Games of the Powerful

Games of the Powerful

Book One

Games of the Powerful Trilogy

WILLIAM E. SAMELA

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

GAMES OF THE POWERFUL

Book One

Games of the Powerful Trilogy

Second Edition Revised

Published by William E. Samela at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 by William E. Samela

Cover Art by Lyndsay Salbuske-Welch

[email protected]

All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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

For my longtime and cherished wife that has supported me in this first time endeavor.

Special thanks to Lindsey one of my favorite karate students for coming up with a good idea in the middle of writing this book that helped me greatly.

Forward

Welcome to my first real attempt to write a book and since I have just now completely reedited it, we should probably call it my second attempt. Frankly, I love to read books and now that I have written one and edited one, I still love to write books but the question that still needs answering is whether I am any good at it. I have been reading fantasy sword and sorcery type books since 1971 when I read Savage Tales #1 The Frost Giant’s Daughter, Robert E Howard’s Conan the Barbarian. That single comic book changed my opinion of reading. Prior to me reading the Frost Giant’s Daughter, I hated reading with every fiber of my being, much to the chagrin of my parents I should add, to a person that could not get enough of reading. I destroyed the entire Conan the Barbarian series paperbacks written by Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp in a matter of months and I still could not get enough. John Carter of Mars soon fell followed by John Norman’s Tarnsman of Gor, Lord of Rings, The Sword of Shannara you get the picture.

Thinking about all the books that I ever read I wanted to break the mold as they say in fantasy and write something different. I did not want a book that based its whole story on a quest. Ok don’t freak out I have included a couple of small quests in this book but they won’t take a trilogy to complete the darn things and certainly not the whole book either. So what is the same you ask? I figured we would go over that real quick then what I have done a little differently. Yes we have elves, trolls, orcs, humans, half humans and half elves, and dwarfs that speak a variation of Scottish (please forgife me mah Scottish friends an' relati'es fur butcherin' th' wonderful Scottish language). What I tried to do is use the Scottish language and interspersed it with English so it is understandable yet fun to read with a hated glossary at the end of the book in case. In addition, I included castles, knights, dukes, counts, all that good stuff and spies to boot. It has all that darkness vs. light stuff that we all seem to like. Oh yeah it is chock full of wizards good and bad, magic weapons, grotesque creatures on four legs, wraiths, and shades.

Ok enough of that I think you get the picture. So, what is the difference you ask? All right, I will tell you. To start Earth the year 3028, awesome cars, (yes they still have cars what’s a world without cars and fast driving) forget cell phones they have it much better. Spaceships sure enough big ones, laser cannons, fighters, shields, wormhole generators, space colonies (more of that in the second book), and space battles. The quest on Earth is cool, police detectives, FBI, CIA, dead bodies lots of dead people lying around, gun battles, and handheld rocket launchers (state of the art of course). Bad guy’s lots of them, evil creatures’ right out of fantasy into the modern world, evil possession, magic, magical weapons, and spy’s good and bad. Did I mention gadgets? Lots of cool gadgets, and disguises included. Let us get back to the cars, awesome state of the art cars that can do about anything. For you people that like to shop until you drop so to speak I even have a shopping mall heck what is world without malls.

So here, we are with a shot in the dark so to speak with my first book in hopes that you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. I am going to try my hand at some short stories directly related to this book so I hope you enjoy them as well. Thank you in advance for any kind words you may have for this book and me. Also, see at the end of this book the prolog for my new book titled Magda: Rise of Darkness.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Prologue

The wraith flitted between the buildings on a late and dreary night with no one about to take notice of his passing. This wraith does not fit the portrayals of evil wraiths described in stories to scare children into good behavior or campfire stories late at night. Many a child lay awake in their beds at night not able to go to sleep fearing the late-night shadows and listening to the eerie sounds in the night thinking about the wraiths from those stories. This wraith is much more dangerous and malevolent because it can think, rationalize, and make some decisions to fulfill the needs of its masters. Their will is what controlled it and sent it on its way to fulfill their wishes. What drew this wraith aside from others of its kind is in its subconscious it has the curiosity to wonder what it had been before this. It had a distinct feeling in its past it had been human and a very evil human indeed. Try as it may it could not remember its past. Was it male or female? What was its human name? Its curiosity is limited but still there in its subconscious.

