silent.

“Jake, agreed?” Cal repeated slowly.

Jake replied, “Agreed.” Part of him wanted the mission to be clean, with no road blocks. That would insure the safety of Cal and Diane. But the bigger part of him saw this as the opportunity to finally face Romalor. Although, he had no idea how he alone could end up facing Romalor one on one, when it would be the three of them against the entire Craton military if they were discovered. Despite that, somehow, someway, part of him hoped they would be discovered.

* * * *

Jake had never been to Craton before. He had only seen pictures and read about it. As the planet’s surface came into sight on the viewing screen, he realized that it looked even worse than the pictures and descriptions. What he had already known was that it was a desert planet, with a few oases here and there. Its landscape was dry and desolate, made up of sand, dirt, rocks, canyons, and mountains. The mountain ranges in sight were small, but he had read that Craton had mountain ranges that would surpass the heights of the greatest peaks in the Himalaya range on Earth. What he noticed immediately, though, was that the mountains on Craton were not snow-capped like the mountains on Earth. “How does anything live on this planet?”

“Good question,” Cal answered. “From what I understand, this is what it looks like everywhere. The air is constantly hot and thick, from the desert floor to the summit of the highest mountains. That’s why there’s no snow on those mountains over there.” Cal pointed toward the mountain range on the viewing screen. “It’s too hot, even that high up. And that climate makes most of the planet unlivable and it produces few natural resources.”

“That’s why it’s such a military powerhouse,” Diane said. “It has to rely on its military strength for survival.”

“Most of the people live in Craton City, right?” Jake asked.

“Yeah,” Cal replied, “because seventy percent of the water on or in the planet is located underneath Craton City. That’s why it’s the largest city.” Cal flipped the viewing screen to long-range and he pointed to a long, narrow mountain range just coming into view. “We want to stay clear of that range. Craton’s military headquarters is located on it. We need to go in fast and low and away from those mountains so we aren’t detected. We’ll put down somewhere on the east side, outside Craton City.”

“Why not the west side, and avoid Craton City altogether?” Jake asked.

Diane answered, “That mountain range cuts this part of the planet in half. Basically, the ‘haves’ live on the east side and the ‘have nots’ on the west. There’s nothing on the west side but barren rock and sand deserts, inhabited by nomads, rebels, and bandits. It’s too dangerous, and we’ll never get the information we need to pinpoint the location.”

Jake continued to watch the viewing screen while Cal landed the transport in a remote region of the planet just outside of Craton City. As they passed the outskirts of the city, Jake could see what a horrible-looking city it was, especially for the capital of one of the strongest planets in the galaxy. There was no green space, just concrete and steel stretching for miles.

Cal opened the transport’s door. “I saw some houses over there.” He pointed.

After climbing a couple of low rock hills, they came upon a small village with houses made out of rock and clay. Wow, what a tough life, Jake thought. “You call these houses, Cal?”

“This is where the Cratonites live who are too poor to live within the city,” Diane answered. “But they’re lucky, by Craton standards. They’re fortunate enough not to have to live on the west side of the mountain.”

Cal looked at Jake and Diane, scanning them from head to toe.

“We’re going to have to fit in better,” Cal said.

Jake pointed behind Cal. “Over there.” There was a small house standing alone, with a rock fence around it. On the side of the house was a clothesline, full of ragged clothes, mostly brown and tan in color.

“Perfect,” Cal said. “Let’s see if we can borrow some clothes.”

They bent low and crept to the stone fence. Jake peeked over the top. He didn’t see anybody. “I’ll go first.”

Jake jumped up on top of the fence, then down to the other side. When he hit the ground, he landed on something that shot out from under his feet. The thing let out a loud honk, and his heart felt like it skipped a beat. He stumbled but kept his footing. He glanced at the house. Good, nobody had heard, or at least they didn’t seem to care—there was nobody in sight. He was sweating, from the heat as well as his startled nerves. The thing he’d landed on looked like a gray chicken. It had a body and feet like one, and it flapped its wings, but it had fur instead of feathers and a long, tube-like bill instead of a pointed beak.

Cal and Diane jumped down beside him.

“Way to be nice and quiet,” Cal whispered.

“What was that thing?” Jake whispered back.

“A peeky,” Diane said. “The poorer people raise them for food and for their fur.”

Jake noticed a number of them huddled in the far corner of the fence.

“Come on,” Cal said. “Let’s get some clothes and get out of here.”

They each snatched some local clothes from the line and hung a couple of Diane’s gem-studded bracelets on the empty clothesline hooks.

