Complete Book - Enjoy

I hope you have enjoyed Devon Blake and the Starship Crash. A complete and free PDF copy is available by clicking on the title above. Any and all comments are welcome. I hope some day to have this book in print.

Thanks for visiting,

Douglas Warren

Chapter Thirty

Ensign Kepler checked the control displays on the drop shuttle. The atmospheric interference had cleared up several hours ago and the crew of the Boadicea had immediately launched the drop shuttle. The captain had given the honor of commanding the ship to Ensign Kepler. The captain had barked something about earning the privilege and Commander Saberhagen had agreed. Kepler took it as a compliment and any praise from the captain was hard won and meant a lot to him.

Kepler peered over his shoulder. Through the open cabin door he could see the children they had just rescued. Their guide, Deke Jacobs, sat in the front row, a bandage around his head and cradling the laser rifle he had used to signal the ship through the interference. The sound of happy chatter from the children gave Kepler a proud feeling, the feeling that he had done a good job. His only task now was to pick up the children who had been separated from the others and trekked out into the jungle. The crew had heard some vague story about strange aliens and bandit miners. The story seemed to Kepler very unlikely, but the captain had told him to expect a couple of prisoners…so the story just might be true.

Peering at his sensor screen, Kepler homed in on the clearing where the children waited. Through his cockpit window he could see four children, along with two dejected looking adults, both men. He could have sworn that some of the trees on the edge of the clearing were moving, but he dismissed it as a trick of the light.

Kepler set the ship down as lightly as a leaf dropped by a breeze and a cheer rose from the kids in the cabin behind him, making him smile. It had been a couple of long days since the kids had shut down the machines causing the atmospheric interference. The captain had ordered the kids in the jungle to return to the crashed ship, but one very determined young lady had set him straight. She insisted that they were fine where they were and expected rescue soon.

Kepler pressed the button to lower the rear ramp of the ship. It opened with a hiss of pressurized air and a electric whirring. Hushed whispers of aliens and pirate miners passed through the newly-rescued students. They craned their next toward the back of the ship hoping to catch a glimpse of anything exotic. Instead they were greeted with a gentle surge of warm, moist air and the sounds of the jungle outside.

Two marines leapt from the ship, rifles ready, the moment that the ramp clanged completely open. Kepler rose from his seat and began walking toward the back of the ship. He scolded several children for standing in the aisle and gawking. Kepler emerged just in time to see the marines escort the two men toward the back of the ship. One, dressed in a silver, insulated suit glared at him. The other man gave him a weak smile as the marines hustled them past and into the ship.

Kepler approached the four waiting children. They looked dirty and tired, but otherwise unharmed.

“Hello there,” he greeted them. “I am Ensign Kepler. Are any of you injured?” he asked.

They all shook their heads wearily.

“Well, that is good. Now which one of you is Mr. Blake?” Kepler asked.

Devon perked up. “That’s me, sir.”

“Ah, very good. If you would come with me, we have a small cabin reserved for you for the trip back up to the ship.” He turned to the others. “We have seats for the rest of you as well,” he said with a smile.

Jacinda began to say something, but Devon put his hand on her arm. He stood up and approached Kepler, looking irritated.

“Excuse me, Mr. Kepler. I’m sure you are only following orders, but there is no way that you are going to separate me from my friends. I don’t need any special treatment.” Devon’s voice was strong and confident, but showed no trace of anger.

“Uh…I’m sorry sir, but the arrangements have already been made,” Kepler stuttered.

“Well, Mr. Kepler, this is your chance to collect a favor from someone who’s family owns a lot of stock in the company who runs your ship,” Devon said with a grin.

Kepler relaxed when Devon smiled. “Of, course, sir, I am sure we can accommodate you. Perhaps we could let Mr. Jacobs recuperate in the private cabin for the trip up. He was injured” Kepler said.

“That sounds like a great plan,” Devon said as he patted Ensign Kepler on the arm.

Kepler turned on his heel and walked back up the ramp into the ship. Devon whistled and Sammy rose on his spindly legs. He motioned for the others to join them and followed Kepler up the ramp.

Devon and the others turned once they had boarded and watched the ramp slowly close, sealing out the bright sunlight and early smell of Forrestal. They were filled with great joy that everything had turned out well, but felt a bit of loss at the same time.

Their adventure had not begun or ended as they expected, but none of them would ever regret it. They had discovered more than just bandit miners and mysterious aliens. They had discovered friendship, and they knew deep down that this was something that would last.

Chapter Twenty Nine

Devon and the others crowded around Jacinda’s datapad watching the progress of their plan on the tiny screen. It showed a schematic of the liquid core of the planet dotted with bright pin-pricks of light showing where the miners’ probes were located. Most were near the surface hovering in the molten rock, right below the unmanned mining modules. A few were still inching their across the map toward their destination.

“They look nearly there,” Devon said.

“Yup,” Jacinda agreed. “It should be less than fifteen more minutes and then we can activate them. That will put a stop to the mining.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Merrell asked.

“It’s the best one I could think of,” Jacinda said.

“But what if the miners catch us after we blow up their mining thingies?” Merrell asked, concern in his voice.

Jacinda shrugged. “I don’t think it will be a problem. Once we activate the probes we can slip out of here and go back up the cliff. DeepRoot and ClearSky will protect us.”

“Anyway, by the time the miners get back on their feet I’m sure that we will have been rescued.” Devon said. He wore a look of cool confidence. “The Boadicea has one of the best crews in the fleet. I bet they have already picked up Deke and the others.”

“I sure hope so,” Merrell said. He seemed to be satisfied with her assurances.

They waited in silence for a few more minutes, fidgeting as they all stared at the screen.

***

The heat surrounded Cappy like a physical force. It pushed at him constantly as he inched his way through the tube toward the next room where the kids were. Sweat poured down his face behind the mask, making the fabric damp and uncomfortable on his cheeks. He thought to himself for a moment that he knew how a baked potato must feel right before it was finished cooking. He also knew he had better find the exit hatch before he was ready for butter and sour cream. Finally he found the latch to the exit hatch. It was big so that even someone in a toaster suit could turn it easily in the thick gloves of the suit.

The hatch fell open and Cappy could feel the rush of cooler air even through the thick suit. He stepped through the hatch into the room. The red glow from the hot tube cast a harsh red light into the room giving it an ominous feeling.

Cappy scanned the room, intent on finding the kids and ending their little game. The visor on the suit limited his vision but it took him only moments to spy the kids sitting together on the floor. They were frozen, wearing looks of terror.

‘Good,’ Cappy thought to himself. ‘They had a reason to be afraid. They had caused him a lot of trouble and he intended to give it back, and worse.’

***

Devon watched the screen intently. The probes were nearly in place. In minutes they would be able to trigger them and put an end to the mining operation. Jacinda and Merrell watched the screen as well and Devon was sure that they were feeling the same strange sense of excitement that he was.

He could not figure out exactly what this peculiar feeling of excitement was coming from. He knew that he was excited to be helping DeepRoot and ClearSky, but that did not quite fit. Neither did the excitement of giving the bandit miners a taste of justice explain it. There was something else there. Adventure? Maybe that was it. Devon had read all the old stories of swashbucklers and such who craved adventure, but he never thought to taste it himself. Well, maybe he had…and he liked the taste. It had to be the taste of adventure, with a side order of danger to spice it up. Devon knew his parents would never approve, but it was too late now.

Devon’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud clanging from behind them. All three children spun around on their rear ends to see what had caused the sound. Horror filled them as they saw a silver, man-shaped creature step out of a burning hatch in the far wall. A wave of heat rolled into the room, hitting the kids like a slap.

The creature craned its neck, scanning the room, and then it saw them. With a growl it advanced, silver arms stretched toward them. Devon cringed, fear filling him, the taste of adventure suddenly not so sweet.

As the creature approached it brought a new wave of heat with it. Merrell tried to get to his feet to fend off the creature. It swatted him with its silver arm, sending him hurtling into the wall. Merrell collapsed with a grunt. Jacinda scrambled on her hands and knees to his side, crying and shouting his name.

Devon remained frozen in terror, unable to move. His mouth moved in a silent cry while the creature towered over him. The thing raised its arm, ready to strike him. Devon covered his eyes, party from the heat given off by the monster and partly in fear of the impending blow. There was a thump, followed by an even louder thump and a deep moan.

When the blow did not land, Devon lowered his arms. He was greeted with the one of the sweetest sights he could imagine. Flim stood with his foot on the creature, clutching a steel pipe in his hand.

Flim reached down and grabbed the top of the creature’s head, giving it a quick tug. To Devon’s amazement, the head came off; or rather the hood came off revealing a man’s ugly face.

“It’s a man?” Devon exclaimed. He then realized that Flim was no longer missing. He stared at his alien friend in disbelief.

“Yup,” Flim answered. “Luckily he didn’t see me, so while he was giving you the toaster yeti treatment I got the drop on him.”

“But, how did you get here?” Devon asked, still confused.

“Me, I’ve been with you since you got picked up by those green creatures. I just decided to stay hidden, until we knew more. You never know when a little surprise can come in handy.” Flim was grinning from ear to ear.

“Flim!” Jacinda interrupted their conversation. “You creep, you have been following us that long?” she asked. Merrell stood behind her, rubbing his sore head, but looking otherwise unhurt.

Flim looked embarrassed for a moment. “Uh…yes. It was all part of my plan. I wanted to be able to rescue you, just in case. Just like this,” he stammered.

Jacinda’s glare melted. “Okay, I suppose you made the right decision, but you had us worried sick…and you enjoyed it way too much.” She ended with a wide smile.

Flim helped Devon to his feet. All of them looked down at the man, wondering what to do next. Jacinda put her hands on her hips and eyed the others seriously.

“Okay, I have a plan,” she said.

“I didn’t see that coming,” Flim replied, laughing.

Jacinda glared at him for a moment and then smiled again.

“Well, as long as everyone agrees that I’m bossy, I don’t have a problem. Now listen up. Merrell, you find something to tie up this guy with, whoever it is. Devon, you watch that hatch, just in case somebody else comes through. That is not the guy we saw outside, so there is at least one more bad guy around here somewhere. Flim, you do what you do best. Get lost. We may need the surprise again. I’m gonna finish up with the probes and then we can get out of here.”

They all nodded, happy to feel near the end of this particular adventure. Merrell located a length of plastic cord and tied up the man, not worrying too much about being gentle. Devon picked up the steel pipe Flim had used to dispatch their last attacker and positioned himself near the open hatch, ready to defend his friends. He looked up to give Flim a wink, but the alien boy had already disappeared.

Jacinda picked up the datapad and examined the screen.

“All of the probes are in position. I’m going to go ahead and activate them.” She gave each of her friends a quick look to make sure none of them had any objections. Seeing none, she pressed the final button to make the probes blow up.

For a moment they all stood looking at each other, wondering what would happen. Suddenly, a deep boom rang out through the ground. They could feel it through the soles of their feet. The boom died away leaving them all in silence.

“That’s it?” Flim said from somewhere, but still not visible. They all began to laugh.

