John was sitting quietly inside the carrier vessel, next to the troopers and his fellow sorcerers, brooding over what had happened in K-L556 and the visions he saw. He had a vacant gaze and his face was emotionless as he was in deep thought.

He couldn’t get out of his mind those visions he had experienced. ‘Who really is that William? Is he really a Dark Lord? Are those scrolls he mentioned accurate? Are we really bonded?’. Questions, questions and more questions; and no single answer. He was unable to understand the meaning behind those visions. No one else had mentioned experiencing anything similar, so those visions did seem to be unique to him. ‘Maybe there is some truth is what he said…’

But there was something else that bothered John. ‘Why am I becoming more and more powerful so fast? Others have been training far longer than me and yet my mastery of magic is far greater than theirs. I seem to have… abilities that others don’t. Whenever it seems I am a goner, I become stronger and somehow survive. Is this because I am a Holy Warrior? Or is it something else?’

John let out a long sigh and shrugged. He felt overwhelmed. He shut out everyone else. Although in a starship full of people, he felt alone, terribly alone. He had no idea what was happening to him, what was this ‘destiny’ William talked of. He had so many questions, yet so few answers. Too much had changed since he was a simple farmboy; too much to process. ‘I cannot keep up with all those changes!’ he mentally shouted.

“We are reaching Al-Kwad soon!” Darren shouted in order to get everyone’s attention. “Al-Kwad is the third moon of El Salvar. It is large enough to look more like a mini-planet rather than a moon, so the gravity there is about 0.5 g. Low, but greater than K-L556. It is a vast expanse of rocks and sand. X-Corp has facilities all over the place to mine for resources, especially iron and precious gems. All those facilities use slave orc labor. Our mission is to head to the Mine Az-Al-Arzarab, the largest facility in the moon and where the headquarters of the cooperation are. Our goal is twofold; liberate as many slaves as possible to recruit them into the Alliance and to cause as much financial damage as possible to X-Corp.”

Darren stopped for a brief moment to ensure that everyone was on page. “X-Corp is not some random corporation. It is heavily involved and subsidized both with cash and slave labor by the Helian government. Its leadership has close ties with the Unity Party and is providing the government with raw materials and weapons. More details when we reach the moon. Understood?”

“Loud and clear!” everyone answered.

Xar steered the starship into the moon, as the crew injected themselves with needles to withstand the effects of the g-forces. The ship heated as it entered the atmosphere, far more than usual when entering a planet’s atmosphere, and Xar pulled a lever to activate an additional protective shield for just this case. From the outside, it would look as if the ship was engulfing in fire but the shield kept the shuttle cool.

“Don’t worry, it’s just the toxic atmosphere of the moon,” Xar stated. “It is not unusual.”

The sky had a bright purplish color. A vast expanse of sand with few very low dune forms covered much of the surface. The only things standing out were a series of mountain ranges. Aside from large caves and mines, those mountains also provided home to an extensive network of canyons through which ran rivers subject to highly irregular flows that would rapidly get lost to the desert sands.

On the mountains, a series of facilities were constructed. Some inside caves, others artificially created with steel on the sides of the mountains. The ship would land on a docking platform on just one such facility, Az-Al-Arzarab. The docking platform was a floating round metallic plate connected to the mountain by a long metallic bridge; one of more than thirty such plates, each located next to the other. The entire facility was protected by a powerful energy shield and large laser cannons, situated atop cliffs. A gigantic steel and glass vertical structure was build into the side of the mountain, the company headquarters on the moon. It shined brightly, a wonder of technology and modernity in a rough world of wilderness.

Xar intercepted a transmission from the facility.

“Vessel ID?” an officer from the facility asked.

“Carrier Vessel 78K2,” Xar replied. “We are to transport orc prisoners to the mine Az-Al-Arzarab.”

“Before continuing, I will need you to state clearly both your code and transmit your icon,” the officer stated. Digital icons could be used for verification purposes. “Otherwise we will be forced to shoot you down.”

“889-HH2-7897,” Xar said. “Transmitting the icon too…”

A moment of silence ensured before the officer replied. “You are right to go. Have a pleasant day!”

The ship swiftly landed on a docking platform. Darren got up from his seat and walked to the main room where the orcs, troopers and sorcerers were waiting for him. He was holding a small round hologram device in his hands. He activated it and it showed a blue replication of the facility before them.

“Three good men died so we could have this map,” Darren stated. He showed no visible signs of emotion but his eyes twitched for brief moment. It was a hard job to remain cold and distant all the time, especially when reminded of comrades fallen in battle, but it was his job as a commander. “Just like in K-L556, we are going to have to split up. Constantine and Alexander, you should lead the orc ‘slaves’ to the mine. When there, their handcuffs will be loosened using the small device I gave you and, when I order you, you shall save the real orc slaves. Try to get as many of them as you can out of the mine and rush here.”

The orcs all shouted, “For our brothers and the Alliance!” while Alexander and Constantine firmly nodded in agreement.