The wraiths in the legends of old were dark shrouded evil creatures having remnants of rotten flesh hanging from their bones visible from under the rotting sections of their burial shrouds. They floated in the air making unnerving sounds and their presence brought on a frightening temperature drop making the air around it very cold. It took a powerful wizard to call them from the dead and bring them to the realm of the living, but only for a short time before they had to return to the realm of the dead. Most wizards called them forth to ask them important questions or have them forespeak of the future and some of those same wizards hearing the proclamations of dread lost their own sanity to the wiles of the wraiths.

Not this wraith, it is evil personified living in the realm of the living and it could stay here as long its masters wished or magically returned to the abyss it hails from. The wraith in all appearances magically looked like any other person out on a wet and cold night wearing a long black cloak enshrouding it with the cowl pulled over its head. If any passerby were to see it, they would not know it for what it is unless it chose to allow it. When it is self-serving, it liked to take pleasure on seeing the horror on its victim's faces, allowing them to see the unmasked evil before them. On those occasions, the wraith wondered about its nature and its purpose, and of course, the distinct pleasure it gets out of seeing the terror on its victims faces. The wraith was not sure but something deep in its awareness tried to prevent it from feeling any pleasure but for odd reasons beyond the wraiths comprehension, it could.

Darkness swirled around it, as it turned right into a deserted alley of a nameless city. The city is nameless because the wraith did not know the name of the city it now found itself nor did it care. The wraith knew one thing, to do its masters bidding it had to go where its masters required. It floated unerringly down the center of the stench-filled alley over a cesspool of waste and excrement most human beings would naturally avoid. The torches in the wall sconces sent flickering light and dancing shadows across the walls revealing the pad locked doors on either side of the alley that the wraith ignored making its way to the end of the alley.

Reaching the wall at the end of the alley, a boney hand snaked out from between the folds of its cloak. Suddenly a distinct blackness, a slowly spiraling circle of darkness the nearby torches could not penetrate with their yellowish flickering light formed in the brick wall. Passing through the blackness, the apparition disappeared from the alley returning the bricks to normal to reappear in a tunnel leading downwards into thick and impenetrable stygian blackness.

The burning torch in a wall sconce sent dancing flickering light across the walls but it ignored the torch for it needed no light to see by as it headed down the tunnel. Floating down the dank tunnel the wraith ignored the water seeping through the walls and pooling on the rough-cut stone floor. Rounding a curve in the tunnel, the miasma of fear exuding down the tunnel would have been overwhelming to anyone but the wraith; it thrived on that fear, giving it strength knowing its masters are near.

Entering a large cavern cut into the stone, the first thing it saw in the center of the cavern is an altar made of obsidian and its masters standing behind it. Torches in wall sconces lined the room shedding an eerie light around an already macabre scene. In front of the altar are rows of benches forming a half circle with a center isle leading from the tunnel. The wrath floated down the center aisle toward the altar, noticing in a detached manner a nearly naked young woman chained there.

She is perhaps seventeen summers wearing a thin see through white silk long sleeve gown cut low at the bosom and long at the legs. The beautiful gown would be such a thing as she might have worn to her wedding bed because its sheerness would have enticed her newly betrothed with her obvious beauty. Securely chained to the altar with heavy manacles, her arms pulled downwards along the sides of her body and similar chains holding her legs wide apart, she struggled to no avail to free herself. Besides the chains and manacles, a thin steel band around her head secured her tightly to the altar preventing her from moving her head or neck with another steel band across her stomach making it impossible for her to move her body leaving only her terror-filled eyes the ability to look around the torch lit cavern. With bloody ankles and wrists from the manacles, her danced frantically in stark terror knowing there was no escape.