They were interrupted by a deep rumbling that shook the module, shaking all of the cargo cases around them. They looked in horror at each other as the entire module bucked and shook.

“We had better get out of here,” Merrell shouted over the clatter of falling cargo cases.

Jacinda pointed at the fallen and bound man. “What do we do with him? We can’t just leave him.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Devon answered. “Let’s see if we can drag him out of here with us. Getting him up the cliff will be the problem.”

Merrell and Devon each took hold of the silvery fabric of the man’s suit and pulled together. Unfortunately, the man did not budge. Jacinda bent over and tried to lend a hand, but they still had no luck.

“Sure, we had to knock out the biggest bad guy around,” Jacinda said. “Let’s try one more time.”

The three pulled at the man’s clothes but his bulky mass still refused to move.

“What do we do now?” Merrell asked.

Devon shrugged and looked at Jacinda.

“We just can’t leave him. It is the miners’ code,” Jacinda said, her eyes filling with tears.

The three friends stood silently for a few moments, pondering just how to proceed. Their thoughts were disturbed by a loud pounding on the inner hatch they had locked. Devon rushed to the hatch and listened. The pounding came again and Devon could make out a faint voce.

“Help, I’m trapped in here,” the voice called. “You can’t just leave me here.”

“There is somebody in there,” Devon said. “I think we have to let them out.

Jacinda nodded grimly and retrieved her datapad, still hooked into the mining module’s control system.

Merrell found a stout piece of metal, testing its usefulness as a weapon by swinging it experimentally a few times. Devon still gripped the metal pipe that Flim had used to knock out the man earlier.

Jacinda keyed in a few more commands and then looked up at her friends.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

Devon and Merrell both nodded.

Jacinda pressed the last button the hatch slid open. The grubby looking man they had seen earlier tumbled out of the hatch with a grunt.

Devon hovered over the man, his makeshift club at the ready.

“Oh lord, what did you do?” The man wailed on the verge of panic.

Jacinda stepped forward. “We destroyed your probes, to stop the eruptions.”

The man looked horrified. “You destroyed the probes? Are you crazy?”

“No, I’m not crazy,” Jacinda snapped. “We had to do something to shut you folks down. You were destroying the Creepers’ world.”

“Well, if we don’t get out of here, we are fried,” the man said.

“Well, we kinda figured that out,” Merrell stepped toward the man, his makeshift club raised. “You’re just lucky we decided to let you out.”

“Okay, sonny, just settle down,” the man’s demeanor suddenly changed. “No need to be so hostile. We are all in this together now. My name is Burgess, by the way.”

“Now that that is settled, grab your friend and let’s get out of here,” Jacinda said. The commanding tone in her voice stopped any argument before it could begin.

Burgess nodded, stood up and walked over to the other man.

“Looks like somebody gave him a good whack on the noggin,” Burgess said as he checked out the man. “I can’t say that Cappy didn’t have it coming.”

Burgess grabbed the collar of Cappy’s silver suit and began dragging him toward the hatch leading outside. His face reddened as he struggled with Cappy’s unconscious bulk.

“Little help?” Burgess muttered.

Merrell sighed but helped Burgess pull Cappy outside. Pulling Cappy across the rough stone toward the cliff proved even more difficult and Devon had to join the effort.

By the time they made it to the bottom of the cliff Devon, Merrell and Burgess were red-faced and breathing heavily.

“If he was this hard to get this far how are we ever going to get him up the cliff?” Devon asked.

“We need some way to let the creepers know we need them to lower the vines so we can get back up,” Jacinda said.

“If Sammy were only close enough I could send a message to him through my datapad, but he is still back near the ship,” Devon said, sounding disappointed.

“No he isn’t,” Flim said, his voice seeming to come from thin air.

“Flim, please don’t do that. It makes me nervous,” Jacinda said irritably.

Flim slowly materialized standing next to cliff.

“My apologies. Sometimes I forget that I am still invisible.”

“What did you say about Sammy?” Devon asked, suddenly very interested in the conversation.

“I said he isn’t back at the ship,” Flim responded with a bit of a smile. “He is right at the top of the cliff.”

“But how did he get there? Did you bring him with you?” Devon asked.

“No, I actually followed him. He is better than a SeekerBot. He never lost your trail.”

Devon could not believe his ears. He never thought that Sammy’s programming was that complex. Devon made a mental note to ask his parents about the programming the next time he saw them. There seemed to be more to Sammy than he ever imagined.

“Let me see what I can do with Sammy,” Devon said. He pulled out his datapad and keyed in the command to open a communication channel to Sammy.

“Sammy, if you are within range please signal” Devon said into his datapad. Almost immediately they all heard a shrill horn sounding from somewhere above.

“We are in luck,” Devon said with a smile.

He set to work having Sammy fasten a winch line to a tree op top of the cliff. They decided to take turns riding up using Sammy’s built in winch.

Jacinda was the first up. She was puzzled when she did not see any of the creepers around. Either they had hidden like they had earlier or they had simply left, sure that their people were no longer in danger. Still, she would have felt better is she could have said goodbye.

Devon was next up, followed by Burgess and then Flim.

Sammy’s electric motor strained to raise Cappy to the top, but finally got him up.

Devon reached down to check on Cappy as Sammy brought up Merrell, the last of them left to make the trip up.

Just as Devon touched Cappy’s neck, the man lashed out, sending Devon tumbling back into the underbrush. Cappy struggled to his feet and took a couple of awkward steps toward freedom. He stopped short, backing toward the clearing at the edge of the cliff.

They were all puzzled by this, but understood when DeepRoot stepped out of the forest, looming over Cappy.

“Don’t hurt me,” Cappy cried, putting his tied hands over his head.

DeepRoot reached out, placing his hand on Cappy’s arm. The big man seemed to crumble before them, falling to his knees and weeping.

Devon had experienced DeepRoot’s touch and knew what Cappy must be seeing with his mind’s eye. He could not imagine how much more powerful the experience must be for Cappy, being the one responsible for the creepers’ pain.

Burgess watched in horror as his boss wept like a child.

“Is that thing gonna do that to me too?” He asked.

Devon shrugged. “I don’t know. I think it all depends on how sorry you are for what you did. The creepers seem to be able to sense stuff like that.”

“Oh, I’m sorry…sorry I ever came here. Sorry I ever let Cappy bully me into doing any of this. Sorry for how everything turned out. And most of all, I’m sorry for what we did to them. It wasn’t my idea…but I didn’t stop it either. I guess I deserve whatever they do to me.” Burgess sat down on the ground holding his head in his hands, weeping.

ClearSky emerged from the forest, walking over to Burgess. She looked down at him for a few moments, her huge eyes reflecting the afternoon light. She gently reached down, putting her hand on the grubby man’s shoulder. Burgess froze for a moment and then looked up in wonder.

“They forgive me,” he cried. “How can they be so understanding?”

Devon and the others looked at each other, all smiling. Perhaps the creepers were not the only ones who had been saved that day.

Devon though he might have seen Jacinda wipe away a few tears as well, but he decided not to mention it.

Chapter Twenty Eight

Cappy leaned close to the grate covering the ventilation port. He could hear voices, but they sounded funny. He thought it must be a trick of the sound traveling through the air vent. The voices almost sounded like they belonged to children, but he knew that could not be right.

He crawled closer to the grate, starting to get a view of the room on the other side through the fine, metal mesh covering the vent opening. He could see motion, but could not make out any details. The voices, however, were clearer. They definitely sounded like they belonged to kids.

“What do you see, Cappy?” Burgess’ voice echoed in the vent.

Burgess grunted as Cappy responded with a kick at Burgess’ face.

“Sorry, Cappy, won’t happen again.” Burgess said, this time in a whisper.

“Keep your trap shut for a minute, you simp.” Cappy snarled. “Whoever is messing with our place is right outside the vent. Trouble is, they are right there. I can’t get in there without them seeing me.”

Cappy was silent for a few moments and then kicked out at Burgess again.

“What? I didn’t say anything.” Burgess protested.

“I know, I wanted a suggestion. Is there any other way in there?” Cappy hissed.

“I can only think of one, and it won’t be comfortable.”

“Fine, I can do uncomfortable. Let’s get out of this vent and you can show me the other way.”

Cappy began backing out of the ventilation tube the way they had come. Burgess had to scramble to keep Cappy’s boots out of his face.

Burgess tumbled out of the vent back in the control room. He splashed in the standing wastewater on him rump, splattering even more of the foul liquid on the walls. Cappy followed, more carefully. He jumped down, trying to land on one of the chairs to stay out of the waste water. The chair tipped over under Cappy’s weight, sending him face first into the gunk. Burgess had to fight hard to stifle a laugh.

“By thunder, I’ll kill them kids!” Cappy bellowed as he picked himself up out of the gunk, dripping with filth. “I don’t care who they are, they’ll pay for this.” He turned toward Burgess with murder in his eyes.

Burgess’ blood turned to ice water. He had seen Cappy mad before. In fact, it was Cappy’s normal mood, but he had never seen this kind of rage.

Cappy fixed Burgess with a steely glare. “You better find a way into that room, or I’ll use your head for a battering ram. You got that straight?” Cappy growled, his voice strangled with anger.

“You betcha, Cappy. I got an idea, but like I said, it ain’t comfortable.”

Cappy nodded, still angry, but seeming satisfied with his answer. Relief flooded into Burgess.

With a quick nod Burgess went back to his workstation and picked up his toolkit. He fished out an autospanner and walked toward a pile of crates stacked in the corner of the room. With a sigh he slipped the autospanner into his belt and began to drag crates away from the wall. He finally succeeded in clearing all of the crates away, revealing a removable panel. He sighed, shaking his head. Cappy would not like this idea, but it was the only way Burgess could think of to get into the other chamber.

Burgess removed the panel using the autospanner. As the panel came off, he was hit by a wave of heat. Burgess knocked the autospanner against a large pipe inside the panel, making it resound with a hollow ring. The sound caught Cappy’s attention.

His eyes grew wide when he finally understood Burgess’ plan.

“No way, Burgess. I’m not crawling through the slag pipe. It’ll burn me alive.”

Cappy shook his head. “Nope, not right now. Those kids turned it off and the automatic system emptied it out so the slag wouldn’t cool inside the tube.”

“But it is still hotter than blazes in there.” Cappy said.

“Sure it’s hot, but if you put on one of our toaster suits you’ll be fine.” Burgess responded.

“When you said uncomfortable I didn’t know you meant this.” Cappy said as he shook his head.

“Well, I think it is your only choice.” Burgess said as he opened one of the nearby cases and retrieved a jumpsuit made of silver, quilted material. He held out the toaster suit to Cappy, who took it reluctantly. He reached into the case again, retrieving a matching set of gloves and boots. He held them out as Cappy struggled into the jumpsuit, the presslock fastenings barely able to close over his large belly.

With a look of irritation Cappy took the rest, pulling on the books and then stuffing his chubby hands into the gloves. Burgess had to stifle a laugh. Cappy looked like on overstuffed silver teddy bear in the quilted suit. With an oddly appropriate growl, Cappy pulled on the hood attached to the back of the suit and sealed it tightly. The suit plumped even more as the built in circulation system began pumping cool air through the suit to keep Cappy safe inside the still hot slag tube.