Darren simply smiled. “Xar, me and the six elite troopers we’ve got shall take over the docking platforms. We shall capture six ships and ensure they are ready for takeoff when the released orcs come here. We shall also blow up the rest of the ships which are docked here and we do not plan on using, to prevent the enemy from following us.”

“Easy!” Xar exclaimed. “Especially since we wear Helian uniforms and so we can catch them unprepared.”

“Easy is good,” Darren replied. He looked at John. During the journey, Darren had noticed that there something amiss with John. He seemed distant, as if something was bothering him. Yet he also sensed that the boy had potential. He had proved himself again and again in the toughest of circumstances. It was if fate was on his side. “John. You shall lead the most crucial part of the operation. Sara and Nicole will assist you.”

“But we have been training for a longer time!” Sara protested. “Why is h-“

“I know what I am doing!” Darren sternly stated. “I know of a natural leader when I see one. I have been in the military too long to not know how to pick up talents.”

John awkwardly smiled. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to lead such an important mission. For sure, he was confident of his abilities in combat but leading an operation was a completely different thing.

“You, Sara and Nicole shall head to the CEOs office, on the seventy-ninth floor of the company headquarters. Don’t worry. He is not here right now. But what is there is his computer. Aside from all the valuable data it has, it can also override the main computer, which means it can shut down all the cannons and the shield. You can hack it with this device,” Darren handed over to John a USB device. “It will upload a virus which shall connect the computer to a computer back in Thellasia, in our base. Our experts there shall hack the computer on your behalf, allowing you to copy its data and shut down the cannons and shield. Understood?”

John breathed heavily and felt his stomach shifting uneasily. He was never that good with machinery. In the backwater village of his in Windorsmith, the closest thing to modern technology they had was a hologram device for digital shows and movies located in the local theater. Throwing rocks and playing hide and seek were the most popular outdoor activities back there.

“But sir, I am not good with technology and I-“John tried to protest but the commander cut him off.

“I insist! Sara can aid you if any technical problem arises; she knows her stuff with tech.”

“Yes!” John replied. “I shall not let you down, commander!”

“I sure hope not.” Darren had a stern yet warm look. He handed John a forged ID card. “Officer Johnson, go meet with Mr. Gary on the seventy-eighth floor.”

John, Sara and Nicole, dressed in a Helian uniform consisting of blue double-breasted tunic and matching trousers, stood before the gigantic steel and glass structure that was the X-Corp Headquarters. Large structural glass panels were installed as walls for the building, which was framed with steel.

The three young sorcerers walked inside. As they opened the glass door, they entered a world of affluence. John gaped as he watched the reception hall; it wasn’t like anything he had seen back in his rather primitive village or the barracks back in Thellasia. Before them was a bright red carpet, potted shrubberies and golden ceiling.

A man in a coat with gold buttons, accompanied by two heavily armed Helian soldiers wearing the usual full-body plate armor and helmets, approached them. “State your business here, please?” The two soldiers aimed their laser rifles as the man talked.

John showed them a forged ID card. “We are here to go the seventy-eighth floor. We are requested by Mr. Gary.”

“Ah yes!” the man exclaimed. “You must be Officer Johnson. Please, go ahead.”

John smiled and bowed slightly; so did Sara and Nicole. They then rushed onto the glass elevator to their left. They could hear piped-in smooth jazz music and gaze at the horizon from the glass as the elevator went upwards. They were heading to the seventy-ninth floor.

“We simply install the USB into the computer and our guys back in base will do the job?” Nicole asked, trying to make small talk to hide her nervousness.

She wasn’t the only one being nervous. John’s heart was racing; yet he was trying to remind himself of Iris’ teachings and prepare for all possible scenarios ahead of them. He had to step up and show leadership. ‘I can do it!’ he thought, trying to build up his confidence. ‘I saved the day in K-L556, I can do it here too. Iris told me when feeling nervous to take deep breathes and let myself connect with the Qi of the natural world; to sense the vastness of the world, touch upon the sensations of the universe, listen to its currents, feel life.’

John did just that. He forgot all about Nicole, Sara, the mission. He closed his eyes. He could hear the heartbeat of Nicole as she was nervously waiting, sense the impatience of Sara. He could hear voices from all over the building, voices no one could hear with regular hearing. Laughter, chatting, screaming, cursing; all kinds of expressions and languages. He could feel a vibration as he touched upon the feelings of all peoples; anger, happiness, love, hate, fear, sadness. He could somehow sense all of those emotions. He could hear the miners digging in dark, cold mines, guards moving up and down; yet he could also hear those miners missing relatives, loved ones – the guards feeling happiness, sadness, boredom. This was only a small part of the moon, an even tinier part of the planetary system; and yet it felt so vast, so overwhelming. John wondered how someone listening to the currents of the entire universe would feel.

The sensation was soothing yet painful at the same time. Hearing so many voices in his head, so many sounds, feeling so many emotions; yet they all formed a pattern, the pattern of life. All of it imbued with the natural energy of Qi. All beings were imbued with it, yet so many were blind to its calling. John could hear its calling. He had sensed it before, but only partly, to draw in Qi for his use of magic. Yet now he could feel it in all of its majesty. He did not try to draw it in, nor that he could; he only allowed himself to immerse in the sensation of energy and life around him. He felt energized. He felt reborn, full of life.

