The Ruins of Arlandia

Chapter Ten: Arlandia



The next morning, the ship dropped out of hyperspace. Calvin was exhausted from not being able to sleep, and he had a hard time eating breakfast. He was full of nervous excitement, and he wished that Jax was there. He was still trying to wake up when he stumbled up the stairs onto the bridge. Ion and the other robots were already there.

Calvin stared across space at a small planet way off in the distance. It was a beautiful blue and green planet.

“Is that it?” Calvin asked in awe. “That’s Arlandia?”

“Yes, that’s Arlandia.”

Calvin was amazed. He never thought that he would actually get to see Arlandia, the planet his people originally came from. He grew up hearing stories. It was once a great and powerful planet, back when the Arlandians were respected leaders in the galaxy. They had a huge space fleet and advanced technology. All of that was gone. Sadly, the only thing that remained was the stories.

“Master Calvin,” Ion said. “I want you to have this.” He handed Calvin a small electronic device.

“What’s this?” Calvin asked, taking it from Ion. It was a square electronic device. It was very small, smaller than his thumb.

“Everyone will be speaking Alerian. This will translate for you, so you can understand them.

“Great,” Calvin said. “How does it work?”

“Just keep it in your pocket,” Ion said. “It generates a special electromagnetic field around your body. Any sound waves that you are exposed to are automatically converted into sounds that your brain can understand. It works both ways. When you speak, it will convert your speech into sounds that others can understand. That’s the easiest way for me to explain it.”

“Oh,” Calvin said. “Wow, that’s amazing.”

Calvin put it in his front pants pocket. For several seconds, his head swam, and he felt very dizzy. He was glad he was sitting down. After a few seconds, he felt normal again.

“How do I know if it works?” Calvin asked.

Just at that moment one of the black robots came up the stairs.

“Sir, sensors are detecting seven Alerian ships moving toward us. They are requesting docking instructions."

“It works,” Calvin said.

“Direct them to hangar bay three,” Ion said.

“Yes, Sir.”

Ion turned to Calvin. “Sir, the Alerians are very excited about meeting you. We need to go meet them.”

Calvin followed Ion to the elevator. “OK, that sounds good.”

Nobody talked during the long elevator ride, and Calvin had time to think about the impending meeting. He was nervous and didn’t know what to expect. Plus, he felt uncomfortable being the center of attention. They probably thought they were meeting someone who was very important—a prince or a captain. He was afraid that they would be disappointed when they found out it was just Calvin, a lowly lieutenant. They stepped out of the elevator and into a small control room. The walls were covered with buttons, dials, and small computer screens. There was a computer station under a row of large glass windows, which looked out over a massive empty room. The ceiling was very high, and every inch of it was covered with lights. The hanger bay was very bright.

“Sir, will you please open the hanger doors?” Ion asked.

“Sure, no problem,” Calvin said. He walked to a computer and studied it. Ion stood behind him, watching. Calvin found a silver panel with a single lever in the middle. It seemed the translation device worked with written words as well. On the top of the panel were written the words, “hangar bay doors.” Calvin pulled the lever all the way down. A line of flashing, spinning red lights appeared in the middle of the doors that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. The lights separated, and the giant doors opened to the blackness of space. A faint purple glow lit up the edges.

“What’s that purple glow?” Calvin asked.

“There’s a force field covering the open door, to prevent all of the air from being sucked out into space.”

“How do ships get in and out?”

“Spaceships can easily fly through it. It’s a soft force field. Its only purpose is to keep the air inside.”

Suddenly a large white spaceship appeared on the other side of the purple force field. Slowly and gracefully it glided in. Large columns of steam erupted from the bottom of the ship, and four large landing gears lowered. There was a very loud whooshing sound as they touched down. The engine noise slowly died away. After Calvin closed the doors, he and Ion got back into the elevator and rode it one level down to the main floor of the hangar bay. It was time to meet the people from Aleria. Ion and Calvin walked across the floor. The floor was white and felt like sandpaper. A hatch on the side of the spaceship slid open sideways, and a ramp extended to the floor. There was a column of steam, and another door opened. Several people emerged from the ship, and they walked down the ramp.