Jake felt fairly inconspicuous as they made their way into town wearing the native clothing. He couldn’t help but wonder how some of the Cratonites could even survive in such desolate living conditions. Did Romalor take that much for himself that he couldn’t provide anything better for his people? He had to wonder whether Romalor even provided these people with translator chips. Sure, by treaty, every baby born on every planet in the galaxy immediately was supposed to have a translator chip implanted into his or her ear to translate any language into his or her learned language, paid for by the government of the planet. But Romalor probably felt more in control if his people couldn’t communicate with the outside universe. It would be a problem if they couldn’t communicate with anyone, though.

Cal turned to Jake. “Where do you think is the best place to get information in a place like this?”

Jake looked around. They were still on the outskirts of Craton City, in the ‘slum’ area. The buildings were rundown concrete and wood structures, standing side by side. They looked ancient, but probably weren’t in much better shape when they were new. “The same place you get information in any city. The local pub. But how do we find it without asking directions and standing out like a sore thumb?” He looked around some more. The signs on the buildings, or what was left of them, were all in Craton.

“Right there.” Diane pointed to a building down the street on their left.

Jake looked at her. “How do you know?”

“Craton is one of the ten languages I had to learn to read and write for my ambassadorship.” She poked Jake in the shoulder and smiled. “It’s amazing what you can learn if you’re not swinging a sepder all day.” She turned to Cal, lowered her chin, and raised an eyebrow. “Or playing computer games.” She stepped out in front of them toward the pub.

Jake chuckled to himself and looked at Cal. Both of them shook their heads.

When they neared the pub, Jake found a large rock with some dried brush around it. “Here, let’s leave the bag here. I assume we’ll look pretty out of place in there carrying a portable scanner and video com.”

The bright sunlight immediately dissipated when they stepped into the pub. It took Jake’s eyes a moment to adjust to the dark interior. He surveyed the room. There were no windows, only the opening behind them where a door had once hung. A few dim, flickering lights hung from the ceiling. The room smelled stale and thick with smoke and alcohol. It was mostly full of Cratonites, dressed even more poorly than they were. There also were a few characters from other planets seated here and there, who were probably living in a Craton village either by necessity or by force. The bar was on the back wall. All the seats there were full. Wood tables were scattered throughout the room. Jake pointed to an empty table along the side and shouted to be heard over the noise. “Over there.” Most of the Cratonites were drunk, half yelling, half laughing at each other. This was one time he wished he didn’t have a translator chip. He would rather not have been able to understand some of the colorful language being thrown around. But this was the perfect place to find out what they needed to. These people were probably mostly from outlying villages. Unlike the wealthier inner city people, these people probably wouldn’t be afraid to talk.

A Cratonite waitress approached their table. “What can I get you strangers to drink? You new around here?”

Jake looked up at the waitress and smiled. At one time, she was probably pretty attractive, but time and rough living conditions had clearly taken their toll on her. She seemed jolly and happy enough, though. “Just passing through. From the next village over.” He nodded toward the south. “Give us your special. Whatever you recommend.” Jake hoped that she bought it.

“Okay, that’s easy,” the waitress said with a smile. “Three purple drools coming up.” She turned and gave Jake another smile as she walked away.

Yes, that meant she bought it. Great. Now to find someone to target. Someone who looked like he or she might have the information they were looking for, and who might be willing to share it, for a price of course. Jake noticed a very old man sitting alone in the far corner opposite them. By his clothes and appearance, he looked to be Cratonite, but he was so dirty, unkempt, and unshaven that it was hard to say. He was dark-skinned, or at least that was the best Jake could determine through the dirt and beard. Although, the man could have been from Earth for all Jake could tell. Jake leaned his head in toward the center of the table. “Over there.” Jake nodded toward the man. “I’m going to try him. You two wait here for a minute.”

Cal and Diane nodded.

Jake got up and walked slowly toward the man, careful not to draw attention to himself. He pulled up a chair and sat down. Up close, the man looked even worse. He had long, shaggy, gray hair, and a beard to match. His clothes were worn and torn. Not that anyone in the pub had nice clothes, but his were noticeably worse.

The man cupped his glass on the table with both hands and stared at it, not looking at Jake. “What can I do for you, young man? You aren’t from around here, are you?”

Jake paused for a moment. The man had caught him off guard with his accurate comments. “No,” Jake said. “No, I’m not from this village.”

The man, still not looking up from his glass, added, “No, I mean you aren’t from Craton, are you? You haven’t been here long. A day at most. Am I right?”