Cappy shoved Burgess out of the way and unsealed the access hatch on the side of the slag tube. Burgess involuntarily stepped back up several feet as a new, more intense wave of heat hit him. Cappy clumsily got to his knees and crawled through the hatch.

The hatch automatically closed behind Cappy, leaving Burgess alone in the control center. He thanked goodness that the heat was gone, but something was still bothering him. He could not quite decide what it was. He was not hungry, or uncomfortable, or sleepy or even bored. Slowly he began to listen to that little voice in his head. It screamed at him that what Cappy was going to do was wrong. Burgess argued with the voice, telling it that there was nothing he could do. With great effort Burgess battered drowned out the little voice, pushing it out of his mind.

Chapter Twenty Seven

Kepler sat at his console wearing a sad expression.

“Any news, Ensign Kepler?” Captain Leiber asked.

Kepler sighed. “No, sir. The program has not found the right modulation yet.”

“How much longer?” The captain asked with a look of concern on his face.

“That is hard to say, sir. My original estimate should have been correct. I am sure that it could be any minute now.”

“Ensign Kepler, I understand that estimates can be wrong, but that does not help us rescue those stranded children. I need results.”

“Sir…” Kepler started to respond but was interrupted by a sharp chirp from his console. He checked it quickly, looking down in surprise.

“Any news now, Ensign?” The captain asked.

“Uh, not exactly, sir. But it looks like somebody down there is trying to talk to us.”

“How so?”

“Someone down there is using some sort of laser signal to illuminate a cloudbank. They are using what the computers say is an old, Terran code.”

“What are they saying, Ensign?”

“I’ll punch up the feed on your console, sir.”

Kepler flicked a few keys and a read-out appeared on the screen in front of the captain.

-Ship down -No known casualties -Four children out of contact -Search for datapad locations if able -ID 211-4211-7176786 -ID 211-6580-0192874 -ID 211-6421-9751357 -ID 700-0000-0000018 -Situation here not emergency -Missing children priority

Captain Leiber frowned as he read the data.

“Four children missing, what the devil is Jacobs doing down there? Ensign Kepler, find out who those datapads belong to.”

Kepler hit a few more keys and the readout changed.

-ID 211-4211-7176786 – Blake, Devon
-ID 211-6580-0192874 – Vasquez, Jacinda
-ID 211-6421-9751357 – Gustav, Merrell
-ID 700-0000-0000018 - Sa’Atar, Flimitpoytrotilmas

The captain scanned the names and let out a groan. Everyone on the bridge of the Boadicea turned to look at the captain. To most it was the first time they had ever heard their commander show any emotion other than irritation.

The captain rubbed his eyes for a moment and let out sigh. He knew that Devon Blake being one of the missing children complicated matters. Blake’s family had great influence and if anything were to happen to him, there could be terrible consequences for the crew as well as the UCF.

“Anything else, Ensign?” The captain asked.

“No, sir. That is all there is, but I guess it is something. At least we know that the ship made it down okay.” Kepler answered.

“Thank goodness for small favors.” The captain replied.

Chapter Twenty Six

Deke lifted the heavy case up through the hatch into the passenger compartment of the shuttle. The children craned their necks from the seats, hoping to catch a glimpse of Deke’s burden. After Deke had gone down into the cargo compartment, word had spread about the goal of his trip. Most of the children had never seen a laser rifle, except for on vids or in plasbooks. Hushed speculation abounded about the reason Deke needed the rifle.

Deke followed the case through the hatch. With quick, deft movements he snatched it up and strode toward the front of the ship. All heads turned to watch him as he passed, as if he was a magnet and the children’s eyes were iron.

He reached the front and lay the case down across several seats. He placed his thumb on the biometric lock and it clicked open. Deke opened the case, revealing the disassembled laser rifle. The sight if it brought forth gasps from the children who had turned in their seats and were peering over them. Deke gave them a hard look and they sat back down in their seats.

He retrieved the focus module from the case and laid it on an empty seat. The emitter module was the key piece required to maximize the power of the laser. The more tightly focused the laser, the more power it had. Deke opened his tool kit and began the task of adjusting the focus module so that is did not work as well as it could. He finished the adjustment he began attaching the other parts of the laser.

Deke carefully finished assembling the rifle, rechecking each piece to make sure it was connected properly. Once complete, he inserted the power cell and peered through the scope to check the power level. Fully charged.

The children had regained their courage and were once again peering over the backs of their seats watching Deke. He flipped a switch, powering up the laser rifle. The children’s eyes widened at the humming sound that came from the fierce looking weapon.

Deke rose from his seat, hefting the laser rifle on his shoulder. The children gasped in wonderment. To them he looked like some hero out of the vids. He cocked his eyebrow and smiled.

“Time to send a message,” Deke said.

Chapter Twenty Five

Devon and Merrell stood behind Jacinda as she feverishly tapped out commands on her datapad.

“Okay, everyone is locked in wherever they are. That should give us some time.” Jacinda said, in between keystrokes.

“Any chance they can get out and stop us?” Devon asked.

“Nope, not unless they know some way to override that I don’t know about.” Jacinda answered. “Give me a minute. I need some time to concentrate. I think I figured out a way to shut this whole operation down.”

Devon and Merrell nodded silently. She worked away, mumbling and sighing several times.

“I think I have it.” Jacinda broke the silence and smiled.

“So, what are you going to do?’ Devon asked.

“Well, I found out that these bandit miners injected lots of smart probes into a couple of volcanoes. The probes were supposed to give off signals that would make the volcanoes even more active. Well, the plan seems to have worked a bit too well, or maybe they just used too many probes. Not only did the volcanoes erupt, new ones popped up. That stirred up the really heavy metals and that is what they have been mining.”

“You said you figured out how to stop it.” Devon said, seeming impatient.

“I’m getting to that.” Jacinda rolled her eyes. “I found the control sub-routines for the probes. I can control them now. I could just turn them off, but I have a better idea.” Jacinda smiled, mischief in her eyes.

“What are you up to, Jacinda?” Devon asked.

“Well, according to their records, the miners have a dozen more of these mining modules, all of them unmanned. I reprogrammed the probes to return to the closest unmanned module and wait for another signal. In an hour they will all be in place. Once they are we can tell them to self destruct and they will blow up, along with the unmanned modules.”

Merrell smiled. “Wow, Jacinda, you have a mean streak. I like it.”

All three laughed and sat back to wait the hour until it was time to activate the probes’ self-destruct protocol.

Chapter Twenty Four

Burgess slammed the hatch behind him, scattering various bits of junk. He huffed, and puffed, and grumbled his way back to his control console.

“Cappy had better get me better equipment soon or I’ll jet.” Burgess muttered. “I’m sick and tired of keeping this place together with spit and bailing wire.” As he spoke, he rummaged through a small box filled with electronic do-dads, like rainbow plastic popcorn. He plucked items out one at a time, examining them for a moment then plopped them back into the box. A few he simply tossed them over his shoulder to clatter on the floor, adding to the already considerable piles of junk scattered around.

Burgess’ muttering lessened as his temper cooled, as did the frantic sorting of his bits and pieces. He finally put down the box and turned his attention back to his control console. An amber light on the console drew his attention to the waste control readouts. His confusion turned to shock and then to dismay. He had only a moment to wonder what was going on before a storm of yelling and the sound of rushing liquid drew his attention away from the console and toward the bathroom hatch.

The hatch slid open, releasing a wave of foul-looking, brown liquid into the room. Cappy rolled into the room, caught up in the vile wave. His arms flailed as he was tossed head-first out of the bathroom, flinging gobs of waste all over the room.

Burgess ducked to avoid a particularly large gob and then nearly gagged as the smell of the onrushing wave hit him. In the small room the stink made him dizzy and burned his eyes. He leapt into his chair, the thought of being caught up in the stinking wave suddenly very terrifying.

Cappy’s ride came to an end at the feet of Burgess’ chair. Cappy lay there unmoving, the dregs of the wave washing past him. Burgess was afraid. If Cappy was gone than he was stuck here all alone until one of the pilots returned to pick up the smelted ore. On the other hand, if Cappy survived he would surely blame him for this. There was no telling what Cappy might do in anger. Burgess pondered which fate he preferred for Cappy.

Fate answered the question for Burgess as Cappy rolled over with a groan. The groan became a deep cough. Burgess did not want to imagine what Cappy might be coughing up out of his lungs. The thought made him shudder.

Finally, Cappy sat up and eyed Burgess.

“What in tarnation is going on? Even you can’t be this incompetent.” Cappy said.

“I swear I don’t know what is happening.” Burgess replied. “It’s like somebody reversed the sewer pumps on purpose. I watched the readout change, but it was too late to do anything about it, before…well, you know, before your accident.”

“It doesn’t sound like an accident to me.” Cappy snapped.

“Okay, Cappy, let me run the systems through a full check. I’ll find out what happened.”

“Fine, I’ll be in my quarters cleaning up.” Cappy said.

He stood up, his clothes squishing and dripping as he did. He walked over to the hatch leading to the crew quarters.

“Burgess, open the hatch. My hands are dirty.”

Burgess nodded a smile. “Aye, Cappy.” He punched the release button on his console. The console squawked rudely, and the door did not open. He pressed the button again and got the same response.

“Can you hurry it up?” Cappy asked.

“Uh, Cappy, it’s not working. It acts like I am locked out.”

“Whatever it is, fix it…this stuff is starting to dry and I’m getting crackly.”

Burgess had to stifle a laugh. “Aye…Cappy.”

He flipped switches, turned knobs and tried to access any of the other controls, but the console seemed frozen. That could only mean one thing.

“Cappy, I got really bad news.” Burgess said. “Someone else has taken over the controls. That means that they are inside somewhere.”

What?” Cappy said. “Good thing I got this.” He smiled a shark’s smile and drew a chunky pistol from his jumpsuit.

Burgess pales. He might be a bad man, but he had never been a violent one. The thought of fighting intruders made him go pale. Cappy walked over and grabbed the front of Burgess’ jumpsuit.

“Don’t get soft now, Burgess. We have to finish this, and I can’t get out of here unless you can get one of these hatches open.” Cappy snarled. The smell, the gun and Cappy’s snarl conspired to break him out of his shock.

“Sure boss, but I don’t think I can get one of the hatches open…” Burgess said, but was interrupted by Cappy, who waved the gun in his direction. “But I was gonna say that the hatches ain’t the only way out of here.”

Cappy grinned evilly.

Chapter Twenty Three

Devon, Jacinda, and Merrell stood atop the cliff overlooking the pirate mining module. The sun had set nearly an hour ago, leaving the area illuminated by the eerie light cast by the lava in the valley. The children felt, more than saw, the creepers standing around them in the dense vegetation covering the edge of the cliff.

Devon and the others had decided that the only way to stop the miners was to climb down the cliff, sneak into the module and deactivate or destroy the controls. They all realized that it was not much of a plan, but it was better than nothing.