Three human acolytes dressed in dark robes with cowls over their heads are standing in a half circle to one side and at the head of the altar. One held a gleaming gold encrusted dagger in his right hand and a gold chalice in the other, while the other two acolytes each held like chalices. Watching the macabre tableau unfolding before it the wraith did not know why it enjoyed seeing the cold-blooded fear etching the girls face.

Gasping for breath in fear, the girl watched with terror-filled eyes as the acolyte with the dagger slowly moved closer to her quickly slashing her throat. The blood flowed into the specially formed depression in the obsidian and from there it flowed down a channel in the altar to drip in the waiting cups the acolytes are holding to catch the blood. The girl tried repeatedly to scream but no sound came from her open mouth disappointing the wraith and again it wondered why this was so.

Her heart beating frantically, the girl’s blood continued flowing rapidly into the waiting cups, her eyes gently closing as she lost strength from the extreme blood loss. The wraith somehow knew she would be dead in a few moments and reveled at the thought of her dying so gruesomely. The acolytes continued to switch the cups in front of the dripping blood when suddenly, the girl's eyes sprang open, and her chest heaved taking her last breathe. Her body settled back and did not move; her once beautiful face now looked haggard and sunken, her vacant eyes staring up at the ceiling with her mouth open in a soundless scream. The wraith is euphoric from the grisly death it had witnessed.

The three human acolytes turned toward their masters, bowing at the waist in unison extending their arms forward holding the gold chalices in each of their hands. Each of the masters reached with a clawed hand taking a cup and with the other savagely slashing the necks of the acolytes. Their claws ripped through the heavy cloth of the robes they wore spraying blood high into the air to fall on the girl’s body. When the acolytes fell to the floor their bodies in paroxysm of death the wraith convulsed in ecstasy seeing their deaths in such a dramatic fashion.

Once, the creatures finished drinking her blood they dropped the chalices with a resounding clatter on the cavern floor and faced the wraith blood dripping from their mouths. Their sharp-toothed mouths uttered no sound but the wraith heard their every word. Wraith you have been summoned before us, we have a task for you! The blood of the human girl was a life sustaining nectar but not enough to let us stay in this realm much longer. A time will come when we will call this realm ours. Heed our words wraith we have little time left! You must find the one who is coming and the one who is here and eradicate them from this realm. Kill whomever you find with them but make sure they die! Do not fail us wraith or you will wish you were back in the dark abyss you came from! The wraiths masters sent it images of its quarry, as it wondered why it is so concerned about the threat. Within, its minimal thought process the wraith thought it might like it better here than the abyss. At least in this world, it had more than enough victims to slack its bloodlust.

Appearing suddenly, a cone shaped spiraling mass of darkness with its edges moving inward beckoned to its masters. Watching its master's walk into it and disappearing as the circle spiraled into itself, it wondered why it took pleasure in killing humans. Returning the way it came with one thought to find a victim that would nourish it and a few more for it to take pleasure in the killing it felt almost giddy, a unique human trait. The wraith knew it would not be the last time it wondered why it felt the need to kill for pleasure.

Chapter 1

December 7, 3028

Mitch barely avoided another kiri-age as the flashing steel of his opponents katana passed from his lower left, and up past his shoulder narrowly missing his lower left side, stomach and chest. Adjusting quickly, he pressed his opponent with some spectacular sword work moving quickly with a kesa-giri cutting technique the razor-sharp katana slashed diagonally from the left then from the right downward followed by a yoko-giri horizontally from his left to his right that would have cut his opponent in two if he had made contact. Seeming to read his mind, his opponent back flipped at the last second, landing in a crouch ready to attack or defend.

Breathing hard from the exertion each decided they had enough training for one day so with a look on their faces that each of them knew so well they decided to stand down. The spectators up on the viewing platform above the training area were disappointed that the match was ending in a draw with friendly arguing going on trying to decide who won the match. They had been betting and cheering on each of their champions for nearly one-hour adding to the growing excitement. During the duration of the match, the excitement had been palpable and with an abrupt end of the match, it magnified the disappointment. On a positive note, no one lost any money, and with large wagers it could have meant that some would have lost their entire months pay. Betting aside, they never seemed fail to entertain their audience so overall the match pleased the crowd of onlookers.