“We’re here,” Sara said.

With the confidence and calmness that his spiritual experience gave him, John simply nodded in approval and led the way.

The elevator door opened and the three young magicians walked into the seventy-ninth floor. Before them were two halls, both with wooden floors and decorated with red carpets and paintings in the grey metallic walls; they were illuminated by crystal chandeliers. One was a smaller hall, to their left, leading to some random office they had no interest in. The other hall, much grander, lied straight ahead of them and was leading to a single room: the X-Corp CEOs office.

The main hall was guarded by a single, heavily armed soldier. In the smaller left hall, three more soldiers were standing and patrolling. The three sorcerers walked forwards in the main hall.

“Who are you?” the soldier asked as he grabbed his laser pistol and aimed at the three sorcerers. “You do not have permission to be here. I shall ask the g-“

Before he could finish his sentence, Sara somersaulted. The soldier fired, his loud fire alerting three guards from the left hall to rush there. The laser fire missed Sara only by inches, passing right above her waist. She landed behind the soldier and before he could turn around, she launched a roundhouse kick at his jaw. The soldier collapsed onto the ground. Sara quickly grabbed the man’s pistol and fired point-blank at his face, finishing him off.

Meanwhile, Nicole and John were dealing with the other three soldiers who had rushed there from the left hall. They were firing rapid fire at them with their laser pistols. Nicole had formed an energy shield around her and John, deflecting the enemy fire.

“Cover me while I strike!” John said. “Have to take them out quick before they request back up. Otherwise we are finished.”

Nicole nodded. “Be careful,” she softly said. Her mouth was uncharacteristically dry. Although she knew John was a capable fighter, she couldn’t help herself not to feel worried.

John jumped. He landed in front the three guards. He swiftly unsheathed a laser knife and stabbed it right through the chest of the soldier in front of him. The knife plunged deep inside his armor. As John twisted it, the man cried out in pain. He bucked and thrashed. His whole body stiffened and he sagged to the ground, drained, only a shape.

The two remaining soldiers turned their guns at John and fired. John was being fired on from his left and his right. He leaned backward, the laser fire passing right above him. John could feel the warmth of the laser fire on his skin.

As the soldiers aimed and were ready to fire again, Nicole leaped forward, lurching herself at the one from the left. The man fell on the ground as he was slammed by the sorceress, his pistol falling onto the floor. As he tried to grab it, Nicole quickly punched him twice on the chest. He felt his breath cut short. He let out a cry of agony and tried to wrestle with the sorceress, grabbing her by her arm. Nicole kicked hard the man’s helmet. A loud crack! was heard, as the man was knocked out.

At the same time, John was making short work of the remaining guard. He gave him a powerful back kick, which sent him flying and slammed him hard against a wall. A loud cracking noise was heard as the man’s back hit hard the wall. John walked up to him, took off the man’s helmet and punched him on the face as hard as he could. His face was bruised and bloodied; he tried to stand up but he collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

“How are we going to get into the CEOs office?” John wondered, pointing at the glass door ahead of them.

“The old fashioned way?” Sara replied.

“Won’t this sound some kind of alarm?”

“That’s why we have to be quick in hacking the computer.”

John waved his hand and a wave of energy broke to pieces the glass door, sending pieces of glass flying all through the office. It was a dream office, with a large desk made from polished, ornately carved dark wood; a computer and other electronic equipment were on top of it and the desk was accompanied with a leather chair. Shelves filled with rare, old books lined three walls and the remaining wall was glass with a view of the vast horizon. One of the walls also had file cabinets built into it, not noticeable at first glance.

As they walked into the opulent office, alarm sirens began ringing. It was only a matter of time before troopers filled the place.

“Hurry!” Nicole shouted.

John activated the computer and connected it with the USB device. The screen had a bright blue color and with big black letters tracked the spreading of the virus.

Virus Upload: 20%

Virus Upload: 40%

The computer’s screen suddenly became green. Larger red numbers appeared on the screen.

509002373974

“What?” John wondered. “I…”

“The commander should have put me in charge!” Sara complained. “You really are useless with computers, aren’t you?”

Sara pushed aside John and began typing some numbers. John had no idea whatever what Sara was doing. He looked at Nicole with a hopeless look on his face, like a lost puppy, asking her to explain what Sara was doing.

“Don’t ask me, I am not good with that stuff either,” Nicole replied.

“There was a problem with uploading the virus”, Sara explained. “The computer has an added level of encrypted protection aside from the ones we expected. Don’t worry though. I know that stuff. Back in…” Sara hesitated for a moment. Her bottom lip quivered. Her eyes became glacier. She skipped the name of the place and recomposed herself. “Back then I was friends with a really cool kid, he taught me a lot of stuff about hacking.”

John knew better than to ask her what bothered her.