The first two people down wore black uniforms and carried rifles. It was obvious to Calvin that they were guards. When they got to the bottom of the ramp, they took up a position on each side. They both stared at Calvin and smiled.

The next people down the ramp were dressed differently. They wore very nice-looking clothes. There was a woman and a man. The woman had long, dark red hair and wore a purple dress. The dress was beautiful, but it also had a simple quality to it. The man had short black hair, and he wore a uniform, but it was different from the ones the guards were wearing. His was black, but it had a lot of red on it. It looked formal, and it had medals and ribbons all over it.

When they saw Calvin, they immediately smiled and quickly walked over to him. Their arms were stretched out, reaching toward him.

“Hello my friend,” the man said warmly. “I’m Lord Fulton, king of Aleria. We have been waiting so very long for this day to come, when we would get to finally meet you.”

“We never thought we would ever see another Arlandian again,” the woman said. “This is just…” The lady stopped, unable to continue as she fought back tears. Overcome by the power of the moment, the man and woman reached out and touched Calvin. First they took his hands in theirs, and then they embraced him in a hug. It was as if they had found a lost child. After a moment, they stepped back, wiping tears from their faces.

“I’m sorry. I’m Lady Tridara, queen of Aleria. Please forgive us.”

“Yes,” Lord Fulton said. “We aren’t normally this emotional with strangers, but we’re not really strangers, are we? We’re family, and we just found a long-lost member of our family. What is your name, young man?” Fulton asked.

“My name is Calvin, Sir,” Calvin stuttered, choked by emotions. “Calvin Range.”

“Range,” Fulton repeated in a whisper. “Amazing.”

When she heard Calvin’s name, Lady Tridara put her hand on Fulton’s arm and squeezed. Calvin was so caught up in the moment that he didn’t notice Lady Tridara comment to Lord Fulton, “Oh, yes. I see the resemblance now.”

“Will you please join us on our ship?” Fulton asked. “We have prepared a small reception for you. Our people are very anxious to meet you, and we want to hear about what happened to Arlandia.”

Calvin was feeling a little overwhelmed. “Sure,” was all that he was able to say.

“Alpha Seven,” Fulton said to Ion.

“Yes, Sir,” Ion answered.

“Put Aleria’s Hope on full alert. Our scouts have reported enemy activity in the nearby system. I want the ship ready for full combat, just in case, and send the word out to the fleet as well.”

“Yes, Sir,” Ion answered. “I will see you later, Master Calvin.” He turned and got back into the elevator.

Lord Fulton and Lady Tridara each took one of Calvin’s arms, and they guided him up the ramp into their spaceship. The guards followed them but disappeared once they were inside, and the doors closed.

They walked down a plain-looking corridor and into a room that had a table in the middle and a row of windows looking out into the hanger bay.

Fulton motioned for Calvin to sit down. It didn’t take long for the room to fill with people. Some were sitting at the table; others were standing along the sides of the room. All of the people were staring at Calvin, smiling uncontrollably. Several were crying tears of joy.

“I have to apologize again,” Fulton said. “Everyone’s not here, so you might have to tell your story a few times today, but please tell us, what happened to Arlandia? What happened to your people?”

Calvin told them the story of the defeat of Arlandia, and the exodus from all of their inhabited planets to the only surviving colony in the outer rim, New Arlandia. Fulton and Tridara listened intently the whole time. While he was talking, Calvin felt the ship take off, and he watched out the window as they flew into space. When he was finished talking, the room was quiet. The atmosphere was very somber. Several people were softly crying.

“Now we’re scared,” Calvin continued. “We're scared of everything in the universe. So we hide on our planet. It’s forbidden to communicate with other planets and forbidden to travel outside our star system. Our leaders decided to destroy our space fleet when we arrived at New Arlandia. We have only a very small fleet. It’s very old and falling apart. There are a few people that continually work to keep it alive. So I’m afraid if you were looking for an ally to help you in the coming war, you won’t find one in Arlandia.”

“Does everyone feel that way?” Fulton asked.