Preparation for the ‘assault’ had taken the rest of the afternoon. After nearly a half an hour of speaking slowly and gesturing, Devon had been able to make ClearSky understand what they would need for their plan. With a few hoots, the creepers had sprung into action, gathering strong vines and weaving them together to create ropes that would let the creepers lower Devon and his friends down the cliff near the mining module. The ground around the module looked fairly stable and free of splashing lava.

Whoever these miners were, they were likely to put their module on the most stable ground in the area, so Devon was not too concerned about the hardened lava collapsing under them, but one could never be too careful. The greater danger was from the odd splash of lava or the occasional release of toxic fumes from the crater.

Devon tied a vine rope around his waist and then walked over to the edge of the crater, peering down. It seemed much higher now that he prepared to go over the edge.

He took a deep breath, steeled his nerves and nodded to the gathered creepers. Several of the larger creepers took hold of the rope and began to lower Devon down the cliff.

The trip down the cliff was not as frightening as he had expected. The worst part was standing on the edge of nothing the moment before going over the edge. Once he got past that point he saw little but the cliff face right in front of him. Following what must be one of the oldest pieces of advice in the universe, he did not look down.

Devon said a silent prayer when he reached the bottom. The rock felt solid, but shuddered slightly from the activity beneath the crater. He looked up, watching Jacinda and Merrell descend. Jacinda looked down once or twice on the way down, but didn’t seem to be bothered. Merrell’s eyes were shut tight when he reached the ground and his completion was a bit on the green side.

“Not much for heights, huh?” Devon asked playfully.

One of Merrell’s eyes popped open and he eyed Devon with more than a little irritation. “No, I have never liked heights. Well, not the height so much, but the though of the splat at the bottom has been more of a concern.”

“Oh, just be quiet you two.” Jacinda said. “We are down now, so let’s just get on the move, before somebody in there sees us.” She pointed at the nearby module.

The three were so intent on their task none of them noticed one of the vines swaying back and forth as if someone were climbing down behind them. But, of course, no one was to be seen. That was the whole point.

Devon, Jacinda, and Merrell hurried toward the module, being careful on the uneven surface of cooled volcanic rock. They could see a hatch on the side they were approaching. It looked corroded and burnt, but the whole module looked that way.

Merrell crept forward and tried to turn the wheel that would open the hatch. It did not budge. Devon stepped up, adding his strength. The two tried again, but it still did not open.

“Shoot, it must be locked or something,” Jacinda said.

“Then how do we get in and surprise them?” Devon asked.

“Simple,” Devon said, “We get them to open the door.”

“You are joking, right?” Jacinda was skeptical.

“No, I’m not. Here is my plan.” Devon outlined his plan for Jacinda and Merrell. They all agreed that it was the only way to get in.

Devon and Merrell picked their way carefully around to the side of the module, making sure that they could not be seen if there were any windows or portholes. Jacinda worked her way to the back of the module where the lava intake was.

She took a few minutes to familiarize herself with the equipment. It was not much different than a lot of the heavy equipment that could be found on the mining colony where Jacinda lived. It was all pumps, power couplers and hydraulic actuators.

Slipping a compact toolkit from a storage pocket in her coveralls, she selected a spanner and began working on her part of the plan. She pried the cover off a control port and examined the inside, shaking her head. The wires were old and had obviously been patched several times, each time more sloppy than the last.

Jacinda gingerly prodded the mess of wires, trying to figure out what was connected to what.

“What a mess,” she muttered. “Haven’t these people ever heard of proper maintenance?”

After a few more moments of examining, she smiled widely. She pulled on a pair of thick gloves from one of the many pockets on her coveralls and selected a multitool from her kit.

After one final check of the wiring Jacinda clipped two of the wires. She closed and sealed the control port with a flourish.

“That should fix them.”

She hurried around the side of the module to where Devon and Merrell waited. The three huddled in the shadow of a huge conduit, waiting for their plan to unfold. A few moments passed with nothing happening. Merrell and Devon turned to her questioningly.

“Just another minute and you’ll see.” Jacinda said.

That seemed to satisfy the boys who went back to patiently waiting. A few more moments passed before a low rumbling began. The rumbling morphed into a loud grinding. The grinding grew slower and slower until it sounded like a giant burping. The burp ended abruptly followed by a high pitched pop that sounded like a bottle of fizzup opening. Then…silence.

The silence was a surprise because the mechanical sound of the module had been so overpowering. For the first time they could hear the sound of the bubbling lava nearby.

Merrell smiled and gave Jacinda a thumbs-up. She returned the smile beaming at his approval. Devon watched the exchange and smiled as well, but that had more to do with Merrell and Jacinda’s growing friendship than anything else.

They all heard a mechanical whir as the nearby hatch slid open. A grubby looking fellow emerged, a look of irritation on his face.

“Infernal piece of garbage! I done patched ya four times already.” He said no one in particular.

The man continued to berate the unseen target of his wrath. “If I have to fix you again I’ll recycle you into a toilet control valve.”

Devon had to stifle a laugh as the ragged man ambled and cursed his way to the control port Jacinda had sabotaged. He turned the corner, going out of sight of Devon and the others. This is when they planned on sneaking into the module.

Finally reaching the control port, the man fished in one of the pockets of his baggy jumpsuit. Not finding what he was looking for, he moved on to another pocket. He failed to locate the goal of his quest in that pocket as well.

“Where is that durn zeta-driver?” He growled. “I had it right here…somewhere.”

The man began to empty his pockets, tossing various tools, widget and gizmos onto the ground around him. ”Hold on, let me think. I was working on the enviro-evaporator. Then I fixed the core resonator. I didn’t need it to adjust the toaster…so I must have left it by the resonator.”

While the man searched, Devon and his friends snuck into the module, slipping in the open hatch and hiding behind a stack of battered equipment cases. Devon rummaged around for a moment and found a stained, canvas tarp. He draped the tarp over the stack and then attached it onto a hook on the wall, giving them a bit more cover. With the mess in the room, he did not think that something out of place, like the tarp, would be noticed.

All three froze when they heard a clatter from the other side of the room. Devon peeked out from underneath the tarp, checking to see if the man had returned. He noticed that a box had fallen from a table spilling a handful of electronic parts across the floor, but he did not see any sign of the man.

Just as Devon began to relax, he was startled by the mumbling curses of the man returning from repairing the sabotaged control port.

“Durn, stinkin’, broken-down, piece of garbage. Can’t hold together for more than a week without fritzin out.” He mumbled as he entered the room, thumbing the switch to close the hatch. “If Cappy wants me to keep this place going he is gonna have to pony up a bigger share.”

The man turned and stormed out of the room, kicking aside the spilled electronic parts as he did. He stomped through the hatch leading out of the room and slammed it behind him.

Jacinda pulled the tarp aside and ran to the hatch the man had just slammed shut. She punched several buttons on a control panel next to the hatch and then sighed.

“That should lock them out so we can do our work.” Jacinda said.

“We risked all that just to lock ourselves in this room?” Merrell asked, looking confused.

“Yup, because these modules are used in very dangerous places, every room, even the hallways, can be sealed and has an auxiliary control console. I may need to hack their control codes, but once I do that we can run the entire module from here. We only needed to get inside so we could access their systems.”

“Good job, Jacinda.” Devon said, obviously impressed. “How long do you think this will take?”

“I can’t be sure until I try to access the system…but if their security is as sloppy as the rest of their operation, it shouldn’t take too long. The first thing we have to do is find the control console.”

Devon, Jacinda, and Merrell began searching the walls, moving cases and generally rummaging around, trying to find anything that might be a control console. Several times Devon though he heard the scrabble of something unseen moving around in the debris around the room, but not seeing anything, he guessed it was probably just a mouse.

The search dragged on for quite a wile before it was interrupted by a curse from Jacinda.

“Oh, great. These pirates really don’t care about safety at all.” She said.

“Why, what did you find?” Devon asked.

“Well, I found out where the console is supposed to be. Unfortunately, these bozos have removed it, probably to use it as a replacement for one of the primary control consoles. Doing that is just dangerous. If someone was trapped in here during an emergency than they would be helpless.”

“So what do we do now?” Merrell asked.

“Well…I think I may be able to patch my datapad into the system using the interface wires that they did leave. But I will be limited in what I can do. But, it may be enough.”

Jacinda once again retrieved the toolkit from her pocket and set to work hooking up her datapad to the control wires. She worked intently, a bit of pick tongue peeking out from the side of her mouth showing her concentration.

She mumbled in frustration a few times before looking up at Devon and Merrell, her face beaming.

“I think I got it. Now I just have to hack their system.” She typed furiously with her thumbs on the tiny keyboard. “It looks like they haven’t even done any security upgrades for quite a while. So…yup, I got it. We are in.”

Devon eyed Jacinda suspiciously. “How do you know how to hack into a system? I knew you could work on hardware and stuff, but the hacking thing is unexpected.”

“What, I just know a little. You know, like enough to watch vids I’m not supposed to…or getting an extra helping of dessert from the food machines. I don’t make a habit of it.” Jacinda responded, a blush growing in her cheeks.

Merrell stifled a laugh. “Don’t worry Jacinda, Devon and I won’t turn you in. In fact, I like your dark side.”

“I don’t have a dark side.” Jacinda said. “Just because I am poor doesn’t mean that I’m a criminal.” Tears welled in her eyes.

Merrell was shocked by Jacinda’s heated response. “Jacinda, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I…I…I’m just so sorry.”

Jacinda wiped away the tears, her anger disappearing. “No, Merrell, you didn’t mean it bad. I can be sensitive about it. I shouldn’t take it out on you.”

Merrell shifted uncomfortably. “Still, I’m really sorry.”

Jacinda wiped away the last of the tears and cleared her throat.

“Well, that is enough of that. Now let’s get down to business. What should we do first?” Jacinda asked.

Devon thought for a moment. “Jacinda, you know better than us how to throw a wrench into their works. What do you think we should do?”

Her brows furrowed in though for a moment. She smiled suddenly, the light of mischief in her eyes. “How about we start by reversing their sewer pumps and work our way up from there.

Chapter Twenty Two

Deke sat silently in his seat. He stared at the back of the seat in front of him, concentrating. He struggled to think of what to do next. Devon and the others had been missing for the last four hours, and Deke felt helpless.

He silently cursed whatever fate had put him in this position. His first instinct was to rush out and track the missing children, rescuing them from whatever situation that kept them from making a report. The realization that he could not leave the rest of these children alone warred with his desire to rescue Devon’s group. His responsibility to all the rest tied his hands. Until they could be rescued by the crew of the Boadicea, he had to stay here, making sure the majority of the children remained safe. It went against all of his maverick instincts.

“So…what exactly are you doing to get us out of this?” Terry Jameson’s shrill voice snapped Deke out of his funk.

“Excuse me?” Deke said.

“Well, you are here to take are of us, and I don’t mind pointing out what a sad botch of it you have made.” Terry eyed Deke with smug confidence.