“Don’t want to rush you, but it seems that a squad of soldiers is heading our way,” Nicole said, pointing at a squad of six Helian troopers, all armed with automatic laser rifles, rushing out of the elevator room into the hall and heading towards the room.

“I will deal with them,” John said. “You deal with the computer. Nicole, remain here and do not come to aid me. You must protect Sara, just in case something happens. This mission is too important to take any risks.”

Before Nicole or Sara could protest, John leaped forward, leaving behind him the CEOs office and going to the hall to confront head on the troopers. By this point, he had gotten somewhat used to concentrating under immense pressure. He closed his eyes, breathed deeply and waved his arm. An energy shield protected him from the rapid enemy fire.

John knew this shield could not last forever and that he had to move fast to eliminate his enemies. Magic wasn’t limitless and excessive use of Qi could have even lethal consequences. As he was thinking of his next moves, the energy shield collapsed. He wasn’t concentrated enough to keep it up. The rapid laser fire was coming at him with terrifyingly quick speed.

All of the sudden, everything froze, himself including. He could only move his eyes. He closed them and when he opened them again…

Darkness!

John was floating in the darkness of space. By this point, he was no longer surprised with those visions of space. Yet what intrigued him was how he got there. The last two times he experienced such a vision, he was relaxing with closed eyes and was unconscious after being beaten up. Yet now he experienced a vision out of the blue.

“Ah! That light!” William’s voice was heard groaning. “I will never get used to it.”

“Why am I with you again?” John asked. “What happened? Am I dead? Why did you bring me here?”

“Relax. You are not dead. I can feel the Qi in you, I can feel your living energy. And I did not bring you here. Do you really think that I enjoy those visions? I was bedding a beautiful woman when I suddenly saw a flash of light, which surrounded me.”

John could only scratch his head and blink thrice. “What? That is not exactly the kind of thing I would expect to hear from a… Dark Lord?”

“Ah! I see… You were expecting some kind of demonic entity, an all-powerful being that would strike fear into the hearts of everyone before him. Something like in the fairy tales, where the Dark Lords are dark-hooded monsters with awesome powers… I am sorry to disappoint you but I just happen to be a normal person who somehow ended up discovering he has magical powers and that according to some ancient scrolls he may or may not be a Dark Lord.”

John chuckled. “You are not exactly a normal person then… Neither am I it seems. I thought I was a simple farmboy and yet here I am, being a sorcerer and a… Holy Warrior.”

“So… what exactly happened before you came here?” William wondered.

“I was facing some troopers, when suddenly I was somehow transferred in this vision.”

As he said those words, the darkness began fading and John was back in the hall. Yet he was still frozen, as was time. As before, he could only move his eyes.

“What?” William asked. “I can barely see anything with the light that surrounded me but I do get a glimpse of some armed men. What is going on?”

“It is as if time… has stopped. Or really, really slowed down,” John replied. “I do not know how this happened. I’ve never seen any other sorcerer do something like this nor have I learned such an ability before.”

“I’ve heard about this before…” William murmured. He went silent from a brief moment. “Ah yes, the ‘Book of Lost Arts’. ‘Vondermaren the Third was surrounded by a legion of Louis the Fourteenth. The sorcerer-king fell on his knees and prayed to the high spirits. The spirits heard his prayers and time froze’. Unfortunately the rest of the paragraph has not been preserved. This description does seem to match yours.”

“But I’ve never before learned this kind of magic!” John protested. “I don’t know what is happening to me. Every time I should die, I somehow not only survive, but acquire a new skill. Before it was me creating a ball of fire, now stopping time. What is happening to me?”

“I cannot be sure. Is it because I’ve read those books and tried, rather unsuccessfully, to use that kind of magic? It may be. We are connected after all. In the same way you make me more powerful, my attempts to learn this magic may be influencing you. Maybe you unconsciously learned that magic from me.”

John had a bitter smile on his face. “Really? Is this your explanation? Does not sound much satisfactory to me.”

“Quite honestly, it is just a theory. Do not think I have more of an idea of what is going on that you do.”

John let out a long sigh. For a brief moment, there was utter silence. “I… am confused by all this. It is just a bit too much; the visions, the whole Dark Lords and Holy Warriors thing, the extraordinary powers. I want some normalcy.”

“Nice but since this is not going to be happening, why don’t you focus instead on taking out your enemies? I am not sure how long this whole ‘freezing time’ thing will work, so you may want to hurry.”

John resignedly turned his focus on the six enemy troopers. In what seemed to him like tens of minutes but in reality just a few seconds, he carefully examined the movements of all of his attackers, calculating the direction of the incoming enemy fire, their position and thinking of ways of defending himself. When the few seconds passed, everything went back to normal.

John knew exactly where the enemy laser shots were directed. He quickly moved to the left, avoiding three laser shots. He then jumped up, avoiding two more shots, before landing back onto the ground and moving to the right, avoiding the last laser shot. If the soldiers weren’t wearing helmets, their surprise could have been easily seen by John: they all gaped in astonishment and their faces became ashen white in terror. They couldn’t believe how that boy had managed to somehow avoid their concentrated fire.