That made Jake a little nervous. He didn’t know whether to cut his losses and retreat, or to press on. If he pressed on, and the man was loyal to Romalor, the man could call him out in a moment, and there would likely be enough supporters to drag the three of them away to Romalor. For a moment, Jake pondered that idea. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. He could finally meet Romalor face to face. But no, it would be too dangerous for Cal and Diane. He had to keep the safety of Cal, and especially Diane, foremost in his mind. He had to stay focused on the task at hand. Well, if the man wanted to call them out, he would have done so already. Jake decided to press on. “How did you know?”

“I know a lot,” the man replied. “Isn’t that why you have come over to me?”

It was becoming unreal. The man was either playing the greatest trick ever on him and he was doomed, or this was the best break they could ask for. A gift. Either way, he might as well go for it. “Yes, I guess it is. I’m looking for a weapon. A very powerful weapon, powered by a very large hilaetite crystal. I believe Romalor has developed it. It’s in the vicinity of his military complex. Do you know where exactly it is?”

“Hilaetite crystals are forbidden to be used in weapons,” the old man said.

“I know,” Jake replied, “but I believe Romalor has one anyway.”

“Only a fool would walk into Romalor’s military complex with only two other people, and try to find such a weapon, if one in fact exists,” the man said, still cupping his glass and staring at it.

“Well, call me a fool,” Jake said. Maybe it was neither a trick nor a gift. Maybe just a disappointment. “Look, I see you don’t know or don’t want to say where it is. I’m sorry to have bothered you.” Jake began to get up. The man didn’t look up from his glass, but grabbed Jake’s forearm with one hand. He had a strong grip for someone who looked so old and frail.

The man let go. “I didn’t say that I didn’t know where it was and I didn’t say that I didn’t want to help, did I?”

Jake slowly sat back down. The man reached inside his ragged vest and pulled out a yellowish sheet of parchment paper, folded up. Still staring at his glass, he stuck the paper in Jake’s pocket. “This will lead you to where you want to go. But son, before you decide to continue on your journey, think about one thing.”

Jake hesitated, then asked, “What’s that?”

The man, still staring at his glass, replied, “Be careful seeking what you think you desire. For it is the heart that is much wiser than the mind.”

Jake didn’t think long about what the man had said. Just an old man babbling. He stood up. “So you won’t turn us in?”

“No,” the man said.

“And what if Romalor finds out you helped strangers seeking his weapon?” Jake said. “Will you be okay? I’m sure they’ll do whatever it takes to make you tell them what we look like.”

“How can I tell them?” the man said, still staring at his glass and grinning. “I’m blind.”

Once again, Jake had no answer or explanation. How did the man know so much about him and the crystal and the weapon? How did he, Cal, and Diane end up in this very pub with the man? Jake had no idea. It was a gift, he guessed. He touched the man on the shoulder. “Thank you.”

Jake started back toward his table. He saw four Cratonite men, all wearing the same weathered clothing that everyone else had on. They were surrounding Cal’s and Diane’s table. They were rugged looking, but they looked more fit and less drunk than the others in the room. Everyone else appeared to be in the pub to kill time or to kill some sorrow or pain. These four looked like they were in the pub looking for trouble.

Diane and Cal were still seated. One of the men touched Diane’s hair. “Hi there, pretty lady. What’s someone like you doing in a place like this? There are some bad people in here. Why don’t you come with me? I’ll protect you.”

Jake walked up to the table behind one of the men, and looked across at the man who spoke to Diane. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

The man looked at his buddies and laughed. “Why? Is the pretty blond boy going to do something about it?”

Jake shook his head. “No, I’m not.”

“That’s what I thought,” the man said as he grabbed Diane’s arm. “Now come on along with me.”

Diane grabbed the man’s forearm and twisted her other hand up and around the man’s wrist. She yanked his wrist sideways and twisted both of her hands in opposite directions. The man’s wrist snapped. He screamed and bent forward. Diane jumped out of her chair, bringing her knee up in a quick thrust that caught the man square in his nose. He screamed again and fell backward, grasping his crooked, bleeding nose.

Jake continued with a smile, “But she is.”

The other three men immediately pulled homemade swords from under their vests. Cal jumped up, and he and Jake pulled out their sepders. Cal blocked the sword of one of the men coming at him. Another swung at Jake. He blocked it. The third attacked Cal from behind, but Jake swung and cut him along the arm. That accomplished what Jake wanted. He came after Jake as well. Jake knew that he could handle two opponents much better than Cal. Jake could tell quickly from their fighting technique that the men were not military trained. They were simply backyard brawlers. He could probably handle two or even three of these guys at half speed.