From their ancestors time their family has been renowned for its martial arts skills and prowess with every weapon known to man. As children they studied Shotokan Karate the art of empty hand fighting, Toyama-Ryu Batto Jutsu the art of swordsmanship, Kyudo way of the bow and Tantojutsu Japanese knife fighting. Rounding out each of their martial skills, they learned how to fire every type of firearm including the older lead cartridge type to the new plasma guns that use high-energy ionized gas and mounted directed energy weapons such as lasers. Standard issue military weapons are still the lead projectile weapons that use the new exploding projectiles.

Watching his opponent sheathe their sword with a flourish sharp edge up in the traditional Japanese form, Mitch sheathed his sword at the same time walking toward his opponent bowing. When they returned to a formal upright position the tension of combat magically disappeared. You owe me a new training shirt, Mitch jokingly told his opponent. Mitch towered over his opponent standing nearly six foot three inches tall with broad shoulders and strong arms to match. His piercing blue eyes, strong jaw line and dark-brown colored hair added to his attractiveness that had many women competing for his attentions.

His opponent stood five foot three inches tall slim and whipcord strong allowing her to move with a feline grace and strike with the speed of a snake. Where Mitch is handsome, Danielle is beautiful or stunning might describe her better. She looked at Mitch with her blue eyes filled with pleasure where moments ago in stark contrast they brimmed with fierce determination from the competition between them. Her long blond hair braided tightly, hanging below the middle of her back contrasted with the black skintight training suit that did nothing to hide her shapely curves and lithe body but fully emphasized all her physical features.

You're fortunate that I did not move my blade an inch closer or you would be heading to sickbay, she laughed.

Yeah ok, next time I will be sure slap you on your butt with the flat of my blade when I have the chance to, he laughed.

You will never get that chance! I learn from my mistakes, she smirked playfully punching him on the shoulder with her fist. Danielle loved her brother very much; he was all she had after their parents died in a freak accident in space. She and her brother were overwhelmed with grief at the loss that brought them closer. Sometimes, she could see hiding just barely below the surface the grief in her brother’s eyes seemly ready to boil over at a moment's notice. Instantly, her heart would go out to him because many times she felt the same, both knowing they were fortunate to have each other during those times of grief made the pain at the loss easier to manage.

Come on Danielle we need to get cleaned up so we can meet Ethan in the officer’s mess. Oh, wait I should say the newly promoted Lieutenant Commander Ethan Thompson. By any chance are you still infatuated with Mr. Thompson? Laughing under his breath knowing he was about to get into trouble he led his sister toward the training room exit. The automatic door in front of them opened quickly allowing them to exit to left into the corridor beyond. Walking down the corridor with her next to him, Mitch could not stop from provoking his sister further. You know I don’t know whether I approve of Mr. Thompson and with dad not around I think I should have some say about the men you associate with. Danielle did not waste a second before punching him smartly in the ribs causing him to wince in pain. Putting her arm around his waist, they continued down the corridor laughing very happy to be with each other. The corridor became extremely active with people rushing to perform their duties with many hurriedly half saluting them voicing their apologies as they raced down the steel corridor.

The CVNS USS Intrepid named for the famed World War II aircraft carrier CV USS Intrepid is a city in itself. In the two years spent stationed on the Intrepid, they had never met the entire crew on board or seen the entire ship. The ship is impressive beyond measure with a length of 4,780 feet with a beam of 1110 feet. The Intrepid carried 200 F-219 Gladiator fighters armed with laser mounted cannons and nuclear warhead missiles. Other fixed wing craft included 50 multipurpose fighter-bombers the F/A-212 equipped with computer or manually operated laser mounted cannons for defense and two nuclear tipped ship busting laser guided missiles. Standard armor and electronic shields protect each type of fighter and both are combat ready in space and atmosphere. To safeguard the hanger bays they are positioned at strategic locations around the Intrepid protecting them from being destroyed in any single attack.

