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  From downstairs came the familiar reply, "Yes, Mama."

  Jo allowed herself to be led away. "I don't believe this," she said under her breath.

  In the conference room aboard the Lexington, Dickson and the King were discussing topics besides Levid for a few moments when Lieutenant Hadaie entered and waited for a break in the conversation. After only a moment the Captain looked toward him and nodded.

  "We are ready to place your call Your Majesty,” Hadaie said.

  King Raterc could only stare in wonder. Since returning to the Lexington, Hadaie had removed the makeup that made him look more human. Now his natural color, he definitely was different from anything the King had ever seen. Dickson noticed the look on his face and suppressed a laugh. The King finally broke out of his trance and asked, "Before we do, may I ask where you are from, sir? You do not look quite like these other people."

  Hadaie stared blankly at the King. "Your perceptions are correct. I am not like anyone you will encounter."

  "Lieutenant Hadaie is somewhat unique," the captain said.

  Hadaie nodded and sat in a chair next to the king. I am an Angelan. My people joined the Alliance seventy years ago, although except for me, they remained on my home planet. When the Alliance began visiting us, I befriended some of the people of Earth. I was captivated by the complex nature of humans, their thought processes, their emotions.”

  “You see, the Angelans valued intellect above all else. Their ability to quickly analyze a situation and develop a favorable outcome is legendary. Mr. Hadaie actually thinks about ten times faster than anyone aboard this ship,” said Dickson.

  “So I decided to make humans a lifelong study, while also adopting their quest for both knowledge of other beings and desire to help others. It has been quite rewarding for me,” Hadaie said.

  “I met the Lieutenant when he was finishing his second degree on Earth. There is one thing he has omitted, however. When he said you would not encounter anyone like him, he was being quite literal. You see, after he came to Earth to get his degree, his planet was struck by a very large asteroid – basically a giant rock in space. It destroyed his planet and everyone living there. One of the things our Lieutenant is also doing is searching the universe for any others of his planet. He is one of my most dedicated officers,” Dickson said while smiling at Hadaie.

  The King slowly began to shake his head. "There is so much for us to learn," he said to no one in particular. "Thank you, sir. I was very curious. One day, I hope you will tell me more about your home. I hope I did not offend you."

  "Not at all sir. It is my pleasure to satisfy your curiosity."

  Dickson got them back to the subject at hand. "If you are ready now, we will make that call."

  Raterc nodded, "Yes, please."

  "Lieutenant, will you do the honors?"

  Inside the office of the President of Oreupe it was the middle of the day. The sun shined brightly through the windows onto the desk. The President Rapheli was sitting there with delegates from a small nation in the Southern Hemisphere. Between the skirmishes along the borders, a problem with the education system, and having to deal with this small nation's problems, his day had been one headache after another. The man talking wasn't helping any.

  "I appreciate your candor Excellency. However...."

  The phone suddenly rang by his side. Even this interruption was welcomed. The President continued talking with his guests for a moment, then picked up the phone.

  "Please excuse me," he said to his guests while picking up the receiver. "I wish you would not disturb me..."

  "San! It is me," the King said on the other end of the line. "We need to talk."

  Rapheli looked at his guests and smiled. "Yes. I understand," he said cryptically.

  "You are not alone then," the King said.

  "That is correct."

  "Can you get rid of them? It is very important," he said.

  The President so wanted to talk to his old friend, and he knew the King would not get in touch unless it was truly important. It was an easy decision to make.

  "One moment," the President said in the phone. He then turned to the others. "Gentlemen, please forgive me, but something has come up that is most urgent. Excellency, I appreciate your stand and will think your proposition over. Please excuse me for having to cut our meeting a little short."

  The Ambassador smiled and stood along with his party. "Not at all, Mister President. I will return to my embassy and await your decision. Thank you for seeing us on such short notice."