Everyone else in the pub had cleared to the side. Jake didn’t want to kill the guys or injure them too badly, as they likely didn’t intend any real harm. They were just looking for a little trouble. And they certainly found that. Probably more than they were looking for, Jake thought. That made it a little more difficult to fight them, trying to put them out without doing any serious damage.

The two men kept working Jake backward until he was backed up against the bar. It was time to fight back a little harder. He ducked one swing and punched the man in the face, knocking him backward. Jake kicked the next man in the stomach. The first man came back with his sword raised. Jake kicked him in the stomach as well, then gave him another punch in the face. The man went down and this time he didn’t get up. Jake saw a sword coming at the side of his head. He instinctively ducked and came up with a left hook that caught the man square in the jaw, sending him to the ground.

The man with the broken nose got up with his sword and took a step toward Jake. Jake heard him and turned just in time to see Diane break a bottle over his head from behind. The man’s eyes rolled back and he hit the floor.

Jake turned toward Cal. Cal had backed his opponent into the corner, and was punching him. The man slowly slipped to the floor.

The three of them looked at each other. “Let’s get out of here,” Jake said.

As they darted for the door, the waitress came from the kitchen carrying a tray of drinks. She observed the mess and the four men out cold on the floor. “I take it you won’t be drinking these?” she shouted.

Cal grabbed their bag from behind the rock as they exited the pub. The three of them ran down the street and into an alley. Jake peeked back around the corner. “We’re clear. Nobody’s coming.”

“Did you get anything out of the old man?” Cal asked.

“Here.” Jake handed Cal the map. He decided not to tell Cal and Diane all the man knew about them, about what they had come for, about everything, it seemed. Since he couldn’t even understand it himself, how could he explain it to them?

“Wow, jackpot!” Cal said. “If this is accurate, he has pinpointed the exact location of the weapon, and therefore, the crystal. It’s in one of the military buildings on this side of the mountain, not too high up. How did he get this?”

Jake didn’t know the answer, and didn’t want to speculate. He didn’t even want to address the question, and thankfully, he didn’t have to.

Diane spoke before Jake could say anything. “That doesn’t matter now. We need to move. It won’t take long before word of us being here reaches Romalor. I’m sure these people don’t see trained fighters wielding sepders every day. It won’t take long for them to put two and two together. I’m sure Romalor gives some kind of reward for news like that.”

“You’re right,” Cal replied. “I think I know how to get us to the weapon. Come on.”

* * * *

The three of them made their way through Craton City toward the military headquarters. Between the concrete buildings and metal skyscrapers, Jake saw glimpses of the mountain range to the west of the city, on which the headquarters was located. As they approached the mountains, in the western outskirts of the city, the buildings were much smaller. That enabled him to more clearly make out the complex of variously shaped buildings making up the headquarters on the side and top of the mountain. Some buildings were square, some domed, and some pointed, but all were built into the side of the mountain, except for one large, oval-shaped building that sat on the highest peak of the mountain range.

Cal pointed to a smaller round building about halfway up the mountain in the middle of the complex. “According to the map, it’s in that building.”

“That’s not too bad a climb,” Jake said. “That’s quite a maze of buildings up there, though.”

“That’s not the half of it,” Diane said. “There are just as many buildings on the other side of the mountain, and Legion sources say that for every building you can see on the mountain, there’s a chamber at least as large built inside the mountain. Not to mention the tunnel system connecting everything.”

“Yep,” Cal said, “and that oval building on top is the central command center of the entire headquarters. Romalor’s hangout. They say the entire dome of the building can be retracted to expose a glass roof underneath. Just so Romalor can watch over the city on this side, and whatever goes on over on the west side.”

Jake stopped and stared up at the oval building. Romalor. He was so close to him now. He knew where he was. He could just forget about the mission and head straight for that building. It was what he’d been wanting since he was twelve. It was what he’d spent the last eight years of his life training for. No, he still had Cal and Diane to think about. And besides, how could he ever get Romalor one on one inside his own military complex?

“Jake,” Diane said. “Are you okay? We need to keep going.”

Jake didn’t say anything. He lowered his head and started walking again.

The mountain had a gradual incline up to about the halfway point, making their climb to the target building relatively easy. There were also enough brush and large rocks up to that point to keep from being detected. As they neared the building, Jake noticed that the roof was flat, and appeared to be retractable. The design looked like it was made to allow weapons to fire through the open roof. Jake swallowed hard. The reality of the situation had just hit him. Until now, a weapon designed to utilize the hilaetite crystal he’d seen eight years ago was only a thought, a maybe. But if that same crystal was what Vernius had detected inside this building with its retractable roof, well, he didn’t want to think about the consequences to Earth.