John somersaulted and landed behind the amazed troopers. As they were turning around to face the sorcerer, John waved his hand and sent an energy wave that sent flying two of the soldiers; they ‘flew’ across the hall and crushed into the CEOs office, falling onto the floor. “What!?” Sara screamed, interrupted from her hacking efforts by the two troopers. Nicole was quick to unsheathe her laser knife and finish off the still lying on the ground soldiers.

The remaining four soldiers aimed their rifles at John. He leaped backward as laser shots grazed above and below him, tearing away shreds of his clothing. He tripped and fell hard on the floor, hitting his head. “Ouch!” he cried out. The four soldiers slowly approached John, their guns aiming the fallen young man. They wanted to get as close as possible to avoid him evading their fire once more.

“Hey!” they heard a female voice from behind. It was Nicole. While John had asked her to remain in the office and look after Sara, seeing him in danger she rushed outside into the hall. This was the distraction John needed; he got up and waved his hand, sending an energy wave at the four soldiers. Nicole too waved her hand, sending an energy wave at the soldiers from the opposite direction. The two powerful energy waves clashed, both hitting with overwhelming power the four Helian soldiers. The combined pressure was enough to knock them out.

John and Nicole rushed back into the CEOs office.

“Has the computer been hacked?” John, laboring hard to breathe, asked.

Sara nodded. “Yes. We are continuing the uploading of the virus.”

Virus Upload: 60%

Virus Upload: 80%

Virus Upload: 100%

Danger to this Computer!

“Now our team back in Thellasia will do the real hacking,” Sara said. It took only a few moments for the team back in the base to crack open the computer.

System Open.

Sara pressed a few buttons. “Shield down, alarm ring finally off, cannons down and just for the fun let’s shut down the lights on the other floors.”

“Copy the files too,” John said.

“Yup. Doing just that.”

Files Copied – 100%

Transfer complete. Device may be safely removed.

Sara removed the USB device from the computer. “All files inside this computer are in the device. Let’s get going before more troops arrive.”

“We have completed the hacking,” John’s voice was heard from the comn device held by Darren.

“Good,” the Alliance commander replied. “Head to the rooftop of the building. There is a starship there, personal vessel of the CEO of X-Corp. You will escape with that ship since the floors below will be alert to your presence by now and will be filled with enemy troopers.”

“Understood.”

Darren then used his comn device to communicate with Xar and the six Alliance troopers who were spread up in the docking platforms. “Operation Firestorm can begin,” Darren stated. The commander had a wide smile on his face, his bright white teeth shining. He was right to be pleased. This was his moment to make the Helians hurt.

Xar and the six Alliance troopers would clear the docking platforms from enemy troops. Once this was completed, the six troopers would each move onto one Helian carrier vessel and take it over, allowing them to use the six ships as additional transport vessels to bring the liberated orcs to the Alliance base in Thellasia. The rest of the Helian vessels, which could not be captured, were to be blown up.

Xar and his six men were already in position, pretending to being Helian soldiers and waiting in different platforms for Darren to give them the signal to open fire. The signal came.

Xar was standing in platform II when he heard Darren’s command. He opened fire at the two Helian troopers guarding the platform’s starship. With an accurate headshot he brought down the first guard and with a shot on the chest he killed the second guard. “All clear!” he screamed. He placed an octagonal-shaped steel plate on the ship, ready to explode when activated. “Moving to next docking platform.”

He ran fast and jumped high, aiming to reach the docking plate to his right. He landed on top of it, falling on the platform floor. He let out a cry of pain as he crushed onto the floor but he quickly got up and took cover before the ship landed there as the three Helian soldiers guarding the platform opened fire at him. With the ship covering him, he aimed at one of the soldiers and fired in a rapid tempo, taking him off, before once more ducking behind the ship. The two remaining Helian troopers fired back, missing their target once again. Xar fired back two rapid shots, killing another enemy soldier. One more remained.

“Take it you bastard!” he roared as he left behind him the cover of the ship and charged at the enemy. The Helian trooper, terrified, began firing at the orc but Xar zigzagged, barely dodging the laser shots. When close enough, the orc pilot aimed at his enemy and fired a shot which pierced right through the man’s stomach.

“Yes!” Xar triumphantly exclaimed.

Constantine, Alexander and the twenty-three orcs they were leading into the mines walked deep into dark cave, illuminated only by dim lighting. They only needed to show a forged ID card to be allowed inside by the ten armed guards of the place. There was mustiness and a sudden damp coldness as they walked deeper inside the cave.

After a few minutes of walking, they finally reached the mine cage, a conveyance used for moving workers and supplies deep below. It was triple-deck and was suspended from the hoist on steel wire rope. Alexander, Constantine and two the orcs walked inside the cage, going below into the mines first, with the others following shortly thereafter.

The mine was an old one. The tunnel was dark, like an artery it was blackened by the abuse of years. There was dim lighting, even less lightening than the one back in the cave above. The walls were filled old damp and crumbly bricks. The two young sorcerers and their orc allies were watching as the armed Helian guards were overlooking tens of orc slaves toiling in those horrible conditions.