“No, Sir.” Calvin said firmly. “My father taught me all about our history—the history that they don’t teach us in school. He told me that we need to be strong. We need to protect ourselves, not hide in the dark. But our voices are seldom heard.”

Fulton sat quietly, considering what Calvin had said.

“Time is running out for my people, and for yours," Fulton said sadly. “Over the last two years the Goremog have systematically hunted us down and destroyed us. There are only a few thousand of us left. We have to find all of the pieces of the super weapon and put them together before it’s too late. If we fail, we’re doomed. There will be nowhere in this universe we can hide. The Goremog are building their own super weapon, and when they are done they will destroy everything.”

The severity of the situation shocked Calvin. He had heard the same thing from Ion, but hearing it from the king somehow made it more real. He knew it was desperate, but he didn’t know it was that bad.

His voice was shaky, but he managed to say, “Of course I will do what I can to help.” Inside he was thinking, “No pressure or anything.”

Fulton smiled warmly, putting his hand on Calvin’s shoulder. “I know you will, son. There is a reason we found you at this time. There is still hope. But first, we must find the first piece of the weapon. Will you help us?”

“Of course, Sir,” Calvin said. “I’ll help. What can I do?”

“Commander,” Fulton gestured to a uniformed officer who was standing near the door.

“Yes, Sir,” the man said and walked to the front of the room. There was a large computer monitor on the wall. It displayed the planet Arlandia in amazingly clear detail.

The man nodded to Calvin.

“My name is Commander Rale. It is a truly an honor to meet you, Master Range,” he said.

“Thank you,” Calvin said weakly. He was feeling a little embarrassed at all of the attention and respect he continued to receive, sure that he didn’t deserve it.

“This is Arlandia,” Commander Rale said. “Even though the Goremog devastated the planet over sixty years ago, the atmosphere is still drenched with radiation. Our sensors cannot scan the planet. There is too much interference. So we are going to fly over the surface very closely. We have more ships than we do people, so we would like you to help us search. Alpha Seven has informed me that he taught you how to fly our ships and how to use our computers and communications.”

Calvin was confused. “Alpha Seven? Oh yes, I call him Ion.” Seeing the questioning expressions on their faces, Calvin explained, “I didn’t know what to call him at first, and I thought I saw the word ‘Ion’ on his chest.” The Alerians smiled.

“Ion,” Fulton said. “I like that. He’s not a typical robot. He is very special—one of a kind. We used our most advanced technology to build him. His brain has the most advanced computer processor that our scientists have ever produced. That’s why he seems more alive than the other robots—more real.”

“Yes!” Calvin said. “I love that about him. He’s my friend.”

“Yes, I could see that. That makes me very happy. I think it would be good to keep the two of you together.” Fulton looked at Lady Tridara. She smiled at him and nodded.

“Also, my daughter Astra will go with you. She can help you.” Several people in the room smiled approvingly.

“Good,” Fulton declared. “Then let us begin the search immediately. We have a perfect ship, prepared just for you. Astra and Ion will meet you on board.” Fulton stood. When he did, everyone in the room stood.

“Follow me, Master Range,” Commander Rale said. “I’ll take you there.”

“Calvin,” Lord Fulton said. “We are honored to have your help. We finally have hope again. We will stay in contact with you. Please take care of my daughter. The Goremog have been dogging our every move. I will feel a lot safer knowing she is with you.”

“Thank you, Sir. I will,” Calvin said, and he turned and left the room. Calvin’s head swam as he followed Commander Rale down the corridor to a docking port. There they found a small shuttle docked. The doors were open, so they walked right on. Commander Rale walked directly to the pilot’s chair and sat. He immediately prepared the ship for launch. Calvin stood at the back, not sure where he was supposed to sit.

“You can sit up front with me,” Rale said to Calvin with a warm smile. Calvin sat and pulled the shoulder harness across his chest. It clicked softly as it locked into place. Two guards entered the shuttle and took seats near the exit. Calvin looked forward. He was looking out into space. The shuttle was attached to the outside of the larger ship.

Calvin sat quietly, thinking. He tried to get his head wrapped around what was going on. Did a king just ask him to take care of his daughter? He didn’t know Calvin. How did he know he was able to take care of her? Calvin wondered how old she was. He suddenly had an image of a five-year-old girl who wouldn’t be able to do anything for herself. Calvin shook his head. No, that didn’t make any sense. Did it?