They reached the base of the target building. No guards were in sight.

“I don’t like this,” Cal said.

“Yeah,” answered Jake. “Me either. It’s too easy.”

They found a side door. Cal took a small decoder from the bag, latched it onto the door keypad, and pressed the activation control. The lock popped. Jake opened the door and stepped inside. He looked around. The building appeared to be one large round room, with a flat ceiling at least fifty feet high. It was difficult to make out much in the darkness, but the room appeared to be empty except for a very large object in the center. What little light there was came from the object, which gave off a purplish glow. Jake moved toward it, motioning for Cal and Diane to follow. The purple glow increased as he grew nearer to the object. It appeared to be a combination of interconnected wires and tubes set up on a large circular platform, ringed by a flat, level console a few inches lower than the edge of the platform. He touched the console and it illuminated, giving Jake plenty of light to finally see what was before him. The entire platform was one massive weapon.

The bottom of the platform was about chest high. Jake estimated that fifty people, standing shoulder to shoulder, could fit around the circumference. The weapon components covered the entire platform, and extended ten or fifteen feet above the platform. In the center of those components, at the highest point, was the massive hilaetite crystal. Even in the dim lighting, it was unmistakably the hilaetite crystal he had seen in the Sector Four headquarters building eight years ago. It was enclosed securely in a clear, transparent housing, attached to the component parts with a multitude of wires, like tentacles.

“That’s it,” Jake said. “That’s the crystal.” This vindicated him. Everything he knew to be true, now really was true. Everything he had told the Legion, the investigators, anybody that would listen. The largest hilaetite crystal anyone had ever seen, had been stolen by Romalor from the Sector Four headquarters. This proved it. And everyone behind it all—the attack, the massacre, the cover-up, would now have to be exposed. The Legion would have to come after Romalor, and Jake would make sure he was at the front of the attack. Now he had what he wanted, or at least it was within his reach.

“Let me get the scanner going,” Cal said. He pulled out the portable scanner and video com. “Then we need to climb up there and get some close-ups with the video com.”

“I don’t think so,” came a deep voice from behind them. The lights came on.

Jake instinctively pulled out his sepder and started to turn, ready to fire.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” came the voice again.

Jake stopped partway into his turn, but kept his sepder in firing position. He was face to face with at least twenty Cratonite guards. He recognized the one giving the commands. Raxmar. He started to burn inside. He could take out Raxmar, and probably two or three more before they could return fire. Cal might be able to get a couple too. But what then? All three of them would be dead. Yes, all three, even Diane. This wasn’t the time. He would have to wait.

Jake lowered his sepder to his side and let it drop to the floor. Cal followed.

“And the bag,” Raxmar said.

Cal let it drop as well.

Jake thought for a moment. How could Romalor have known they were here? There hadn’t been enough time for word of them to reach Romalor from the village. And these guards had been there waiting for them. Romalor had to have known they were coming before they ever landed on the planet. Their transport would have detected any sensors scanning them, so Romalor hadn’t picked them up as they approached the planet. Was it the old man? Did he bait them into Romalor’s trap? No, Jake didn’t believe that. He had seen it in the man’s face as they spoke. The man was honest. More honest than anybody he had ever met. Then who was it? How did Romalor know?

Cal whispered to Jake, “Somebody set us up.”

“I know,” Jake whispered back. “But who?”

* * * *

Four Craton guards escorted Jake, Cal, and Diane, one leading the way and one walking behind each of them with plasma guns stuck in the smalls of their backs. They wound through the maze of tunnels. Jake could tell that they were going deep into the mountain, and climbing upwards. He had no doubt as to where they were heading. To the central command center. To Romalor. But this wasn’t how he wanted to face Romalor, unarmed, four guards with guns, and Cal and Diane right beside him in harm’s way. Had he put them in this position? After all, he wanted to face Romalor. No, each step of the way after they landed on Craton, he’d always chosen the path to avoid Romalor. He’d consciously done so to protect Cal and Diane. But he had just answered his own question. Yes, he had put them in this position. Each step of the way after they landed. It was his fault that they had landed in the first place. Had he not wanted to, Diane would never have pushed for it. Now they all three practically had one foot in the grave—himself, his best friend, and, well, Diane. He couldn’t even think about it. He had to get them out of this. He had to find a way, wait for an opening. He glanced over at Cal and Diane. Their eyes were fixed straight ahead. They didn’t seem scared. And neither was he. Of course not. They were all Legion trained. Joining the Legion meant you knew that this moment could come at any time.