“I’d be surprised if anyone ever hired you again. I mean, four missing kids…who you sent out there. What a disaster.”

Deke rose from his seat, angry for the first time this trip. “You had better take your seat, son.”

“I’m not your son. My father could buy and sell you if I asked, so you had better watch your manners.”

Deke took a deep breath, corralling his anger. “Mr. Jameson, as leader of this expedition I must warn you that if you do not take your seat I will have to put you in your seat and lock down the safety harness. I cannot allow you to distress the rest of the group.”

“You had better not touch me,” Terry said fearfully, most of his confidence having fled. “I’ll tell my father, and you’d be finished. He have you in front of a laser firing squad before you knew what hit you.”

The anger drained out of Deke’s face at Terry’s words. “Mr. Jameson, congratulations. I think you may have come up with a solution to one of our problems.”

Deke rose to his feet, pushing past Terry and heading toward the rear of the ship.

“Where are you going?” Terry asked.

“To get my laser rifle, of course.” Deke said over his shoulder.

Terry gulped and hurried back to his seat.

Chapter Twenty One

Flim watched the incredible show in the sky for a few moments before realizing that the surprise had made him lose control of his color shifting abilities. He was a bright pink, with purple hair.

With a silent curse he shut his eyes tightly and tried to concentrate. His pink color immediately began to darken, from red, then brown, and finally a deep green.

“That was close,” he whispered to Sammy, not expecting any response. Talking to Sammy just made him feel a bit less alone.

Flim looked over to toward the clearing where Devon and the others stood, transfixed by the sky. The creepers were hooting and capering around. He knew that this was probably his best chance of getting close without being seen. He began to sneak closed to the clearing, careful to avoid any dry twigs or leaves that might alert the creepers to his presence.

Flim heard the snapping of a twig to his left, coming from the deep vegetation lying in that direction. He froze like a statue, hoping that he had not been seen by the creepers. Slowly he turned to look in that direction to see what had made the noise.

Flim’s blood turned cold as he saw the outline of a powerful creature pushing its way though the brush. The movement of the creature assured Flim that it was a predator of some sort, hungry for its next meal.

His terror grew as he saw that the creature was not alone. Several other shapes moved in the thick foliage behind the first. He stifled a gasp as the lead creature pushed its way into the open. Flim had never seen such a fearsome beast. It looked mean and hungry and was sniffing the air, looking for something to sate its hunger.

Flim hoped he was not the thing’s next meal. Luckily for the young alien boy, y’Langians were very different from humans and most other aliens. As part of their adaptation for hiding, y’Langians had lost their scent. That is to say, they did not smell like anything in particular. In fact, if they stayed in a particular environment they eventually began to exude the common scents of that environment.

After a few moments, four of the beasts had broken through the surrounding brush and were searching the area with their noses. Each, in turn, passed by Flim, not seeing or smelling him. After they moved away Flim said a silent prayer to Y’la the creator, thankful for his race’s peculiar talents.

Flim watched in horror as the beasts caught the scent of his friends and their captors. The beasts rushed toward the clearing, baying and grunting in equal amounts. Relief washed over him when the largest creeper rose and put himself between the beasts and Devon, Jacinda and Merrell.

Flim’s relief turned to amazement when the creeper hooted at the beasts and they simply wandered off, as if they were puppies rebuked by a stern master.

Soon Devon and the others started off again. Flim waited a few minutes and set off after them.

Chapter Twenty

The changing colors of the sky had set the creepers off, causing them to hoot wildly and scamper among the underbrush in seeming panic. DeepRoot and ClearSky simply stared up the changing sky for a moment and then began to herd Devon and the others out of the clearing, deeper into the woods.

Jacinda gave Devon a questioning look and then gestured at the sky.

Devon Shrugged. “I have no idea. Maybe that is why we crashed.”

The three friends followed DeepRoot and ClearSky out of the clearing. The creepers moved very quickly through the dense bushes and trees. The foliage almost seemed to part for them, opening a path wide enough for the children to follow with ease.

Devon could felt a sense of urgency in DeepRoot and ClearSky. Something about the way they were moving made him think that wherever they were going was important. He only hoped that he could figure out what the creepers wanted from them.

They climbed up hills and down ravines, scurried across meadows and slogged through a gloomy swamp. All the while they watched the shifting colors of the sky.

Devon was not sure how much time had passed since they had gone with the creepers, but it seemed like hours. He was getting very tired and was not sure how much farther he could go. With just a look, he could tell that Jacinda and Merrell were feeling the same way.

DeepRoot suddenly stopped. ClearSky turned, motioning for Devon and his friends to stop as well. Devon had a chance for the first time in a while to survey their surroundings. They stood in a dense stand of trees that resembled bamboo, but a thick as his waist. There was a brisk breeze blowing trough the trees, making them sway. They gave off a soft creaking sound as the moved with the breeze.

Devon began to hear another sound above the sound of the trees swaying. Just at limit of his hearing he heard what sounded like some sort of grunting. DeepRoot and ClearSky also heard the sound. DeepRoot held up a cautioning hand, cocking his head as if to hear better.

The grunting grew louder, coming closer. It almost sounded like pigs, but with shrill yaps between the grunts. The sounds were making Devon nervous. Whatever was making them sounded big, and in a jungle like this bigger usually meant trouble.

The breath caught in Devon’s throat as four huge beasts ambled into view. They looked like huge, bristled-haired wolves with long tusks jutting out from their lower jaws. They tested the air with their fleshy noses every few feet. As they came closer Devon realized that these things, whatever they were, were more pig than wolf. But that did not make them any less dangerous. He knew in his heart what these must be.

Devon looked back at Jacinda and Merrell. Merrell looked worried, but Jacinda looked on the edge of panic. Her eyes went from the creatures to Devon and back again. He mouth moved as if she was trying to speak, but nothing came out. Merrell sensed Jacinda’s panic and drew him into his arms. It seemed to help. She shut her eyes tightly, shutting out the sight of the creatures.

Coming from a mining colony on an asteroid, the biggest animal Jacinda had ever seen for real was a large cat one of the workers smuggled in. Of course she had seen vids of the creatures of old earth, like elephants and horses, but seeing a picture of one and being confronted with creatures this size were two different experiences.

“Bowzers,” Jacinda muttered under her breath.

At the sound of her voice, the head of the largest bowzer snapped toward their hiding place. It squinted at them with its small, piggy eyes, sniffing the air greedily for any scent. It moved closer, led by its furiously working snout. It stopped for a moment as if analyzing a new smell.

The rest of the beasts noticed that their companion was on the trail of something. Interested in sharing in any hidden morsels, they turned as a group and began to follow him. All of the bowzers sniffed the air in excitement. They soon caught the scent of the children as well. They squealed in excitement and rushed toward the group of hidden creepers and children.

DeepRoot stepped out from his hiding place, putting himself protectively between the bowzers and the children. He let out a deep, rumbling hoot and the bowzers stopped in their tracks, but still pranced nervously. DeepRoot hooted again. ClearSky joined in and began to hoot in a sad harmony. Their hoots mingled together, almost sounding like a song. This seemed to calm the bowzers, who began to mill about, sampling nearby foliage. Soon the bowzers lost interest in the children and simply wandered away from the clearing.

Devon realized that he had been holding his breath. He let it out with a rush, then sucked in a deep breath. He looked over at Merrell and Jacinda to make sure they were alright as well. Merrell had released Jacinda, but still stood very close to her. Jacinda was back to normal. Gone was the look of terror and the familiar look of determination had returned.

DeepRoot and ClearSky turned to each other and clasped hands. Devon wondered what they could be talking about, if that was they were doing could be called. They must be communicating. They stood that way only for a few moments but a decision had obviously been made.

ClearSky motioned for Devon and the others to follow her. DeepRoot turned and strode out of the clearing. Devon could see DeepRoot disappearing into the trees, a purpose in his stride.

ClearSky motioned again for Devon and the others to follow her. With a sigh, he turned and followed her into the darkening forest. The sun was going down, but he no longer feared the bowzers. The little demonstration made it obvious the creepers knew how to handle them. Devon felt much more hope for their survival.

***

Their spirits buoyed by their successful encounter with the bowzers, Devon and the others walked with new enthusiasm. Most of their tiredness had fallen away and their steps were lighter. ClearSky sensed this and picked up the pace.

The trail began to slope gently upward. The change was small, but Devon’s legs began to tire. Jacinda and Merrell also showed signs of tiring. Devon gave a sigh of relief when he realized that they were at the top of the slope. The sigh caught in his throat as he crested the ridge and saw what was on the other side. He heard Jacinda gasp as she saw as well.

The forest ended abruptly at the peak of the ridge. The far side of the hill had been torn away. With no canopy above, smoke filled the sky over the valley beyond, if it could be called that. The valley looked more like some mythological leviathan with an unquenchable hunger for dirt and rock had fed for days. The valley was now a great wound in the earth with small pools of molten lava dotting the floor like the oozing blood of the planet.

Devon, Jacinda, and Merrell stared down at the destruction in utter disbelief.

“This isn’t natural,” Jacinda said.

“What? How do you know?” Devon asked.

“Believe me, I have lived in and around mines all my life. I know what natural rock looks like. Someone did this on purpose.” There were tears in Jacinda’s eyes.

Merrell shook his head. “Who would do something like this?”

“Probably the same people who attacked the creepers,” Devon answered.

As if on cue a small ship passed overhead with a roar. Jacinda gasped.

“I recognize that ship from the vision ClearSky gave me. It is the same kind of ship that attacked the creepers.”

They watched the ship descend into the valley and skim the lava below. It slowed and then began to hover in the shadow of a steep cliff. It swayed in the roiling updrafts from the surrounding lava, slowly descending. With a start Devon realized that the ship was about to land on some sort of structure sitting near a large pool of lava.

“Do you see that down there?” Devon asked the others.

“I sure do,” answered Jacinda. “That looks like some sort of mining platform.”

Devon looked confused. “Mining? What would they be mining, lava?”

“Exactly. I have read a lot about it. The miners pump lava in and filter out all of the heavy elements from it. They pump the rest out as slag.”

“That sounds dangerous,” Devon said.

“It is,” Jacinda nodded. “If you make any mistakes it can be deadly. That is why they only do it on dead worlds. It is just too dangerous to do on inhabited worlds. The mining can cause lots of problems with the air.”

“Like pollution?” Merrell asked.

“Yes, pollution, and worse. I don’t understand how it all works but I think that to the get the most valuable stuff, which is heavy, they have to stir up the lava. I have heard that they use big bombs or other really destructive stuff. That’s what makes it so dangerous. On a dead world there is nobody affected by the earthquakes or new volcanoes that pop up.”

“How could they do it here? They are killing the creepers.” Devon’s voice filled with anger.

“My guess is that these are outlaw miners. Not much better than pirates.” Anger also showed in Jacinda’s voice. “I bet they figured that Forrestal was a backwater that nobody would care about. The creepers were an unexpected problem so they just decided to blast them. People like this give all miners a bad name. Jacinda and her family were happy to be miners, but they knew that a lot of people looked down on miners. Many people saw them as uneducated and simple, unable to make a living at anything other than digging holes. Jacinda’s father always joked that the family all had dirt in their blood and that they were part badger and that was why they liked being miners. He had instilled in his children a deep pride in the hard work of being a miner. This pride drove Jacinda to make herself a silent promise that she would stop the outlaw miners, no matter the cost.