“Aleria’s Crown, this is shuttle seven, requesting clearance.”

“Shuttle seven, you are cleared to depart,” a voice said over the speaker.

There was a muffled explosion followed by a loud clang, and the shuttle was floating free in space. They slowly drifted away. Commander Rale gently increased power, and the shuttle glided forward. Clearly Commander Rale was an expert pilot. Once they were far enough away, their speed increased dramatically.

Calvin wondered where they were going and how long it was going to take to get there. There was an uncomfortable silence. Calvin looked over at Commander Rale. He seemed very intent on what he was doing. Then he looked out of the front window. Off in the distance, he saw a very large ship in orbit over the planet. They were heading toward it.

“Is that where we’re going?” Calvin asked.

“Yes. That’s the Defender, our last battle cruiser,” Rale answered sadly. “Once there were over a hundred of them. Nothing could stand against them. When they entered a star system, enemy ships ran away in terror. You should have seen them! But the Goremog destroyed all the others. It’s manned almost entirely by robots now, with an Alerian crew of seventy-one.”

“Wow,” Calvin whispered. “How many robots?”

“Over five thousand.”

“Wow,” he said again involuntarily. Calvin stared at the Defender. It looked intimidating. There were hundreds of small and medium-sized laser turrets all over the ship. What impressed Calvin the most were the three massive sets of laser turrets on the front and the one on the back.

They flew into a large shuttle bay. There was only one ship parked in the cavernous bay. It was dark and looked fast. It was a beautiful ship. Commander Rale picked out a spot and gently set them down. They walked from the shuttle to the boarding ramp of the other ship, which had its boarding ramp down and its door open. Once Calvin got closer, he realized just how big the ship really was.

That was when Calvin saw her for the first time. It was a moment he would never forget. She was standing at the top of the ramp, with long brown hair that flowed over her shoulders. She was wearing a white and grey jumpsuit. When she saw Calvin she smiled and walked down the ramp. Her smile captivated him. For a moment he was lost in her gaze.

“Hi!” she said warmly. “Are you Calvin? I’m Astra.”

“Hi,” Calvin said. “Uh, yeah, I’m Calvin.”

Astra stuck out her hand. Calvin took it.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Calvin said.

“Are you ready to go?” Astra asked. “The search has started already.”

“Yes, I’m ready.” Calvin followed Astra up the ramp and into the spaceship.

“Welcome aboard the Azure Frost,” Astra said, smiling. “Let’s go to the bridge, so we can get going.”

There was an elevator next to the main airlock, which took them to the top level of the ship. They exited the elevator and walked down a long central corridor to the bridge. It was more like a large cockpit than a bridge. There were two seats in the front behind a row of computers, controls, and screens. There was also a row of windows all around the room. Whoever designed the ship made use of every space available. Even the space above their heads had controls and buttons, all lit up with hundreds of lights. There was a smaller computer station in the back of the room. Astra sat in the front right seat, and she motioned for Calvin to sit in the chair next to her.

“This is Azure Frost, requesting permission to launch,” Astra announced into the communication system.

There was a pause, and a voice answered, “Frost, you are cleared to launch.”

“Acknowledged,” Astra said calmly.

Calvin watched as Astra piloted the ship out of the hanger bay and into space. No matter how many times he saw it, the excitement of flying through space still mesmerized him. He gasped when Arlandia came into view again. There was something amazing about seeing the planet that his people came from, the planet that he’d heard about in all of the old stories. The planet had a strange orange glow surrounding it. He wondered if that was the radiation.

The ride was bumpy as they hit the atmosphere, but it didn’t last very long. Soon they were flying over the surface of Arlandia. Astra took them in low. Calvin looked down. It felt like they were very close to the ground, when in fact they were several thousand feet above it.

“Our search pattern has been preprogrammed for us,” Astra explained. “Our sensors should pick up the electronic signature of the weapon segment.” Calvin didn’t like the awkward silence. He wanted to talk to Astra but was afraid of saying something stupid. The only safe thing he could think of was, “How big is this ship?”