Stopping at their staterooms, they quickly freshened up and changed into their off-duty military dress. Meeting in the corridor, they found it crowded with sailors and marines of all ranks with countless types of uniforms and colors forming a sea of color that clashed with the dull gray color of the deck ceiling and walls. Moving through the crowd, they hurried down the long corridor finally reaching the mess hall only to wait in a long line. Ethan was waiting for them as planned so when they finally reached the mess hall entrance Danielle enthusiastically called out to him in greeting when she saw him waiting there for them.

Ethan is not a big man by any stretch of the means but he conveys strong inner confidence in his mannerisms that it is apparent to all that meet him. Some feel it makes him extremely overconfident and that overconfidence will get him or others killed because of it. Danielle likes his natural confidence and the way he carries himself in public it is the same confidence that he has around women. She likes a man who is sure of himself. His dark hair and eyes with their ever-present spark of mischief in them, always smiling face and good humor adds to his desirability.

Hi, Danielle, Ethan replied as enthusiastically. Staring into each other's eyes like two schoolchildren, Mitch had to clear his throat finally getting their attention as the crowd of sailors and marines had to move around them to get to a table. Suddenly, realizing they were blocking the entrance they quickly moved out of the way of the entrance to the mess hall with apologetic and embarrassed expressions on their faces.

Sorry sir, Ethan exclaimed saluting Mitch. Ethan looked sharp in his green flight suit with his new rank insignia stitched on his shoulders, nametag, and warfare insignia were on his left breast pocket. All three were dressed similar in their navy working uniforms from the command ball caps on their heads to the black laced boots on their feet.

At ease Lieutenant Commander, Mitch said returning the salute. Let’s go find a seat so we can get something to eat I am starved." Laughing to himself, he let them lead the way to their table.

~~~~

Fleet Admiral Hunter Jamison III stood on the bridge of the CVNS USS Intrepid one of the finest state of the art fighting vessels in known existence. With its wings of fighters and fighter-bombers, manually aimed and computer controlled laser batteries, newest electronic sensors and shielding, heavy reinforced steel armor, ship-busting missiles with nuclear warheads none of which did anything to ease the dread that has been plaguing him since his fleet entered this sector of space. Not even the enjoyment he always feels when standing on the bridge seeing space in its majestic splendor from the panoramic bridge viewport eased the tension. The distant sun of this solar system burned bright causing a glare that the panoramic viewport self-adjusted for allowing a beautiful clear view of the surrounding planets and distant stars.

Anything on the long-range sensors, he said to no one individual but expecting a prompt reply.

The sensors show no ships signatures sir, a female officer replied. Chief Petty Officer Patricia Lyndhurst sat at one of the sensor stations dressed in the navy’s service khaki uniform a khaki button-up shirt and trousers, worn with a gold belt buckle. The shirt features two front flap pockets and a pointed collar with the ribbons worn above the left pocket of the shirt, with the warfare insignia above them. The navy is filled with tradition and all bridge personnel wear this uniform while on duty.

Something is not right he could feel it nagging at his bones. His fleet consisted of the Intrepid, the CAS USS Indianapolis Cruiser, DDS USS Fletcher Destroyer and support vehicles. Even with all of this support and firepower, a sense of urgency is telling him it is not enough that their deaths awaited them in this newly discovered solar system. The solar system suddenly went silent with no communication from the exploration fleet stationed off planet. The system went silent when the man-made wormhole generators that allow quick travel between solar systems quit sending operational and communication signals.

The man-made interstellar wormhole generators had two purposes one to transport fleets long distances in a short time and to send light speed messages through them quickly. The navy also uses them to move ships through large solar systems saving time traveling from one planet to another in a given solar system. After years of research and many failed tests, they tried a new design prototype that had greater promise of working but some said would never work. The naysayers were in an uproar about the cost of the experiment demanding the resources go to various pet projects.

Authorization to run the test passed after many arguments, wrangling, and long-term promises brought enough people onboard to approve the tests. The scientists opened a wormhole in Earth’s solar system thinking it would take them close to mars. When the scientists sent a wormhole generator through the newly opened wormhole they were pleased to find it had worked but not as they thought it would. When the wormhole generator on the other end made it through signaling it is operational sequence codes, no one had ever dreamed it would open a wormhole in a different solar system. After many years of research and study they learned how to control the wormholes making them more stable allowing them to stay open long enough to move people and machines through them. They perfected the ability to send several wormhole generators to any system once they attained the coordinates from the first wormhole generator. To return to this system they simply sent another wormhole generator to these coordinates and the system is accessible again.

Sir, sensors indicate inordinate amounts space wreckage. It could be the research vessels we were sent to locate.

Lieutenant Commander Johnson, order the fleet to power up shields and close all outer blast doors excluding the hanger bays.

Lieutenant Commander Johnson is a big man with dark skin and coal black eyes with the physique of a wrestler. "Aye sir, he quickly responded.

The sense of impending doom and fear suddenly slammed full force into the admiral nearly overwhelming him, never in his life had he experienced anything like this. Sound battle stations! Scramble all fighters. Sensors at maximum range do it now! The chorus of aye sirs after the direct orders rang throughout the bridge. Anything on the sensors, yelled Admiral Jamison. His uncommon behavior and knowing the sensor readouts were registering space debris and not much else added to his anxiety. Increase visual now! None of his previous training would prepare him for what he saw next. Staring out of the panoramic bridge viewport in utter amazement, Admiral Jamison was not prepared for what he saw before him in space. Can anyone tell me what those ships are doing out here in space? he asked of no one in particular.