Unseen by the eyes of the world above them, the orc miners swung their heavy picks one last time, before stopping for a short break. Blackened rivers of sweat, criss-crossed every inch of their muscular torsos. They breathed in the dust-filled air and allowed themselves a brief moment of relaxation. They would work for hours in those ‘death tunnels’, as many miners called them due to the high casualty rates; work accidents, breathing polluted air, working till death, it was a place of torture.

Beep!

Alexander looked at the small comn device given to him. It was ringing. He activated it.

“You may begin the operation!” Darren stated. His voice was buzzing but clear. The time had come.

Alexander winked at Constantine, who in turn activated a small round device. Upon turning on the device, the handcuffs of the Alliance orcs suddenly loosened, allowing them quietly to take them off. In the space of a few seconds, they were charging at the Helian soldiers. The men, caught unprepared and surprised by the sudden attack by the ‘slaves’, were unable to offer resistance. Before even managing to aim with their laser rifles, the Alliance orcs were pummeling them with their powerful punches. Their armor might protect them somewhat from punches by ordinary humans, but could be no match for the physically much stronger orcs, especially ones that were well-trained veterans of the Alliance with many years of experience in battle.

Alexander and Constantine both had unsheathed their laser pistols and began firing shots at nearby guards, eliminating them with rapid accurate shots. The loud noise of gunfire echoed across the mine, the orc workers falling on the ground and hoping to avoid the firefight. Some of the Helian troopers managed to fire back with their laser rifles, forcing the two sorcerers to fall on the ground, dodging the enemy fire.

Constantine waved his arm, using his Qi to create an invincible energy shield around Alexander. Protected by this shield, Alexander got up and began pumping rapid fire at the enemy. One Helian soldier was shot right through his left shoulder, another was shot on his left leg; they were being massacred with ease by the gunman. Their cries of pain echoed, matching the cries of agony by the Helian guards being pummeled to death or torn apart by the Alliance orcs. Blood splattered across the mine, painting crimson red the ground and brick walls.

In only a few moments, the mine had been cleared of armed guards. The first part of the mission was complete. Now Alexander and Constantine had before them the much harder task of convincing the orc slaves to follow them outside the facility and come with them to join the Alliance.

“Listen to me!” Alexander screamed. “We are from the Alliance and we are here to liberate you!”

“Why should we trust you?!” one of the orck workers asked. “This is crazy. You will surely get us killed.”

“Right!” another orc stated.

“Yes!”

“We aren’t going anywhere!”

“Leave!”

Alexander and Constantine were astounded by the response. They knew time wasn’t of their side and were getting nervous, their faces becoming pale. Seeing how they were unable to come up with a reasonable response, one of the Alliance orcs stood up to the occasion.

“My fellows orcs!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, trying to get everyone’s attention. “If you do not trust the humans, trust me. We are fellow orcs, I would not lie to you. Do you really want to be treated as slaves and work till death in horrible conditions inside old mines where you cannot watch sunshine and live like a free person? And for what? A false sense of security? That you will not die at once but that you will die from those horrible conditions in a few years’ time?”

The orcs were all staring at him. He had grabbed their attention. They were all quite, evidently contemplating what he had said.

“Or do you want to come with us and leave behind this horrible place?” the Alliance orc continued. “Yes, there will be danger. There might be death too. But there will also be hope. Hope to be free, live your life the way you want to live it, hope to be a free person.”

The orc workers reacted with thunderous applause and mighty cheers.

“He is right!”

“We need to fight for our freedom!”

Constantine let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks the creators for this guy,” he said to Alexander, referring to the orc that gave the speech. “We must now head to the docking platforms.”

“Platform VI taken!” “Platform X taken!” “Platform XI taken!” Darren could hear from his comn his men taking over docking platforms. He himself was on docking platform VII and had just cleared it from two guards.

He knew this was a result of the surprise attack and that soon Helian troopers from the headquarters and elsewhere would amass in the place and turn the tables on them. “Alexander and Constantine, are you and the orcs coming?” he asked. “We need you to come to the platforms fast, so we can make an escape before enemy reinforcements arrive.”

“We are coming there at any moment,” Constantine’s voice was heard through the comn.

“Good… Hurry up!”

Bam!

A loud sound was heard as the docking platform Darren was standing on was hit by a plasma launcher, a burst fire weapon firing up a plasma ball that explodes upon touch and can cause huge damage. The entire platform shook as if an earthquake had taken place, clouds of smoke engulfed the platform and the starship that was landed on it had been blow up to pieces, all of them flying in different directions.

The Alliance commander had thrown himself on the ground. Darren’s back had been scratched by a metal component of the exploding ship and was bleeding. The back of his shirt had been shredded. He coughed as he inhaled the smoke. He felt it filling his lungs; it was as if an invincible hand was choking him.