“It’s big,” Astra answered. “It’s about the size of a light cruiser, but designed to carry important people, like my father and mother. It has more powerful weapons and stronger shields. It has all of our most advanced technologies.”

Astra turned on the sensors. A detailed map of the ground below and around them appeared on a small monitor.

“Watch the screen,” Astra said. “When we find it, the computer will tell us.”

They searched the planet for over an hour. Calvin spent most of that time watching the computer screen, hoping they would see the first segment. The entire time the detector never made a sound. Arlandia was beautiful; they flew over huge snow-covered mountains, deep canyons, thick forests, and an uncountable number of rivers and lakes. There were also ruins of many cities, both big and small. They weren’t just ruins; it looked like the cities had been pounded into dust. There was very little remaining of them. Then suddenly, the communication system came to life.

“We found it! All ships rendezvous at our coordinates.”

Astra turned off the automatic pilot and turned the ship toward the coordinates given over the radio. The ship was remarkably fast for its size, and soon they were flying over a wide, flat plain. Dozens of spaceships, parked in a circle, were already on the ground in the middle of a small ruined city. Astra set the ship down gently in the center of the circle.

The excitement in the air was electric. Calvin was about to go outside and set foot on the planet Arlandia! Calvin and Astra took off their seatbelts and left the bridge. There was a small equipment room near the main door. There were lockers and benches to sit on, and the walls were covered with various pieces of equipment, hanging on hooks. Astra showed him how to put on a spacesuit. She said it would protect him from the radiation.

Astra opened the door and lowered the boarding ramp.

“This is it,” Astra said. “I can’t believe it. You’re the first Arlandian to return home in sixty years.”

“I know,” Calvin said. “It doesn’t seem real.”

“Come on.”

Astra walked down the ramp onto the surface. Calvin took his time. He wanted to savor the moment. He stepped through a force field and made his way down the ramp. A hot wind blasted him and nearly knocked him down. He was forced to grab the railing and hold on. When he regained his balance, he looked down at the ground. There it was, right below him, the surface of Arlandia. He was about to set foot on it; his emotions rose, and he took a deep breath. The moment wasn’t lost on the Alerians either. Hundreds of them surrounded the ship and watched as Calvin took his first steps on his ancestral home world. They were all wearing spacesuits, and they were all clapping, and some had their hands raised in the air. Calvin was smiling uncontrollably.

“Welcome home,” Astra said to Calvin.

“Yes, welcome home,” Commander Rale said, walking up to them. “This is a remarkable moment, one that we’ll never forget.”

Calvin was astonished. After hearing his dad tell him stories about Arlandia, the home world, he never dreamed he would set foot on it. He couldn’t wait to tell his father.

“We found the vault,” Commander Rale said. “This way.” He turned and led the way to a large hole in the ground. Astra stayed close to Calvin. A set of decayed concrete stairs descended into darkness, but they made their way down the broken steps with the help of flashlights. The wind howled outside, sounding scary, like a wounded monster. At the bottom was a rust-covered metal door.

The floor was a combination of eroded concrete and dirt. The walls had large fault lines in them and looked unstable.

“We scanned the room for traps. We didn’t find any,” Commander Rale said. “We’re going to need both of you for this.”

Calvin and Astra approached the door. It was flat and smooth except for a long horizontal metal bar in the middle.

“You will each have to place one hand on the bar at the same time,” Commander Rale said. “So you’ll have to take your gloves off, but the doctor has assured me that a few seconds of exposure should be all right.”

Calvin and Astra smiled at each other. Her smile was warm, and Calvin felt a glimmer of light finally piercing through the darkness that had been suffocating him since Jax died.

They both took off their gloves, and they placed their hands on the bar. At first nothing happened. Calvin was about to take his hands off and put his gloves back on when suddenly the bar changed color, from gray to dark green.

There was a collective gasp as a line appeared down the middle of the door, and it cracked open. Calvin grasped the door with both hands and pulled, but it wouldn’t budge. Two Alerians rushed forward, one above and one below Calvin, and pulled. It took the combined strength of all three, but they managed to open it. Calvin peered inside, but couldn’t see anything. It was very dark. Calvin and Astra put their gloves back on and followed the group of Alerians inside, and the flashlights swept the room.