~~~~

When the alarm klaxon went off those in the mess hall began an orderly exodus to reach their battle stations. Most were irritated that their meal was so rudely interrupted thinking it is another drill. When the shipboard laser cannons began firing and the ship started taking hits they quickly went from irritation at the loss of their meal and free time to consternation and fear. Trembling from the continual laser cannon fire and the attacks made against it the ships emergency computer information system began blaring damage reports as explosions rocked the ship.

Mitch did you hear that? Hanger bay Delta 10 is destroyed and the blast doors are closed we can’t get to our fighters, Danielle yelled running alongside Mitch and Ethan.

Suddenly, a blast of blackness tore through the corridor in front of them shredding metal and killing dozens of people. The blast doors slammed closed cutting them off from the horrible view of the death and destruction ensuing in the corridor before them. Follow me, Mitch yelled. Picking himself off the floor, he ran down a side corridor. The ship is dying he could feel it and he knew on his heart he would avenge her or die trying.

Where are we going Mitch? Do you have a plan? Ethan asked while running alongside him down the deserted corridor.

We are heading to Delta 15 if it is still there. We are going to take a 212 for a spin and see whether we can take it to whoever is attacking us.

Mitch your nuts you never flown one before, Danielle exclaimed.

How hard can it be Danielle?

Hard enough that you can get us killed!

It is certainly better than staying here and dying, Ethan yelled.