  President Rapheli stood and shook hands with the others. "I appreciate your efforts. Thank you again," he said. The President walked with them to the door and turned back into the room. He motioned for his orderly. "You leave too. Please tell my secretary that I am not to be disturbed until I call her."

  He quickly returned to his desk and picked up the phone. "Adan! You old goat! We do not talk enough."

  The King spoke with glee on the other end of the phone. "It has been too long since we shared a glass of forneau together. Is everyone gone? It's most important."

  "Yes. I am quite alone."

  Inside the conference room on the Lexington, the King was anxiously waiting to spring his surprise on his friend.

  "Good. Now hold your breath." He then nodded to the Captain.

  "Begin streaming," Dickson ordered. In a moment, President Rapheli appeared in the conference room beside them, the receiver still in his hand. He suddenly looked around, dropped the receiver and stood back in surprise at his new surroundings.

  "MY GOD! What has happened?" he yelled out loud.

  King Raterc began laughing behind him and the President turned to see his old friend and two others standing together.

  "Be at ease my friend. We are in no harm," Raterc said approaching his friend and clasping him by the shoulders.

  The President suddenly let go his fears and embraced his friend warmly. "Adan! Have we been kidnapped?" he asked.

  “No San. This is part of a secret I have kept even from you,” he said. The King then introduced his new friends. "This is Captain Fred Dickson of the ship we are in and his assistant Lieutenant Hadaie."

  Rapheli extended his hand. If these were the King's friends, he had nothing to fear. "A pleasure," he said.

  Raterc then ushered his friend forward. "Now step here to see the rest of the surprise."

  When they reached the window President Rapheli took in a slow breath of air. Again the view of their planet inspired. Even the King took pleasure in seeing it again.

  Rapheli turned to his friend and calmly asked, “What is this?"

  Dickson approached and said, "Mister President, you are aboard the Earth Space Cruiser Lexington, in orbit above your planet. We are here on a visit representing our home planet, Earth, and our planetary alliance. We normally would not reveal ourselves to you but these are some unique circumstances and I believe it is in our best interests to bring you here."

  "You mean the coming war," the President said.

  "Partially, but there is more," Dickson said.

  "We are being used San," the King said. "These people came to us first over 100 years ago. They visited my grandfather and upon leaving, swore our family to secrecy. When they returned just one day ago, they found this in orbit of our planet." He turned to Hadaie. "Lieutenant."

  Hadaie energized the viewscreen and the Amad Por appeared.

  Raterc continued. "I am convinced that this ship and its leader, a man named Levid, are responsible for what has been happening to us. I truly believe he means to force us to destroy ourselves and our planet."

  Rapheli looked at him skeptically. "How can you tell?"

  "Look. There goes one of his smaller ships now," the King said. "They contain atomic bombs that he is adding to our arsenals. Through some of our people, he will start this war."

  "Our people? Do we know who they are?" Rapheli asked in astonishment.

  "Not yet," Dickson said. "We are looking at the comm
unications between Levid's ship and individuals on the planet's surface. I hope to have answers for you shortly."

  Rapheli looked at Dickson. He was quick to grasp the technology and the surroundings. "From what I see here, why don't you simply destroy this ship and end all this."

  Raterc turned to his friend. It was nice to see that they both thought the same way. "I believe they could my friend. But this is our fight. These are people of peace and they know we will be better off if we take care of our own business."

  Rapheli looked at his friend and smiled as he let out a sigh. "Adan, if it were anyone but you, I would not believe all this."

  "That is why you were the only one I could trust, San."

  The President thought a moment. "What shall we do?"

  The King had already thought this one out. "First, we must get you back to your office so that no one suspects. Captain, do you have any communications devices we can use to make our plans? We cannot trust our own systems."

  Dickson thought a moment. "I believe we can give you some portable devices, as long as it's understood that they must be returned. You and your people have already suffered from technology before its time. I don't wish you to suffer further."

  Raterc grinned. "I understand," he said. "It is a promise."