Broken tables and chairs were spread around the room. There were also computers and lab equipment, but they looked like heaps of corroded, metal-burned wires. Everything was covered with a thick layer of dust. In the back of the room was another set of doors, which was open.

In the middle of the room was a table, with a large silver torpedo-shaped object on top. It too was covered with dust. When the Alerians saw it, they all gasped.

“There it is,” Commander Rale said excitedly. “Let’s get it moved onto the Frost quickly,” he announced to the room. Four Alerians moved forward with antigravity equipment and prepared the first segment for transport.

“Everyone else, look around and see if there is anything we should take with us. Pack up all of the computers, and look for books or manuals—things like that.”

The Alerians went to work. Large shipping containers were moved into the vault. Computers were packed up in boxes. Everything happened very quickly. Dust was kicked up in the air, making it very difficult to see.

“Remember, we don’t have much time!” Rale said loudly. Then he turned to Calvin and Astra. “I’m sorry I didn’t mention this to you right away. I suppose I didn’t want to ruin the moment. Our sensors indicate that a large fleet of Goremog spaceships is heading in this direction. We need to get done as quickly as possible and get out of here. We can’t be here when they arrive, or it will be the end of us.” The work in the vault was completed very quickly.

All of the equipment, including the first segment, were taken aboard the Azure Frost and placed in the science lab.

As Calvin climbed the steps up to the surface, he felt a deep sense of sadness. When he reached the top, he looked at the sky, and then at the ruined city around him. He wondered if, and when, he would ever come back to Arlandia. He wanted badly to have more time to explore what was left of his heritage. The stories he grew up hearing had a lot more meaning now, and he felt sad seeing what was left and wondering what could have been had things been different. Calvin looked at Astra, who had stopped and was watching him. She smiled at him. It was a smile that conveyed sympathy, as if she knew what he was thinking and feeling. Calvin trudged after her, trying to soak in as much of his surroundings as possible. Commander Rale followed them to the boarding ramp of the Azure Frost, and they stopped at the bottom.

“We’re out of time. A massive Goremog fleet just came out of hyperspace on the edge of the system. The survival of both of our peoples, and the entire galaxy, now rests with you. I’ve uploaded the location of the other nine vaults into your ship’s computer. You also have everything you will need to complete this mission. The Frost is the best ship we have, with every piece of advanced tech that we could put in it. But that doesn’t mean you can be foolish with it. The shields are very strong, and the engines are very fast, but you still need to avoid combat at all costs; that isn’t your mission. Your number-one mission is to find the other nine segments and take them to the outpost at the center of the galaxy. Assemble them there, and you will save us all. Now take off! Ion and two other robots will go with you. We will cover you until you get off of the planet and enter hyperspace.”

“Wait, we’re going by ourselves? What about my parents?” Astra asked in a shaky voice.

“Trust me, Miss Astra, we will protect them, and if we had people to send with you, we would, but we can’t. Besides, the Goremog will be chasing us, not you. I promise you, they will be safe. We will communicate with you as soon as possible. Now hurry up, get going!”

Calvin and Astra ran up the ramp, and it closed behind them. They took off their protective suits as quickly as they could and threw everything on the floor. They raced up to the bridge and jumped into the front seats. Astra started the launch sequence while she was putting her seatbelt on. There was a loud blast, and the ship jumped violently into the air. There was no smooth transition from lifting off to moving forward, and the ship lurched hard and accelerated. The sudden pressure was incredible. Calvin and Astra were smashed into the backs of their chairs until the inertia dampening system compensated.

“Calvin,” Astra shouted, competing with the loud roar of the engines. “Can you take the controls? I need to upload the new map and charge the hyperdrive engines!”

“Sure,” Calvin shouted back. He grabbed the flight controls—a half steering wheel with handgrips on each side that worked like joysticks. Both could rotate in all directions and had a trigger and buttons within reach of the thumb.

“Azure Frost!” a voice shouted over the speaker. “Activate your cloak. I can see you!”