Another nearby explosion suddenly slammed them to the floor. Helping each other up, they ran into hanger bay Delta 15. Fortunately, the hanger bay shields were still functioning and the blast doors were still open. All the F/A-212 fighter-bombers had cleared the hanger except one. They stopped as one and stared out in space at a site that froze them to their bones.

~~~~

Time stood still for Fleet Admiral Hunter as he looked around the bridge at his crew consisting of fifty men and woman all officers, all battle hardened sailors at their tiered battle stations. They sat in front of sensor equipment, fire-control systems, and communication stations, all of them in a half circle facing the panoramic viewport. Some had their mouths hanging open in disbelief; others looked on with intense fear etching their faces. Still, others stared not comprehending the magnitude of the horror before their eyes. He could feel the fear inside him, hating that feeling making him more determined he would not die this day a coward. Grabbing the fear burning inside him, he gradually turned it into resolution and determination. Only seconds had passed, but it felt more like an eternity when he regained his battle-hardened composure and his mind returned to the reality of their impending doom. In all his years in space, he has never seen anything of this magnitude, even when an alien race backtracked through the wormhole generators to the Earth’s solar system and a terrible space battle ensued to protect Earth from invasion.

Visuals were streaming into the computer system unabated. Fire-control teams set all guns to manual and use visuals to hit your targets. Launch all missiles to proximity detonate, Hunter said now firmly back in control.

Missiles away sir, contact in twenty-seconds, Chief Petty Officer Lyndhurst calmly advised. Pausing in contemplation she continued, Sir, sensors are showing an unidentifiable shield in front of the enemy! It is like nothing I have ever seen. Nothing is getting passed it our laser cannons are not having any affect and we are taking hits from their weapons!

To the bridge crew, it felt like an eternity passed before the missiles reached the strange shield protecting the enemy fleet and exploded. The explosion lit space with a blinding light that the panoramic viewport quickly adjusted for protecting the entire bridge crew from temporary blindness from the super nova like flash. In seconds, the view of space returned to normal and with it the cold realization that the enemies strange shield held. Striking back with intensity far greater than before thousands of beams of unnatural blackness ripped through space toward the fleet slamming into shields some ripping into the armored hulls of the ships. The Intrepid shuddered on impact with damage assessment screens lit all over the bridge. Admiral Hunter knew one more attack of that intensity and they were finished.

Hanger bay Delta 10 has been destroyed none of the fighters from that squadron made it out sir. All but one of the 212’s from Hanger bay Delta 10 got out sir and are engaging the enemy. Hangers Omega 29, 33 and 39 are clear and all fighters are engaging the enemy sir. Hunter looked at the new officer newly billeted on the Intrepid. He felt ashamed that he did not know the officers name. The fleet is in deaths throws, two-hundred fixed wing craft against a thousand of those alien vessels and our weapons do not seem to have any effect on them how can we stop them he questioned himself as another barrage struck the Intrepid. Suddenly, the bridge of the Intrepid is incinerated in a ball off flame his last thought thinking only of saving his crew.

~~~~

Get to the 212! Mitch yelled running toward the fighter-bomber. Followed closely by Ethan and Danielle they flew into the already opened hatch of the 212. Mitch dived into the pilots seat followed by Ethan in the copilots seat then Danielle in the fire-control navigation seat. Mitch fired up the twin nuclear powered Rolls-Royce jet engines taxiing the 212 toward the runway shutting off the hanger shield. Not waiting for any preflight checks Mitch pushed the throttle forward full power and blasted out of the hanger bay the shield returning to full power the instant they cleared.

"Fire Control computer won’t lock on any targets Mitch!

Go manual use your visual Danielle.

Mitch heads-up debris everywhere, the fleet is done for!

I think you are right Ethan. Danielle how is the targeting going? I cannot keep dodging those blasts of blackness coming from those ships forever. They seem to blot out the stars; it is the only way I can see them!

They're not having any effect on them! I know I hit one dead broadside with no apparent damage.

Mitch flew with extraordinary ability and control of the 212 as if it could fly like the F-219 Gladiator dodging blasts of darkness, debris, all the while watching his fellow pilots die. Never in his short life could he fly like this. Seeing the fighters blowing up made him think of back home on Earth the way hundreds of fireflies would wink out at night. Suddenly, he jerked the 212 hard left to avoid a slashing flash of darkness bringing him around facing the Intrepid in time to see a concerted attack by the enemy their beams of darkness slashing through space directly at her. In an instant, she exploded into a massive ball of flame. Mitch jerked the controls hard right and down to avoid the explosion and the debris that would follow the 212 screaming at the mistreatment. Smaller faster moving pieces struck the 212 but the shields held. Quickly looking back at his sister, he saw tears running down her face, but he could not afford to grieve while keeping them alive.

Mitch what are we going to do? You can’t hold them off much longer, the fleets gone, Ethan said saying the obvious.