  They were interrupted by the bridge watch officer. "Bridge to Captain Dickson."

  "Yes, what is it?"

  "Sir, some of our landing parties have been raided. We have casualties coming aboard."

  Dickson reacted immediately. "Alert all medical teams and start bringing all our people up. I'll be there shortly. Dickson out." He looked at the others. "It seems Levid is spreading his reign of terror."

  "Then we must move quickly. Please let us know as soon as you can about who is cooperating with this Levid. San, I will call you this afternoon and we can start making plans."

  "One more thing," Dickson said, “Mister President, I ask that you also keep the same secret of your friend for now. When this is all over, we can decide together how you will use this knowledge."

  This had all been a bit much for the President, but Rapheli nodded in agreement. "As important as it has been to my friend, I will gladly comply with your request."

  Rapheli placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Good. Now let's get us back to the planet. There is much to do."

  Chapter 9

  Bonds

  Inside Rokka's small cottage the evening meal was over and Jo and Shala were finishing the dishes. Rokka came from the yard stepping through the screened door into the light. He sat wearily in a chair by the table.

  "I got the animals back in the pin. They had knocked a board loose on the low side. It's fixed," he said with a tired voice.

  Shala finished washing the last cup and handed it to Jo. "Good, Papa." Then she watched Jo dry the cup and place it in the cabinet. Anyone could tell it had been a long and hard day for the young girl. "You look tired dear. Why don't you rest," Shala said.

  Jo smiled weakly. "Thanks. Do you both work this hard every day?"

  Rokka shrugged his shoulders. "It is normal work. You must not be used to this."

  "I'm a student, so most of my time is spent with studies and friends. Besides, where I'm from we don't have to do much manual labor."

  Shala looked at her and put her hands on her hips. "It will make you soft. Work is good for you."

  Jo gave a knowing smile while she rubbed her aching arms. "I'll let you know in the morning. I don't think I have used some of these muscles in years. What do you usually do in the evenings?" Jo asked.

  Rokka looked up. "We read, sometimes just talk. Maybe take a walk in the cool of the night," he said looking at Shala and giving a wink.

  Jo looked at them with surprise. She had heard the briefing of the planet's capabilities. "No entertainment like radio or television?" she asked.

  "No, we cannot pick up anything," Shala said.

  "You see, we are prisoners just as you are," Rokka said. "Brana made us stay here when our youngest son made protests while he was in school. He was sent to prison, we were sent here."

  "Why didn't he send you to prison too?" Jo asked.

  "Well, you see, I am very well known in this country. I was one of the leading sail masters in my time and invented better ways to harness the wind for ships. I was also responsible for producing some of the first hybrid seeds for agriculture and was made head of a department at the university to continue my studies. Then there was my work on internal combustion engines and air-cooled engines that helped produce more efficient machinery....

  Shala threw back her eyes and scolded him. "Papa. No bragging now."

  Rokka stopped and smiled at her. "Well, let's just say I was ahead of my time. Brana could not just put me in prison or kill us out right. This was our summer home - a place to get away. Brana placed us here and told the world that I was retiring. Then he placed this device on the island, which doesn't allow us to receive anything. I even tried to produce a makeshift transmitter to contact others and it never worked," he said.

  "But you have electricity."

  "Oh yes. There is a power line from the shore to this house." Rokka grunted. "He even turns that off on occasion to let us know he's in charge. What he doesn't know is that I also have a generator to make my own electricity," he said more quietly and with a twinkle in his eye.

  Jo could see he took great delight in outsmarting Brana. "What about fuel?" she asked.

  Rokka smiled again. "Long ago we put a very large tank for gasoline under the barn. I could run the generator for five years and never run out."

  "And he's never found it?"

  Shala scoffed this time. "He's too lazy to look. We let him think we are destitute. He leaves us alone."

  Jo nodded. These were pretty smart people. "What about the rest of your children?"