The guard punched a code into the keypad and the door slid open. The guards pushed them through the door by jabbing the plasma guns further into their backs. As they entered, the guards holstered their guns and drew their goliaths. Jake scanned the room. There he was, Romalor, seated at his desk, his back to them. Jake noticed that the desk had a computer and control panel built in. It looked as though Romalor could command any area on the planet from that seat, and probably spacecraft anywhere in space. Behind the desk, built into the wall, was a large video screen for conducting video calls. The screen took up the entire wall, almost fifteen yards high and twenty yards wide. That would put Romalor up close and personal with whomever he was speaking to. Jake glanced up at the roof. It wasn’t retracted.

Romalor turned around in his chair, and his eyes immediately met Jake’s. Jake suddenly felt cold. He saw Romalor’s goliath piercing Uncle Ben. He saw Ben’s lifeless body lying there. Jake’s back straightened, his fists clenched. For eight years, all he had wanted was to face Romalor and kill him. Now he was standing right in front of Romalor. He wanted to make a move for the guard’s gun. No, it was still too risky for Cal and Diane. And why had they holstered their guns anyway? For fear of hitting Romalor? No, probably not. But it didn’t matter. He had to keep cool, if not for his sake, for the sake of Cal and Diane. He had to wait.

Jake looked at Diane. His face must have shown the regret he felt for getting them into this predicament. She looked at him, gave him a little smile, and shook her head slightly. He knew she was telling him ‘it’s not your fault.’ In a situation like this, how could she be so brave, so forgiving? What a fool he had been. Spending the last eight years of his life chasing Romalor. He should have been chasing Diane. And there was a good chance he wouldn’t have tomorrow to make it up.

“So, are you enjoying your little visit to our planet?” Romalor asked. “I understand you were viewing our latest in weapons technology. Now what did you hope to accomplish? To stop me from using it? Or to stop me from using it against Earth?”

Nobody answered. Jake looked back at Romalor and grew cold again. He straightened his back.

Romalor looked into Jake’s eyes. “I know what you’re thinking. You shouldn’t be thinking that, son. Somebody could get hurt.” Romalor got up, pulled out his own plasma gun and walked over to Diane. He put the gun to Diane’s head.

Jake took a step towards Romalor and started to reach for the gun. Two guards grabbed his arms and yanked him back. Another grabbed Cal as he made a move for Romalor as well. Jake pulled and jerked. He had to get free. Romalor was insane. He was going to kill her right there on the spot. Of course, he really only needed one of them to question. “What are you doing?” Jake shouted. “Take me, not her. Shoot me, you coward.”

Diane didn’t flinch, didn’t step back, nothing. She just stood there, staring straight ahead. A trained soldier.

Romalor looked at Jake, smiled, and pulled the trigger.

Jake shouted, “NO!”

Nothing happened. There was no blast. Nothing. Jake just stared. He couldn’t believe it. First relief flooded him, then he felt joy. But only for a second. What a cruel joke. He could see his uncle’s dying face. More clearly now than ever. Jake’s hands started to shake. His eyes narrowed. He lunged again for Romalor, but the guards held him firm. He just wanted to strangle Romalor. He was so close to him now. No, now still wasn’t the time. This wasn’t how he was trained in the Legion. He knew better than to react emotionally in a situation like this. He had to be clear-headed. He needed to think. He slowly relaxed. He felt the guards’ grip loosen.

Romalor smiled again. “How heroic of you, son. But you see, that was just a demonstration to get rid of any thoughts you might have of getting a gun and starting to blast away. It also shows you the advanced technology that you’re up against. You see, this room constantly emits a reverse energy pulse, disabling any energy weapon while in the room. I designed it myself. It gives me, let’s say, peace of mind should one of my enemies, or friends for that matter, desire to take over my position in a cowardly sort of manner. Okay, now where were we? Why did you come?”

Still, nobody spoke. Cal and Diane were looking straight ahead. Jake stared at Romalor’s face.

“I see we’re not talking,” Romalor continued. “I realize we aren’t treating you like proper guests, but if you just answer a few questions, then we can make you more comfortable. How did you locate the crystal? Who detected it?”

There still was nothing but silence. Jake heard the questions, but he really wasn’t listening. He had no intention of answering any questions anyway. He glanced back at the guards again. He had to find a way out. But their goliaths were too close.

Romalor broke the silence again. “Very well, then. I believe I already know the answer anyway. You see, I have sources in what you Earth people would call very high places. I was just giving you a chance to be friends. But I see it’s useless. Why do you protect Earth anyway? Why do you risk your life for your government? Your own people don’t even care. They would rather me kill you than let you return to Earth.”