In instant something changed inside Mitch, he imagined he could feel the 212 around him and sense the adrenalin pumped heartbeats of his companions. Reaching out farther, he could sense the whereabouts of the alien ships, when and where they were going to use their blasts of darkness. Then he found something else he saw in his imagination a vast circle of light with spiraling bands of gold, orange and red all spiraling inward like a funnel. He is not sure whether he imagined it or the image suddenly appeared in his mind but somehow he knew the circle of light is their only hope to escape this onslaught.

Danielle set the two warheads to proximity detonation and to release them on my mark. Mitch jerked the 212 hard left then hard right and down trying desperately to avoid a blast of darkness and more floating wreckage. Burning wreckage slammed into the side of the 212 causing some systems in the cabin to short out. Suddenly, their escape appeared right in front of them as vast circle of light. Mitch increased the speed of the 212 way beyond the normal operating parameters.

Mitch what is that? Danielle looked away from the fire-control panel to stare openmouthed at the bright spiraling circle of light.

Our only hope of escape that's what it is, Danielle on my mark! Mitch began counting down from five to one. When Mitch yelled her name, it brought her back to the grim reality that they faced preparing to unleash a fiery inferno in their little corner of space. Placing her hand on a holograph control panel an image of the warheads floated above her hand. Checking the systems holographic readouts making sure they were armed, she released them on Mitch’s mark.

The seconds passed as Mitch guided the 212 toward the spiraling circle of light. The sudden blast and the accompanying shock wave drove the beleaguered craft directly into the center of the circle of light. Instantly, the onboard systems started shorting and all control of the 212 was instantly lost. The off-line battery operated emergency systems came on controlling the pressurization in the cabin, oxygen and gravity. They hurtled through the light at a dizzying speed the intense vertigo causing all three to lose consciousness.

~~~~

Celedryl walked carefully down a narrow mountain trail sometimes only a few feet wide with a treacherous fall on her left side to the valley floor far below. On her right side, the slate gray granite of the mountain impeded her view. She stopped to look far beyond the valley to the surrounding mountains. Every time she came this way, she would stop and admire the beauty of a valley she has come love very much. She let her gaze slowly drift across the valley to the mountains beyond covered in green lichen and mountain grass growing haphazardly on ledges and across the face of the granite peaks. This caused a sharp contrast between the green color and the slate gray of the mountain range but added to the beauty of it. Looking left toward the opposite end of the valley toward Mount Gaea she gazed upon its natural beauty. Legend says that the mountain is the home of the fairy and its name means goddess in the old language. A massive waterfall about halfway down the side of the mountain branches into three waterfalls feeding the valley below. During spring, the water from the snowmelt flooded the valley bringing fertile sediment into it enriching the soil in the process.

She continued warily down the trail toward the valley floor being careful not to fall to her death. Celedryl is a tall girl as is most men and woman of her clan. Where most had blond hair and blue eyes, she had dark hair and brown eyes sparkling with the love of life. This dissimilarity hinted of mixed blood but no one had the heart to ask any questions or bring it up. Her long dark hair cascaded of over her leather pullover long sleeve shirt in ringlets and waves almost to her waist. Covering her long shapely legs her leather pants fit perfectly accenting her slim waist wrapped with a brown leather belt and brass buckle. Hanging from the belt a foot long hunting knife sheathed in leather with a solid white bone handle and brass guard gave her an appearance of an accomplished feline huntress. On her back, she had a small pack and a leather quiver filled with arrows for the bow she carried in her left hand. The soft fur lined leather mountain boots on her feet although comfortable are sturdy enough to protect her feet in the harshest of environments.

When she reached the end of the trail leading into the valley, she stopped letting her gaze drift across the valley floor. The valley looked so much different to her now that she is on the valley floor instead of up on the side of the mountain. The length of the valley is roughly two leagues with the distance across about a league. Everywhere she could see the late fall flowers were still in bloom, honey bees frantically buzzing around them, and small mountain blue birds picking up dead grass to make their winter nests in the cracks and