“It is on!” Astra shouted back.

“There is something wrong with it. I’m telling you, I can see you!”

“We have a problem,” Astra said to Calvin. “This will make getting away a little more exciting.”

“Astra, head to the coordinates I’m sending you. We can cover you there!” a voice said over static.

“I’ve got it!” Calvin said as a series of numbers scrolled across a center monitor. He pulled the joystick to the left, harder than he’d intended.

“I’m setting a course to take us to the next segment,” Astra said, busy on the navigation computer.

There was a loud hiss. Flames enveloped the front of the ship, and the Azure Frost shook violently as they left the atmosphere and flew into space. Calvin gripped the flight controls tightly until his knuckles turned white. He had to force himself to relax his hands.

One of the most amazing events in his entire life was the very first time he flew into space. It was incredible. At that moment, he was certain that he would never experience anything greater. He was embarking on a training mission to learn how to navigate a spaceship. He was intimidated and scared by the idea of it. He was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to do it. But today, all that was gone. He was piloting an alien spaceship into a combat zone. It was beyond incredible. It was the most exciting and terrifying moment of his life.

As they left the atmosphere, Calvin saw something that would haunt his dreams and nightmares for the rest of his life. A large cloud of black spaceships was all around them. The spaceships were unleashing a horrific barrage of laser fire on the planet. Hundreds of Alerian spaceships were trying to escape, flying off in all directions away from the planet. Enemy ships were pursuing them, pounding them with their guns.

Suddenly two light gray Alerian ships moved up alongside of the Frost, one on each side.

“This is Broadsword. We’ve got you, Frost,” a voice said over the loudspeaker. “Stay with us, and we’ll protect you.”

The swarm of Goremog ships closed in on all sides, overwhelming the Alerians as they tried to escape. Several white and red fireballs erupted over the planet, which could only be dying ships. Suddenly several enemy ships appeared in front of them. Calvin yanked the controls hard up and to the right to avoid hitting them. The Frost shook violently as it took several direct hits. The ships in formation with them fell behind, taking direct hits themselves.

Bright flashes filled the cockpit, nearly blinding Calvin and Astra. Both had to cover their eyes before the computer darkened the windows automatically. Several of the largest attacking enemy spaceships left the orbit of Arlandia and were headed directly toward the mother ship, Aleria’s Hope.

“Sorry, Frost, we can’t stay with you, we just lost our—” There was static, and the speaker went silent.

“Broadsword!” Calvin shouted. “What’s your status?” There was no answer. “Astra, have you set a course yet?”

“Almost there!” Astra shouted back. Explosions rocked the Frost as the enemy poured on the fire. Calvin could barely hear her.

Laser shots flew wildly around the Frost. One came so close to hitting the bridge it made him jump in his chair. The room filled with a bright red light for an instant as the laser bolt filled the window in front of them. Calvin pulled hard to the right, trying not to fly in a straight line so they wouldn’t get hit. It wasn’t working. There were so many ships shooting at them, and most of them were hitting their target.

“I don’t know how much more of this our shields can take!” Calvin shouted. He managed to get a quick glance at the shield indicator. It was bright red and flashing.

“That’s it. We’re set!” Astra screamed. “Calvin, get us out of here!”

Calvin pulled down hard on the hyperspace switch. The ship vibrated, the stars disappeared, and the ship entered hyperspace. Instantly, the noise from space combat was gone, and it was quiet. Calvin and Astra sat quietly for a moment, trying to process what just happened. Calvin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After a moment, he opened them and looked over at Astra, his new friend and traveling companion. She was sitting quietly, holding her face in her hands. Tears were coming out of her eyes.

“Are you all right?” he asked gently. She didn’t answer.

“I’m sure your parents are OK,” he offered. “They must have been the most protected ship out there. We can try to contact them later.” Astra shook her head up and down.

“How long will it take us to get to the next segment?” he asked, looking at the navigation computer. On the screen was a small white planet. There was a set of coordinates and an estimated time of arrival. The time said five days, six hours.

Calvin put his hand on Astra’s arm.

“Let’s go get the second segment,” he said.