Merrell stepped forward, his fists clenched. “So, what do we do? We have to stop them somehow.”

Jacinda nodded, wearing a determined look. “We owe it to ClearSky and DeepRoot. Humans are messing up their planet and humans should put a stop to it.”

“So do we all agree; we have to try and shut down the mining operation?” Devon asked.

The three friends clasped hands, sealing their decision with the squeeze of their hands.

Devon was the first to let go. He watched curiously as Merrell and Jacinda seemed to share something a bit deeper for a moment. Merrell sighed and put his other hand on Jacinda’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

Devon shifted uncomfortably, not sure what to do. He felt awkward interrupting his friends’ moment, but time might prove to be very short. He cleared his throat and spoke.

“They probably don’t have any idea we are here, so that gives us an advantage.”

His words startled Jacinda out of her reverie. She dropped Merrell’s hand and gulped.

“Oh…of course…an advantage. We need that…” Jacinda backed away a step, making Merrell’s hand fall from her shoulder.

“You bet we do,” Devon responded, trying to fill the uncomfortable silence. “These pirate miners sound like very bad people who wouldn’t think twice about hurting a few kids if they got in their way. We need more than a little luck to pull this off.”

Chapter Nineteen

Everyone on the bridge turned in surprise when Kepler whooped. The captain gave him a sharp look, but did not say anything.

“My apologies, Captain.” Kepler said, blushing in embarrassment.

“I assume this means you have news?” The captain asked. He eyed Ensign Kepler with just a touch of humor in his expression.

“Yes, sir, I think I do. I may have figured out how to break through the interference in the ionosphere. It should, at least, let us scan the surface.” Kepler bit his lip, trying to hide his excitement. He loved a puzzle, and this one had been a tough one. The lives of the kids on the drop ship might also ride on the answer, which had only made Kepler want to solve the puzzle of the ionosphere even more.

“Very good, Ensign, you may proceed.”

“Thank you sir. The key to the whole thing is to determine the frequency of the existing interference. We should be able to do this by pulsing phased radio…”

The captain interrupted Kepler with a raised hand. “Ensign, I meant that you can proceed with your plan. I don’t need to know how it works. Just make it work.”

“Yes sir. It will only take a few moments to ” Kepler nodded excitedly and turned back to his console. He typed in a short program telling the computer what to do and sent the command to the computer core. Kepler imagined that he could hear the humming of the pulsing radio waves streaming down on the planet from the ship’s communications array.

The captain watched the planet on the main viewscreen with interest. He smiled when the pearly white atmosphere began to change color. The white gently bled into a cool green, and then to a soft blue. He looked over his shoulder, pleased that Ensign Kepler’s scheme seemed to be having some effect on the interference keeping them from rescuing the kids from the drop ship.

“Any idea how long this may take, Ensign?” The captain said, turning to address the pleased-looking, young officer.

“It depends on the modulation. If the interference in the ionosphere changes too rapidly, it may not work at all, but if it stays the same then it should not take more than ninety minutes.”

“Excellent work, Ensign,” the captain said. “Inform me as soon as we have an answer.”

Kepler watched his console intently as the ship beamed different radio frequencies at the planet, watching the shifting colors. If the computer could generate the right combination of radio waves the ships sensors would be able to penetrate the interference. Given enough time, the interference could be eliminated completely.

Kepler felt good. For the first time since the accident with the drop ship, there was a chance to save the children.

Chapter Eighteen

A squat, bug-like work module sat near a large pool of bubbling lava. Several blackened metal pipes led from the work module to the pool. A much larger pipe led from the module to a large lava field. Globs of half liquid lava burped from this tube, leaving a mound of cooling leftovers from whatever processing was happening inside the module.

The air inside the portable mining rig was hot and oily. The smell of raw hydrocarbons burned the eyes and filled the nose and mouth with a bitter tang. The man hunched over a workstation did not seem to notice. In fact, his grimy clothes and blotchy skin made him almost seem like one more piece of neglected equipment.

“Cappy, we got a definite problem here.” The voice came from the dirty looking fellow hunched over a battered display console. The console was patchwork of scavenged parts and homemade doohickeys and it was a wonder that it worked at all. Everything about the room was worn and poorly maintained. It could only lead to one conclusion: that whoever did take care of this place did not take much pride in its appearance.

A burly, fearsome-looking man kicked open the door to the room, sending bits of trash and equipment flying. “What did you say Burgess? You know I don’t like bad news.”

“Sorry, Cappy, I just call em like I see em.” Burgess eyed Cappy, looking concerned, but not overly so.

“Well…what’s the problem. You got me out of the bathroom for this. It had better be good.”

Burgess let Cappy stew for a few more moments and then continued. “We got a problem with the ionization.”

“What problem, we knew it was gonna happen sooner or later. We got our ships shielded for when we gotta get out.” Cappy was irritated that he had been bothered with something that they knew was going to happen.

Burgess gave him a sly smile. “Oh, it ain’t the ions that’s got me concerned. It’s whoever is scanning em.”

“Scanning? What do you mean. Get to the point or I’ll dump you in one of the smelters.” Cappy was feeling particularly crusty today and didn’t have time for Burgess’ games.

“Scanning, sir. I mean to say that someone on the outside is scanning the atmosphere.” Burgess’s manners always improved with the mention of bodily harm. “We have guests out in the black, and they want to know why they can’t get in.”

Cappy cursed. Things just never did go right for him. Cappy Weiss was a survivor, but just barely. The universe always conspired to throw a wrench into his plans, no matter how careful he was. Of course that could have something to do with his tendency to cut corners and his irrational belief that he was the smartest person in the known universe.

Cappy harrumphed loudly, scratched his greasy head and nodded. There was nothing to be done but wrap up the operation and high-tail it off this rock before he got caught.

“Alright, Burgess, keep an eye on the scan and buzz me if they figure a way through. Meanwhile, tell the boys to be ready ta drop and burn if’n they do get through.” Cappy sighed sullenly and went back to the bathroom.

Chapter Seventeen

Flim pressed himself to the trunk of a tree, trying with everything he had to not move. He had somehow felt the presence of the creatures before they had revealed themselves near the crashed ship. Perhaps it was because he was an excellent sneaker, so he knew what to listen for. Their presence was overwhelming and he thought there must be over a dozen of the things in the forest surrounding his friends.

Flim felt ashamed that he had not warned them, but by the time he had realized the creatures were there he only had time to blend in with a nearby tree. His skin had turned a mottled green, with streaks of brown. When he stopped moving it was impossible for anyone to tell him from the tree. He hoped that these creatures did not share his ability to detect other hidden folk.

These creatures blended into the foliage nearly as well as Flim, but it was more because of their natural color. It did not seem like they could change color like Flim could. Their soft, feather-like skin helped them blend in too.

Flim heard Devon talking into his WristVid, but could not quite make out what he said. Flim wanted so much to warn Devon, but staying hidden might be his only chance to help if it came down to the worst. Flim watched his friends leave the clearing, shouting his name. He listened, holding his breath, until he could no longer hear their call. The presence of the creatures faded too. He knew that he was alone again…or so he thought.

Flim nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard rustling coming from a nearby bush. He froze, not daring to move a muscle as the bush shook. Relief flooded into him as he saw Sammy, Devon’s luggage, emerging from the underbrush. Sammy hesitated for a moment at the edge of the clearing. A slender stalk emerged from some hidden part of Sammy and scanned the clearing. It swung back and forth several times before stopping, pointed directly at Flim. The stalk disappeared once again, back into its hidden compartment. Sammy trundled toward Flim, as if he had called the chest. Sammy stopped, as if waiting for Flim to meet him halfway.

Flim let go of the tree and approached Sammy slowly. He nearly feinted when Sammy turned on his stubby legs and trundled off in the direction Devon and the others had gone.

“Wait, where are you going?” Flim called after the scuttling luggage. Sammy did not even slow down. Flim rushed to catch up. Luckily, Sammy’s stubby legs could only carry him so fast through the soft dirt of the forest floor. Flim was able to catch up without much problem.

As they made their way through the forest Flim caught brief snatches of the far off voices of his friends calling for him. Each time he heard them it sent a pang of guilt through him. Flim had never considered himself a hero, but he had never seen himself as a coward either. But there was part of him that felt like he was a coward for not helping Devon and the others. He could not think of what he could have done, but not even trying made him feel like a chicken. His only hope was to follow his friends and try to rescue them. He hoped that he could, or he might not ever be able to forgive himself.

Flim and Sammy followed Devon and the others for nearly an hour, careful not to be seen by the creatures. Sammy trundled along by Flim’s side, his legs beating a soft rhythm on the forest floor. Flim found the steady sound relaxing. Some of his tension drained away, leaving behind a feeling of hope that he could do something to free his friends. Sammy stopped abruptly, disturbing Flim’s thoughts.

Flim stopped as well, peering into the underbrush making sure he had not been seen. He concentrated for a moment and his skin darkened, turning a deep green to match the nearby bushes. He crept forward, carefully avoiding anything that might make noise as he passed. He inched slowly, ever so slowly, forward. As quietly as a mouse he crept through the bushes. He was rewarded by the sight of several of the creatures standing in a clearing up ahead.

Flim moved even closer, just close enough to catch sight of his friends as well. Flim froze as two more of the creatures strode into the clearing. One of the creatures, a huge one, strode toward the creature who had been leading Devon and his friends away. The two clasped hands. The feeling that something was going to happen filled the air. It was almost like electricity. The stood, their hands together, for what seemed like forever. Flim considered trying to move closer several times, but each time he tried he was filled with a strange feeling of hesitation. Something inside of him was telling him to wait.

Finally, the two creatures dropped their hands. The large creature trumpeted, starting Flim in his hiding spot. Flim watched in disbelief as all of the creatures except for two left the clearing. What happened next shocked Flim even more. First Devon and then Jacinda touched the creatures. Flim stared in horror as Jacinda collapsed, sobbing. Had the creature hurt her? He held his anger in check. It looked like Merrell and Devon were doing all they could to help her, and Flim could not very well rescue his friends if he was captured too.

Flim decided that it was time he started planning his rescue. There was no telling when he would get a better chance. With only two of the creatures nearby, he and his friends had them outnumbered, but that was sure to change soon enough.

Taking a deep breath, Flim began working his way around the clearing ahead. If he could get close enough for Devon or one of the others to hear him, perhaps they could be ready when it was time to escape. He crept closed, looking for a way to approach his friends without being seen, but it just was not possible.

Flim watched as Devon jumped to his feet and blurted out the name “Sammy”. After that things happened so quickly Flim lost control of his color changing and began a shade of bright pink. Fortunately, everyone else was as surprise by the ensuing aerial display that nobody noticed.