Jake knew the government was behind the cover-up eight years ago. Maybe Romalor knew something they didn’t. Maybe he could keep Romalor going and find out more information. Who was involved, how many, how high up did it go? Maybe he could get Romalor to name some names, or at least provide some clues. Of course, it wouldn’t matter if they couldn’t find a way to escape. But he had to try. “That’s a lie. Do you think we believe that you’re working with our government?”

Cal looked at Jake, then shouted “Be quiet! Don’t say anything.”

Jake knew that Cal knew what he was up to and would help. By arguing with Jake, Cal was trying to get Romalor on Jake’s side. Nice move, Cal. Jake looked at Cal. “No, I don’t believe him for a second.” Then Jake turned to Romalor. “If what you say is true, prove it, then maybe we’ll talk.”

“I need to prove nothing to you,” Romalor replied, “but just so you know what your people think of you, I will do so. Then you can die knowing how worthless your efforts were. You will die knowing everything that you have done in your life was for nothing.”

Romalor walked back to his desk and pressed a few controls. The video screen lit up. He pressed a few more buttons. “There, that should be it.”

Romalor turned to face the screen and spoke again. “This was recorded just about an hour ago. Notice the time and date. I put the writing in Earth mode so that you could read it.”

The video and audio began to play. It was a recorded video call of Romalor talking with a man seated behind a very large and, Jake could tell, expensive desk. There was part of a symbol or logo on the wall behind the desk. Although the man was seated, Jake could tell he was tall, with a dark complexion. He was about forty years old, and wore a black suit and tie with a white shirt. Again, expensive-looking. He didn’t recognize the man.

The man spoke first. “Romalor, why are you contacting me again?”

“It’s General Leximer to you, Mr. Sloan,” Romalor replied.

Jake turned toward Cal and Diane and caught their attention. They shook their heads. They didn’t recognize him either.

“All right, what is it? I haven’t much time,” Sloan replied.

Wow. Whoever he was, he was either pretty stupid or pretty powerful to talk to Romalor like that. By the sound of the conversation, it was probably the latter.

Romalor could be heard on the recorded video. “Mr. Sloan, I have captured your planet’s little band of spies. What would you like me to do with them?”

“You captured them?” Sloan shook his head. “When I told you they were coming, I said they were only there to take pictures, and all you needed to do was hide the crystal. They would find nothing and leave. If you hadn’t had the crystal out in the first place, Vernius wouldn’t have detected it, and we wouldn’t even have this problem.”

Romalor’s voice remained calm. “Mr. Sloan, I take orders from nobody. We handle intruders our own way on Craton. Now, do you have any plans for them, or shall I dispose of them in the Craton fashion?”

Sloan paused and rubbed his forehead. “Let me think for a minute.” After another pause, he spoke again. “Okay, here’s what we’ll do. I will fix the records of the two Legion soldiers here on Earth so it looks like they have been dealing in black market crystals. I’ll make it look like they were trying to sell one to you, the deal went bad, there was a fight, and you killed them. The girl got caught in the middle, and was just another casualty. I’ll fix it so that the two soldiers are wanted here on Earth and are dangerous. Legion orders will be shoot to kill if they return. But they better not return. You dispose of them, all three of them. I’ve gone to a lot of trouble the past eight years to keep all of this quiet. Don’t blow it now, Romalor. Oh, and one more thing. To help the cause, find their spacecraft and send it and one of your small hilaetite crystals back to Earth as a good faith gesture. You will be returning the Legion spacecraft and the black market crystal.”

“What small crystal?” Romalor asked.

“Romalor,” Sloan replied, “I know you better than that. Do you think for one minute that I believe that you have turned over every Craton hilaetite crystal to the Council? I know you have some stashed away. Use one.”

Romalor grinned. “I trust the value will be deducted from the weapon purchase price.”

Sloan reached up and turned off his video. The screen went blank.

Romalor turned off the video and turned toward Jake, Cal, and Diane. “Now do you believe me? Now do you see what your very own Earth thinks of you? Sloan is just one of your people working with me. I could name more, but that would be useless, since you’re about to die.”

Cal spoke. “So when you learned from this man Sloan that we were coming, you set us up with the old man in the pub?”

Romalor looked puzzled. “What old man, in what pub? I didn’t have to set you up with anyone. I knew you would get here. I expected to have to intercept you in your spacecraft. I figured you would scan things from there. But when I heard your spacecraft had landed, well, let’s just say I knew right then you would be foolish enough to find your way to the weapon and walk right up to me, all on your own. I needed no help from an old man or anyone else.”

Jake knew Romalor was telling the truth on this point, by his reaction. The old man, whoever he was, was trying to help them, or, more likely, warn them.