Darren did not panic; this wasn’t his first time being shot at. He got up, dusted off his shirt and quickly took cover behind the wreckage of the blown up ship. He grabbed from his belt a smoke grenade and launched it forward. The grenade exploded and dark smoke clouded everything. Making use of the temporary smoke, Darren ran towards the Helian soldier that had fired at him. Soon enough, he was standing only a few feet away from him. He aimed and fired. The Helian trooper was about to trigger his plasma launcher when the laser shot hit him right between his eyes, instantly killing him.

As the smoke cleared off, Darren could see before him Constantine, Alexander and tens of orcs.

“Get twenty-five of them in each ship,” he shouted. “There are seven ships overall, six captured from the enemy and our carrier vessel. Let’s leave!”

The sky of Al-Kwad had a crimson red color. A gust of wind swept the rooftop of the X-Corp headquarters. John, Sara and Nicole were treading carefully the glass floor and heading for the metallic landing platform on which the personal vessel of X-Corp’s CEO was stationed at.

Boom!

A deafening explosion followed another. The three young sorcerers’ hearts skipped a beat and they covered their ears. Following the explosions, they could see seven starships on the sky, flying away from the facility and heading out of the moon.

“The commander was successful!” John exclaimed. “The explosions must have been him blowing up the enemy ships.”

“Nice but let’s hurry to escape,” Nicole reminded him. “We do not have any support now that the others have left.”

They thus made their way forward. Before them was the X-Corp CEOs private starship, a beautiful, almost organic looking ship. Its shape was reminiscent of the deep sea creature, having a long body and a tail-looking exhaust pipe. It was 32 meters in length and had a bright yellow color. It incorporated a single turbolaser, mainly for defense.

The three sorcerers rushed to the opening hatch.

“It needs a code to open,” John said, pointing at a computer panel on the hatch.

“Give me the USB device,” Sara demanded. John handed it over to her and she inserted it on the computer panel. “We’ve downloaded the files from the computer of that bastard. I am sure it must be here somewhere.”

“Over there!” they heard someone barking. It was a Helian trooper holding a laser automatic rifle and firing several shots at them. Nicole waved her hand and created an energy shield but due to her overuse of Qi it was weak. A laser shot passed right through and touched upon her shoulder, barely missing her but scorching her skin. She let out a deep cry.

John grabbed his laser knife and aimed it at the enemy. It was no different than him throwing a rock back in Bremman. The knife was stuck on the soldier’s groin. He collapsed on the glass floor in pain, his screams being deafening.

“Come on!” Sara said. “I’ve opened it.”

“Phew!” John let out a sigh of relief.

The three of them rushed onto the ship and into the ship’s cockpit. Sara sat on the pilot’s seat and John on the co-pilot’s, with Nicole standing up behind them. Sara began pressing some buttons, activating the ship’s engine. A thunderous roar-like sound was heard.

“Have you ever piloted a thing like this?” John asked.

“Only once,” Sara admitted. “But don’t worry. This time I will be doing much better.”

“Better? What is this supposed to mean? It doesn’t sound much reassuring...”

“Well… let’s just say that the last time I piloted a starship I kinda almost crushed… But since last time I’ve read a lot of manuals and so I’ve become much better.”

John laughed. “Good! That fills me with confidence!”

“Will you two shut up?!” Nicole screamed. “Any more bickering by the two of you and we will not manage to get off this roof, much less the moon.”

Outside the ship, a squad of more than twenty Helian troopers had arrived. Most of them were firing at the ship with their rifles and pistols but three of them had installed on the ground X-HRBs, heavy repeating laser blasters. They had an optimum range of one-hundred and fifty meters with a maximum range of seven-hundred and fifty meters. Their powerful fire could heavily damage enemy vessels.

The Helian troopers kept firing at the ship. One of the shots by an X-HRB caused a minor explosion on the left side of the ship. Scraps of metal flew at all directions and it began engulfing in fire. Black smoke clouded the rooftop.

“Activating the shield!” Sara shouted as she pulled a lever. A glowing blue shield covered the exterior of the ship, deflecting further heavy enemy fire. “Activating cooler!” Sara pressed a blue button and the left side of the ship began cooling, putting out the fire.

“Bit too late?” John said. “We’ve already taken damage.”

“At least we shall prevent further damage. Strap yourself down and see if there are needles, otherwise our journey will be a short one.”

John and Nicole sat at once, tightened their belts and searched the armrests for needles. Thankfully, the ship's owner had them placed there as precaution and so they could inject themselves. Sara did the same. As the ship took off, the Helian soldiers continued firing rapid fire at it. The fire kept being deflected by the shield, avoiding further damage. Sara, by pulling some levers, was able to turn the turbolaser cannon of the ship around and have it fire at the troopers. It fired twice, blowing up both troopers and the glass floor; some troops fell deep below. The ship made its way out of the moon and into the vast darkness of space.

“I have some good news and some bad news,” Sara said.

“The good news!” Nicole exclaimed.

“The good news is that we are not being followed by Helian fighters, as they were all blown up by the commander. The bad news… ship was damaged badly from the attack back in the rooftop and was further damaged by the toxic atmosphere of the moon. We have to land somewhere and cannot follow the rest back the base. Closest place to land is El Salvar.”