Chapter Sixteen

The creatures surrounding Devon and the others watched them with interest. They grew especially interested when Jacinda began speaking to Devon.

“Where do you think they are taking us?” She asked.

“I’m can’t be sure, but I guess wherever they are taking us must be safe from the bowzers. They must have learned how to deal with them…or they wouldn’t be there.” Jacinda began to say something else, but stopped when the creature leading them stopped and cocked his head, as if listening for something. He sniffed the air, turned and motioned at two of the creatures that were accompanying them.

Those two disappeared into the trees, all but invisible among the foliage.

“It’s no wonder we didn’t see them creeping around earlier. Those feathers blend in to the leaves perfectly. They must have been watching us the whole time.”

“I don’t think those are feathers.” Merrell spoke up for the first time since they had been taken. “When the creature touched me it didn’t feel like feathers.”

Jacinda turned to him, a question in her eyes. “What did it feel like?”

Merrell’s brow furrowed in thought for a moment. “This is gonna sound weird…but it felt like it feels when you are rolling around in the grass.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Devon asked.

“Well, have you ever rolled around in grass? You know how it is kinda soft, but scratchy at the same time? And, it didn’t feel warm, like our hands.”

“I guess…but how could that be?” Devon glanced at Jacinda, looking for any help she could offer.

Jacinda simply shrugged. “Don’t ask me, on the mining colony we didn’t have grass, so I’ve never rolled in it.”

Merrell grinned sheepishly at Devon and Jacinda. “I know this sounds crazy, but I don’t think they are…like us. I think they’re, plants, maybe.” Even he did not seem convinced by his own argument.

“Maybe that is why they don’t talk,” Devon added. That would make sense.

Their conversation was interrupted by a hoot from the forest just ahead. Two of the creatures emerged from forest, approaching the one who had led Devon and his friends here. One of the approaching creatures was much larger than the others. As it neared the group it held out its hand. The creature who had led the children reached out and grasped the offered hand. They each closed their eyes and a low thrumming resonated through the clearing. The two creatures stood unmoving in the late afternoon sunlight.

Jacinda started to say something but a pointed look from the other newcomer silenced her. A few more minutes passed as Devon, Jacinda and Merrell traded shrugs and confused expressions. The creatures had made it obvious that this meeting, or whatever it was, should not be disturbed.

What did they expect from the children? Why had they taken them? Would they be safe? Where was Flim? All of these questions weighed on Devon’s mind. Right now it did not seem like these creatures were ready to give them any answers.

Five minutes turned into fifteen minutes and then into a half an hour. Devon felt the urge to ask how long this would take, but remembering the look that Jacinda had gotten from one of the creatures convinced him to hold his tongue for now.

Abruptly the communing of the two creatures ended. The larger one hooted so loudly that it almost sounded like an elephant trumpeting. At this all of the creatures, except for the two newcomers, disappeared into the nearby forest.

Jacinda shook he head. “I’m sure they are not gone. I’ll bet they are all still creeping around close by. Dumb creepers.” She crossed her arms and harrumphed in irritation.

The large creature stepped forward and eyed the children. He towered over them, bigger than most adult humans. Devon watched the creature as it looked them over. He thought that despite its fearsome appearance, it had kind eyes.

The creature stepped closer to Devon and put out its hand, just as it had earlier. He glanced over his shoulder at Jacinda and Merrell, who shrugged, as unsure of what he should do as he was. This close to the creature his nose detected the rich, earthy aroma of moss, like a damp forest. The smell was somehow comforting.

Swallowing his fears, Devon grasped the creature’s hand. It felt just as Merrell had described, soft yet scratchy, like deep, dry grass. The creature’s hand closed gently around Devon’s. This time Devon both heard and felt the thrumming. It filled his chest with a giggly feeling, like the feeling you get when you swing a little too high and your heart flutters in your chest.

Suddenly images tumbled into Devon’s head. He saw a huge forest that made this one look like a garden. He saw oceans at sunset with the waves sparkling like fields of jewels. He saw clear, cool nights filled with meteor showers like fireworks. Devon even saw things that he could not understand, but made his heart sing anyway. The strongest image he received was of a vast range of mountains covered in smoke. Several large peaks glowed with the red of lava and belched smoke and ash into a dreary, gray sky.

Devon’s head was filled with so many images that he had trouble sorting them out. It was as if he were living a lifetime in only minutes. Just when he felt like he could not take anymore, the creature released his hand.

Devon looked up, staring into to creature’s eyes. A connection, like a spark passed between the two. He suddenly realized that the creature had shown him parts of its own life. Somehow it had shared its experiences with him. Devon realized that this must be how the creatures communicated. The first creature that had touched Merrell had only been trying to communicate. Devon had probably frightened the creatures by trying to stop it.

Devon’s head was filled with so many thoughts and images that he stood dumbfounded for a moment. He took a deep breath and tried to sort them out. One of the strongest was a feeling of peace, just like Merrell had described. Perhaps the creatures were trying to reassure Devon and the others that they meant them no harm. But that didn’t explain why they took them away from the ship. The creatures must want something from them, Devon thought.

He also had another image in his head. It was an image of just a few moments ago when Jacinda had called the creatures creepers. He sensed acceptance, as if they had taken the name as their own. They liked the name and felt it suited them. He also remembered an image that he thought might be the creature’s name. He could only translate it as DeepRoot.

“Well, Jacinda, they like the name you gave them.” Devon chuckled.

“What?” Jacinda looked confused. “How do you know?”

“They told me, sort of. I think they communicate with their minds, but not with words. When I touched the big one’s hand I saw all kinds of things in my head. It was showing me its life. I think that is how they communicate. With images.”

Merrell clapped his hands. “That is what I saw. I knew there was something to it.”

“How can you be sure?” Jacinda shook her head, unconvinced.

Merrell and Devon looked at her, both wearing irritated looks.

Devon stepped toward her. “Just wait, Jacinda. You will be just as sure when it happens to you.” Merrell nodded in agreement when Jacinda looked his way.

The young girl glared back at Devon and Merrell. “Why can’t I do it too?”

The boys shrugged. Devon stepped toward her, trying to lay a calming hand on her shoulder. “I’m not sure why DeepRoot hasn’t talked to you yet.”

“DeepRoot? So you are on a first name basis now?”

“I think that is his name. It just popped into my head.”

Jacinda cocked her head in thought seeming to ponder a decision. Finally she nodded and strode toward DeepRoot. She stuck out her hand, waiting for the creeper to take hold of it. Instead it shied away from her, perhaps uncertain of her intensions. Jacinda grunted angrily and stepped forward, her hand held out. DeepRoot skipped away from the offered hand and hooted loudly.

The smaller creeper who had been standing nearby suddenly stepped forward, placing itself between Jacinda and the large creeper. Jacinda took several steps back, but quickly regained her courage. Once again, she held out her hand to the creeper, this time to the smaller one.

It looked back at DeepRoot, who gestured at it. The smaller creeper gently took Jacinda’s hand, filling the girl’s head with racing images. She knew instantly that this creeper’s name was ClearSky. She saw images of groups of smaller creepers gathered together in a field, arms raised to the sky, as if they were soaking up the streaming rays of sunlight. Other, larger creepers moved among them, seeing to their needs. She also saw images of vast forests and serene oceans. Suddenly the images grew more intense. She saw the same field of small creepers, but this time a spaceship was raining fire among the field of creepers. The larger creepers ran among the smaller, trying to save as many as they could from the flames. With a flash of pain Jacinda realized that the smaller creepers were rooted in place and had to be pulled up before they could escape. She could feel the anguish of the keepers as the fire forced them to flee the field, leaving behind many of their charges.

Jacinda began to sob when the creeper broke contact. She fell to her knees, unable to control her crying. Devon and Merrell rushed to her side, desperate to see if she was okay.

“Oh, Merrell,” she sobbed, “someone attacked their young. So many died.” Merrell knelt down and cradled her in his big arms.

Devon felt like an intruder in their moment of grief. He stood up and approached DeepRoot.

“DeepRoot, what is going on? Who did this.” DeepRoot did not respond, merely cocked his head at Devon. Perhaps he could not understand the question. Did the creepers want their help? Could that be what they were trying to tell them? Devon tried several more times to make himself understood, but failed each time. Finally he decided to take a break. He slipped off his backpack, looking for a place to rest for a moment. He found a soft spot in the grass and sat down, rummaging through his pack for a waterpouch. It was too bad that all he had was water. He could use a nice bit of juice. That would be nice. Sammy always had plenty on hand.

Devon jumped up in shock. He realized that Sammy was not here. He had not seen him since they started looking for Flim. He had completely forgotten about Sammy.

“Sammy,” he blurted before regaining his self control.

Devon only had a moment to think about his missing luggage before the sky lit up with a flash like nothing Devon had ever seen. For a moment he was distracted by a flash of something pink hidden among the bushes just outside of the clearing, but his attention was soon drawn back to the sky by more flashes, each a different color. The whole sky glowed, like they were inside of some sort of giant globe and some unknown giant was shining different color glowsticks at it. The display continued for quite a while, mesmerizing the children and the creepers. Its hauntingly beautiful hues danced across the sky from horizon to horizon. The patterns changed constantly, whirling in complicated swirls and eddies of light.

Chapter Fifteen

Fifteen minutes had passed and Deke had not heard from Devon and his friends. Concern etched his face. He decided to give them a couple more minutes before really growing concerned. Perhaps they simply forgot to check in…he hoped.

Deke waited for two more minutes and then Keyed open the microphone on his WristVid.

“Devon, please respond. You are late for your check-in.”

He waited for a moment, listening for a response. His WristVid remained silent. He keyed the button again.

“Devon, I repeat, please respond. Are you there?”

Deke shook his head. He hoped that they had simply gotten out of range and it was not something worse. He tried to convince himself that they had gone out of range looking for Flim and would be calling at any moment. Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to quite convince himself.

Deke felt that it was his responsibility to keep all of the children safe. If he went out looking for Devon and the others there would not be anyone to watch the children here on the drop ship. He was also still did not know the full extent of his injuries. He had not passed out again, but he still got light headed at times. He just could not take that risk. His only choice was to pray and hope for the best.

When they did come back Deke planned on having a bit more than harsh words for Flim for running off. He knew Flim had a wild streak. Deke had been accused of that more than once as a child. But he would never have believed that Flim would run off like this, but he obviously had.

Deke cursed himself for letting Devon and the others go outside. He should have done it himself. What had he been thinking? Those kids were in danger, and it was all his fault. If they did not make it back before nightfall, they would be in great danger from the bowzers.

Chapter Fourteen

Devon's eyes scanned the nearby trees carefully. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, sending a shiver down his back.

"Does anyone else feel like they are being watched?" Devon whispered, trading glances with Flim, Jacinda, and Merrell.

They all nodded in agreement.

Devon tapped the transmit button on his WristVid. "Mr. Jacobs? Are you there?" He waited for a response for several moments. "Hello, Mr. Jacobs?" There was still no response.

Devon's mind began to race, filled with images of Deke lying unconscious in the aisle of the drop ship, the children all around him screaming in panic.