Who else? Who were the other names that Romalor had? He figured it wasn’t the entire government, and maybe not even more than one or two people. But whoever it was, and whoever Sloan was, had no small part in killing his uncle, and now wanted the three of them dead. How could he keep Romalor going so he could learn more? More importantly, how could he keep Romalor going until he could find an opening to escape?

Then Jake noticed it. Hanging among the other victory tokens around Romalor’s neck was the necklace he had given Uncle Ben on his fiftieth birthday. The one Romalor had taken from Ben. Jake forgot about the conspiracy. He forgot about Sloan. He forgot about escaping. He went back to that evening eight years ago. He could hear the sounds of dying soldiers. He could smell the mixture of plasma blasts, blood, and death. He could see his uncle hugging him one minute, and lying in a pool of blood the next. He stared at the necklace, growing cold once again. But this time he didn’t want to let it go. He wanted it to consume him. He wanted Romalor now more than ever.

“What is it?” Cal whispered.

Jake didn’t move, just stared at the necklace.

Romalor took a few steps toward them and spoke. “So, you see. Even your own government wants you dead.”

Nobody spoke. Jake continued to stare, his eyes squinted.

Cal and Diane both looked at Jake. “Jake,” Diane whispered.

Then Romalor caught Jake’s stare and walked to within a few feet of him. Jake watched as Romalor followed Jake’s eyes from Jake to his own chest. “Ahh, which one is it? This?” Romalor held out a necklace made of claws from a saber-toothed bear. “No,” Romalor said. He let it fall back against his chest. He followed Jake’s eyes once more. “Yes, this is it.” He picked up Ben’s necklace and Jake’s head lifted. Romalor turned it over and read, “To Uncle Ben. The best dad ever. Love, your little buddy, Jake.”

Jake felt like Romalor had just reached in and smashed his heart. He felt short of breath, almost dizzy.

Romalor paused and smiled. “Yes, now I see. It was you in the ceiling. My, what a grudge you hold. Look at you. You’re ready to explode. This wasn’t just about the crystal. You wanted to come here. You wanted to kill me. Well, Jake, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I haven’t time to drive a goliath through you myself. Although I can’t imagine it would take long. You probably fight no better than your Uncle Ben, as you call him. He was an easy kill. He did seem to have a bad leg if I recall, but he still deserved to die like the Legion pig that he was.”

Jake lunged at Romalor. This time, the guards couldn’t stop him. He saw Romalor’s throat and grabbed for it with both hands. Just before he closed his hands, he felt a solid blow to the side of his head. The pain was instant and severe. He went down holding his head. His ears rang. His vision blurred. He looked up and saw Cal. He realized that Cal had bumped the guard just enough to throw off his swing, causing him to hit Jake with the blunt side of his goliath rather than the cutting side. Then he saw Diane. She was struggling to get to him, but a guard was holding her back. It was all he could do to pull himself up to his knees. He could see the blood dripping from the side of his head to the floor, but he couldn’t feel the pain any longer. The whole side of his face was numb. He tried to talk but words wouldn’t come. Yet all he wanted was to fight Romalor, then and there. Finally, spitting a mixture of saliva and blood, he was able to talk. “Why don’t you fight me, you coward!”

“Because I’m going to give you a chance to live,” Romalor replied. “You see, here on Craton, we like to give our prisoners a chance. A chance in the Pit.”

Diane looked at Romalor. “What’s that?”

“Oh, you’ll see,” Romalor replied. “You will all see.”

Romalor turned to the guards and pointed to Jake and then to Cal. “Get him up and get these two ready for the Pit.”

“What about the girl, General?” one guard asked.

“Put her in the holding block, then bring her to me when they are ready for the Pit. I want her to watch. We’ll keep her alive. She’ll be very helpful in dealing with Vernius in the future. I understand that she’s the new ambassador from Earth. Once Earth is destroyed, I will turn my attention to Vernius. It’s a more valuable planet to me. I want to keep it intact. She will be useful in helping me do that. Vernius will be my first addition to the new Craton galactic empire.”

The guard spoke again. “But, sir, Sloan said to dispose of all three of them.”

Romalor walked up to the guard and spoke slowly and softly. “I don’t care what Sloan said. I don’t take orders from him and I don’t take orders from my subordinates.” Romalor drew his goliath quickly and stuck it in the guard’s stomach. The guard grasped the handle. He fell to the floor, his eyes wide open.

Romalor looked at the other guards. “Any of you want to question my orders?” He looked each guard in the eyes. None of them made a sound. “Then get out of here!”