“Ah, good! Landing on a highly urbanized planet full of Helian troopers is the best way to go,” John quipped. “In am sure no one will notice a flaming ship landing on the outskirts of a metropolis.”

“Got a better idea?” Sara wondered. “Maybe you would like to pilot the ship?”

John gulped. He understood that it was best to remain silent. Sara smiled and focused on steering the ship towards El Salvar. The already flaming ship heated even more as it entered into the planet’s atmosphere, as the shield was already weakened beforehand. The temperature inside the ship was terribly hot. The muggy heat pressed in on them, even sweating was no good. It trickled down their necks and backs like warm soup. Hair clung to their heads like thermal blankets, locking in the heat. Parts of the ship were being shredded apart, flying off right and left. Black smoke engulfed the ship. From below on the planet it looked as if an asteroid was heading downwards.

“We are landing in the outskirts of Frazzar, biggest city on El Salvar,” Sara said. “Hold steady because this will be a rough landing.”

“Considering the speed we are coming down, this looks more and more like a crashing rather than a landing!” John complained.

“Shut the fuck up so I can focus on the ship and how we can survive!”

“Let her focus on piloting!” Nicole barked at John.

Sara was pushing various buttons and pulling levers to further reinforce the ship with emergency shielding and to cool the atmosphere inside the ship. She had a hard time remembering all the right instructions from the manuals she had read but so far she was doing a rather good job. The air conditioning inside the ship helped cool a bit the place; the sterile air blowing cold on them, fast-freezing their sweat.

The ship was approaching the ground with overwhelming speed. It was heading towards a junkyard on the outskirts of Frazzar. The place was full of ship parts and other kind of steel junk. The ground was full of dirt and muddy. The ship crash landed onto the dirt ground; as it violently hit the ground, the entire ship shook so hard that the three sorcerers were thrown aback and fell on the cockpit’s floor. The ship kept ‘driving’ forward on the ground till it stopped a few miles away. Huge parts of the ship had been ripped apart and were all over the place.

Walden Von Weber, CEO of X-Corp, was striding forward. He was a tall man in his late thirties, with a rugged look of unkempt, asymmetrical long black hair and a shaggy, thick beard. He wore a plain brown suit with a fancy red tie and a dark green pocket square. His walk was fast and he exuded confidence and determination.

Walden was on top of the ‘Silver Tower’, the second highest skyscraper of Biscecenza, capital of the Helian Realm, located on planet Mellillon, the most populous and rich planet of the Helian planetary system. The city below was so far away it felt like another world, those ant-like people and all their problems vanishing. On the top floor of the tower, there was a lush garden. Bonsai trees lined the perfect lawn in their wooden boxes. In the center, there was a pool as large as a small lake with flowering lily pads and a wooden bridge that crossed the middle.

Walden walked through the bridge, ignoring the mesmerizing view, and headed immediately to the penthouse on the other side. The penthouse had gold colored ceiling and a sweeping oak floor. Loud jazz music could be heard from the bedroom. Walden made his way there. On top of the king-sized bed, whose ceiling windows provided of bird-like view of the entire city, were three women and a man, all naked.

Two of the women were tongue kissing and caressing one another. The third woman was kissing the young man’s neck while he was caressing her soft back. The man was in his early twenties, with green eyes, short, buzzed hair, carefully trimmed short beard and a well-toned and chiseled body.

Upon seeing Walden, the young man got up and quickly put on a red silk bathrobe. “Walden, my friend, haven’t I told you to not interrupt me when I am busy?” he smilingly asked.

Walden grinned. “You say that as your best friend I am always welcome. Did that suddenly change?”

“I said you are welcome to join my orgies, not interrupt them!”

“Aren’t you ever tired of those debauched orgies? Are you really enjoying this?”

The man had a wide grin on his face. “Well, technically this is a foursome. Orgy needs at least five people. But no, I never get tired of them.”

Walden sighed. “You never change, do you? I have a favor to ask; for your father.”

The young man wasn’t some random person. He was the third son of Chancellor and Lord-Protector Maximilian, William.

“I’ve already talked to my father about your ‘hunt’ for the three gems,” William replied, “but he just isn’t interested in investing in that venture of yours. Just like he wasn’t interested in that space factory idea, whatever it is. Sorry dude but I tried my best. My father doesn’t give a fuck about me, much less about you. I am the ‘useless playboy who wastes his cash on women and drugs’, as he likes to say… Daddy is quite the traditionalist unfortunately.”

“It’s not that. The Alliance made an attack on the mines of Al-Kwad. They caused quite the damage there and freed tens of orc slaves.”

“Too bad,” William replied, “but what exactly you want me to do? Send you funds?”

“No. Three Alliance soldiers stole valuable data from my computer. I need them back. Thankfully they crushed on El Salvar, as I’ve been informed. Somewhere near the city of Frazzar. I want you to ensure that the best men of the Realm shall be sent to track them down and bring me back the data.”

William thought about it for a moment. “Fine, you can count on me. I know exactly who can get you out of this mess. He is a quite competent officer and an associate of mine; Admiral Heinrich.”