Devon nearly jumped when Deke’s voice came out of his WristVid. “I’m here Devon. You sound upset, is everything okay?”

Devon paused for a moment, trying to keep the fear out of his voice. “We are okay, but I am getting a bad feeling…like we are being watched.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure it is just your imagination. What we need to worry about right now is getting you back inside. We have plenty of time before nightfall, but I want you in here a lot sooner than that.”

“So what do we do?”

“I think we can open one of the emergency doors and lower a rope or something down to you. We just have to find something like a rope. It should not take more than a few minutes.”

Devon sighed in relief and turned to the others. “I think that’ll make us all feel better. Right guys?”

Jacinda and Merrell nodded in agreement, but there was no sign of Flim. Devon gave the others a confused look.

“Where in the world did Flim go?”

Jacinda looked around, her eyes wide. “I’m not sure. He was just here.”

Merrell and Devon began looking as well, scanning the area for any sign of their friend. Unfortunately, there was no sign.

“Flim! Where are you?” Jacinda called loudly, her voice on the edge of panic. Looking pleadingly at Devon, she seemed about to cry. In a flash her worry turned to anger as she realized that Devon was trying to suppress a grin. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth shrank down to an angry scowl.

“What…is going on?” Jacinda’s hands moved to her hips, her whole posture teetering on the edge of exasperation. “This had better not be some kind of dumb joke.”

Devon finally mastered his mirth and managed to respond. “No, it’s not a joke…exactly. But…you know Flim. He likes to play tricks on people, and I’m sure this is one of his tricks.”

“But where did he go?” Jacinda asked. Merrell was looming over her shoulder, a look of expectation on his face as well.

“Hmm, that is a little hard to explain.” Devon paused, not really wanting to reveal Flim’s special talent. Devon began to wither under her relentless glare. “Let’s just say he is really good at hiding.”

Jacinda signed, shaking her head, uttering a single word. “Boys.”

Merrell stifled a snicker as well, earning him a sharp look from Jacinda as well.

The sound of rustling leaves broke the building tension, drawing all of their attention toward the deep forest surrounding the hilltop. All three friends peered into the undergrowth, expecting to see Flim emerge with a smile of triumph on his face.

When no one appeared they all looked at each other, confused.

Jacinda was the first to speak. “Okay, so where is he? I honestly didn’t think he had this kind of patience.”

“I have no…” The words caught in Devon’s throat as a figure emerged from the undergrowth behind Jacinda and Merrell.

Jacinda recognized the look of surprise on Devon’s face and began to turn. “It’s about time you…” She froze as well when she saw the figure. It surely was not Flim.

The creature, if that word could be used, stood upright. It was about the same height as Jacinda, but the similarities ended there. What looked like soft green feathers covered its entire body. Bright amber eyes peered out of the green, fuzzy face, almost like those of a friendly puppy. The creature shifted, turning slightly toward Merrell, whose back was still turned.

Jacinda’s eyes grew wide as the creature reached out to touch Merrell. He flinched when the creature made contact with his arm, but then seemed to relax, a look of contentment on his face.

Devon leaped forward toward Merrell. His friend seemed to be under some sort of spell, but if he could jar him, perhaps it would be broken. Devon bowled over the larger boy. The two went down in a heap, tangled together and struggling.

The creature hopped back, just barely avoiding ending up on the ground with Devon and Merrell. With a fluttering that sounded like leaves in a stiff wind, it scampered back into the undergrowth, quickly disappearing, its green ruff blending perfectly with the surrounding leaves.

With a grunt, Merrell pushed Devon off of him. He sat up, scowling. “Why did you do that.”

Devon stared at him, eyes wide. “Are you kidding? That thing was doing something to you. I thought I was saving you.”

“Saving me? I don’t know about that.” The blush of embarrassment began to fill Merrell’s face. “I mean…it seemed friendly enough.”

Jacinda shook her head. “Not to Devon and me. It looked like it was taking control of you.”

Merrell shook his head. “Why would you think that? I’m strong and can take care of myself. Just because I’m big doesn’t mean I have a weak mind.” He scowled at Devon, perhaps more angry than he should be.

“That’s not what I meant…not at all,” Devon said. “I was just afraid that I might be losing a new friend. I didn’t want anything to happen to you.”

Merrell’s face softened, the anger draining away. “Oh, well I guess I owe you an apology then, Devon.” Merrell scrambled to his feet and offered Devon a hand up.

Devon took his hand and got to his feet. “No worries, Merrell, I was just watching out for you.”

Merrell still seemed unsure. “Are you sure…I mean, it didn’t hurt me.”

“But it grabbed you.” Jacinda interrupted.

Merrell shook his head slowly. “You are probably right, but it just didn’t feel dangerous. It felt friendly.”

Jacinda stared at him in confusion. “I still don’t understand.”

Merrell hesitated, his eyes full of thought. “Well, I don’t know if I can really explain it. I mean, I was startled when it touched me, but just as quickly I calmed down. I got this image in my head of my home, back in New California. It was like I was looking at a postcard of one of those fun, summer days when I had nothing to worry about. It was almost like I was back there.”

Merrell looked back at the trees where the creature had disappeared. He wore a look of longing. “It just felt so wonderful.”

Jacinda walked up to Merrell and put her hand on his shoulder. He looked back at her, still almost overcome with emotion.

“Are you gonna be okay?” She asked, concern showing in her voice.

Merrell signed. “Sure…I’ll be fine…it’s just been a long time since I felt that way. My brothers and I have been away at school for so long I guess I just miss home. We haven’t been back for three years.”

Jacinda and Devon were obviously shocked by this news. Devon began to ask Merrell about it, but bit off his question when Jacinda gave him a warning look.

“It’s okay, Merrell,” Jacinda gave his shoulder another squeeze, “You’ll get to go home…and I bet it will be soon, with everything that has happened to us.”

Merrell smiled. “You are probably right…but that still doesn’t explain why I thought about it. It was almost as if I had no choice.” He thought for a moment, “I think that the creature did it.”

“Why would it do that?” Devon asked, suddenly very interested.

“If I had to guess, I’d say it was trying to tell me something. I think it was trying to communicate.”

Jacinda’s eyes furrowed skeptically. “Communicate? Why did it sneak up on us if it was trying to communicate.”

“Maybe it was afraid of us.“ Devon commented.

“Beep, beep.” Devon’s WristVid chirped, interrupting their discussion.

Devon thumbed a button, answering in an excited voice. “Mr. Jacobs, you will never believe what just happened.”

“No time for that now, Devon,” Deke interrupted him. “We need to get you inside, as soon as we can.”

“Okay, but we have to find Flim first.”

“What?” Anger showed in Deke’s voice. “Where did he run off to?”

Jacinda stepped to Devon’s side so she could be heard. “Mr. Jacobs, that is not all. We just encountered a very interesting creature.”

“Jacinda, I appreciate your curiosity, but I couldn’t give two hoots about that. I want you to find Flim and get back to the ship. We have rigged up a makeshift rope and we will be pulling you up through one of the emergency exits.”

“But Mr. Jacobs.” Jacinda pleaded.

“No argument Ms. Vasquez. Do as I instructed.” Deke’s use of Jacinda’s last name signaled that he would not be moved.

Devon shrugged his shoulders, giving Jacinda resigned look. After a moment he spoke into his WristVid, “We will find Flim and come back to the ship. I’ll let you know as soon as we find him.”

“Good, just don’t go too far into the forest. I don’t want you getting out of range of your WristVid. Make sure you contact me every fifteen minutes.”

“Yes sir.” Devon deactivated his WristVid.

Jacinda huffed in frustration. “Okay, we have to find Flim as soon as we can.”

Merrell nodded. “Then we can go back to the ship.”

“No, I don’t think so. At least not yet.” Jacinda said, shaking her head.

Devon and Merrell both turned to look at Jacinda, mouths open in disbelief.

Jacinda began to make her way into the forest as she spoke. “Wait, before you say anything. We will do what Mr. Jacobs said. We will look for Flim, but why can’t we look for that creature too? We will contact Mr. Jacobs every fifteen minutes, just like we said we would. We just have to take our time finding Flim.”

“I don’t know about this, Jacinda.” Devon looked skeptical.

“Trust me, Devon. Maybe these creatures can help us.”

Devon and Merrell followed Jacinda into the forest. They all called Flim’s name and scanned the surrounding underbrush for any sign of their friend.

Tall, wide trees cast the land into deep shade. Thin, fern-like plants huddled around the trucks of the trees. Soft, grey grass covered the ground everywhere else. Walking on the grass felt like walking in think foam. It gave under their feet and sprang back up behind them, leaving little trace of their passage. As they moved deeper into the forest, the light grew dimmer, blocked by the ever thicker canopy above.

They continued to call out to Flim, but got no response. Devon soon realized that if they went much further into the forest, they may not be able to find their way back.

“Jacinda, Merrell, I think we need to turn back. I doubt that Flim would have gone this far, and we better not get lost.”

“But Devon, we can’t just leave him out here,” Jacinda said, determination showing in her voice.

“I wouldn’t suggest it if I thought we had any choice. But…”

A soft, melodious hoot interrupted their conversation. The hoot had come from a particularly dense clump of underbrush directly in front of them.

Devon, Jacinda and Merrell all froze in their tracks.

“What was that?” A note of fear showed in Jacinda’s voice.

Merrell stepped protectively between Jacinda and the undergrowth. “Whatever it was, it didn’t sound dangerous, but I suggest we get out of here.”

“I agree,” Devon added hastily.

“But, Flim…” Jacinda was still hesitant to leave their friend to fend for himself.

Merrell turned and took Jacinda by the hand. “We have to worry about ourselves right now. We can’t help him if something happens to us.” He started back the way they had come, pulling Jacinda along with him by her hand. They head the hoot again. This was enough to convince Devon that it was wise to leave.

They had gone only a few yards when they heard another hoot, but this one came from the forest to their right. It was immediately answered by another hoot on their left. The friends picked up their pace but were brought up short by the sound of rustling leaves coming from the undergrowth directly in front of them.

“Flim?” Devon asked, his voice nervous. He was answered by several more hoots from the direction they faced.

The brush moved, like a breeze was moving though it, and parted. Two of the green creatures seemed to materialize right out of the bushes. They were undistinguishable from the one they had seen earlier. These did, however, seem upset. Their deep brown eyes looked almost angry.

The larger of the two creatures carried a sharpened stick and motioned for the friends to stop. Devon thought about running for a moment, but a quick look over his shoulder revealed that several more of the creatures had materialized right behind them.

The creature with the stick seemed to be in charge. It motioned at the others, who quickly surrounded the children. The leader slowly approached Merrell, perhaps assuming the he was their leader because of his larger size. The creature studied Merrell, its brown eyes intent and intelligent. After a few moments it motioned with its stick and the circle of creature opened. The leader scampered past the children and motioned for them to follow.

When Devon and the others didn’t follow, it motioned again and hooted for emphasis. It seemed like they didn’t have any choice but to follow. They made their way deeper into the forest, following the leader, surrounded by at least a dozen of the green creatures.