  "Our eldest son is in Nacerium. We haven't been able to speak with him in 10 years. Our daughter was lost to a strange disease that first caused her not to walk, and then not to breathe. We did what we could, but there is no cure," Rokka said. The sadness had shown on his face at the mention of his daughter. He had held it back well, but the added wetness of his eyes spoke volumes.

  Shala spoke up in a wistful mood. "Our fondest memories are in this house, with our family together. Playing music and telling stories."

  "Do you all play music?" Jo asked, surprised.

  Rokka laughed. "Us? Heavens no. My hands are like old tree stumps. It was our children that played. The music room is in there. We don't go in much anymore," he said motioning to a side room of the parlor.

  "May I?"

  Shala looked at the young woman. "Certainly. Come on."

  She took Jo by the arm and led her to the room. Once inside, the lights were turned on to reveal a room well-kept and polished. There was an instrument that looked amazingly like an in-wall piano on one side. Two stringed instruments were lying on top of the seat. They were a figure eight in their appearance with a shirt neck, but the bows next to them gave evidence that they were similar to violins. There were several comfortable chairs around the small room and music stacked in the shelves.

  "Do you play, dear?" Shala asked.

  Jo reached over and picked up one of the violin type instruments.

  "Yes I do. Do you mind?"

  "Of course not," Shala said smiling. "It would be nice to have music in the house again."

  Jo picked up the instrument and began tuning the strings. She rosined the bow and pulled it against the strings making her final adjustments. Shala sat in one of the chairs while Rokka stood at the door. When she was ready, Jo began to play one of her favorite violin pieces, John Williams' theme to Schindler's List. Her hands skillfully moved along the strings and drew the notes from the instrument, sending waves of soulful music through the room. The look on her face became peaceful as she went deeper into the music. Although the sound from these instruments was not quite the same, to Jo it was more than enough. Her recent pain and emotions flowed
from the strings and enveloped Shala and Rokka. Both sat speechless. They had never heard music like this before, so beautiful and so full of feeling. During particularly stirring passages, both Rokka and Shala moaned in awe and clasped their hands to their chest. They could feel Jo's feelings and her music deep within them and they responded like all others they knew by voicing their response audibly, not in words, but emotional sounds.

  Slowly, Jo came to the end of the piece, the last note hanging in the air as she lifted her bow. There were tears in Shala's eyes and even Rokka was standing with tears of his own.

  "That is most beautiful," Shala exclaimed. "I don't think I have ever heard such music. Have you, Papa?"

  "Never. It brings tears to the eyes. Please. Play more."

  To Jo, they had just paid her the ultimate compliment. Then she thought that their troubles were enough and that a merrier tune was needed. "Ok. You want something more lively?"

  "Whatever you wish," Shala said smiling back the tears.

  After a brief moment, Jo smiled and lifted the bow again. She began playing a Hungarian rhapsody. The rapid and lively melody caused Shala and Rokka to begin clapping their hands with the music.

  Nearly an hour later, Jo trudged up to the room she would share with Mike. It was more of a loft actually, but it had two beds and an open window to let in the cool breeze. As she quietly came up the stairs she eased up to make sure Mike was asleep. His steady breathing assured her that he was peacefully healing in his bed. She walked over and looked down on him. A single sheet was over his inert form and she could see the bandages covering most of what was out from under it. There was a faraway look in her eye as she moved next to him and called his name quietly.

  "Mike," she whispered. She paused a moment. "Michael."

  Mike remained asleep. There was no movement except his steady breathing. She reached down and stroked the hair sticking out from a bandage going around his head. Her hand touched his shoulder and she felt his skin next to the bandages. After a moment, she lifted the sheet gently and looked under the covers. Shala had done a good job. There was no blood anywhere. The bandages ran from his shoulders down his back and even to his legs. Here and there, a patch of skin was exposed making him look almost like a patchwork quilt. She lowered the sheet gently and called to him again.