Jeff jumped up and left, surprising both men. Jeff ran down the passageway his head swimming and upon the verge of slipping into dark visions. He stopped by an isolated corner and tried to catch his breath. His wife, his daughter killed. Jason, his son, missing . . .  Slave market . . .  Tears streamed down his face as he whispered aloud, "The Star Preacher . . . "

***

Over a week had passed and Jeff dreamed of visions both real and unreal. The danger out beyond their galaxy. The funerals. Why, the agonizing why. Why had Renee been on the Prometheus in the first place? He had expected Renee and the twins to be on Etrae not on the star liner. Where had she gone? What had she been doing? Agonizing questions . . . 

Abbot Brooks Cyrus. From where did that name come? The deep recesses of his mind pushed fuzzy pictures forward at sickening speed. His new XO stood in his darkened stateroom speaking of mutiny. Speaking of distrust, and orders only Jeff had heard. Events were coming to a vortex causing senseless vertigo. Clear scenes came to him of the ever-present Prophecies and the damnable Runes of Kale.

His dreams skittered off into another part of his mind. He relived the painful departure of Captain Murata. He had increasingly become more unbalanced because of his dismissal and the death of his brother's family. Jeff dreamed of Jason, his son, Jennifer's twin. Dimly, he saw the boy near a strange enigmatic human. The human was speaking to warriors of Ral who seemed enchanted by the human's words. Words of war were said, the continuing death. The words of the prophetic search that had begun with the human's words. Jeff's terror increased as he realized this was the Star Preacher.

Jeff was irresistibly drawn to this man, this Star Preacher. He had to get his son and this man back at all costs. There was more, something about Kale and . . . 

General Quarters sounded and Jeff was on his feet and into his uniform with the dreams forgotten. They were about to attack the planet of Ibel⁽¹⁰⁾, a stronghold for Ral and a favorite place for Morrellian pirates. Jeff rushed to the Bridge to oversee the operations. They would land Colonel Gladys Morkel's Special Forces⁽¹¹⁾ to destroy the Ral stronghold and possibly capture some pirates for information. Jeff vowed to do anything to get his son back. It was becoming his burning desire, all this and nothing else.

On the Bridge putting his battle-armor on, Jeff listened to his Special Forces Commander, Colonel Morkel. She was briefing him again on the dangerous operation before them. Not for the first time, Jeff was attracted to this woman who was beautiful in a rough sort of way. Yet she only concerned herself with the Marines under her command. Jeff thought of Renee again and his throat constricted in agony. Confusing emotions and thoughts played through his mind while he pretended to listen intently to this woman-warrior.

"Sir, we will capture as many Morrellian pirates as possible for intelligence purposes. We will destroy this safe haven on Ibel for these pirates. Surely, this will send a message to Ral that we will not tolerate their harboring these criminals. The Ral garrison should present no --"

Jeff interrupted, "Colonel, I want your operation to go quickly and safely. Your Kosar⁽¹²⁾ support will give you the initial advantage. Is there anything else?" Jeff wished he could be in one of the Kosars, the agile and versatile star fighters that would help the Marines land on the planet.

Gladys smiled and confidently replied, "No, sir. We'll get the job done." She left swiftly going to the Kosar-transports waiting to take her and her Marines to the planet's surface already withering under the constant star cruiser's phaser⁽¹³⁾ fire.

An electronics message board was handed to Jeff by the new XO, Commander Cyrus, already suffering the ridicule of the crew for his initials, ABC. Jeff absently looked at the glowing electronic letters and then the shock registered. The message was from Roy Fuzzworth⁽¹⁴⁾, Renee's ex-husband. Renee had been going back to her first husband. Jeff couldn't believe what he was reading. This man went on to blame Jeff for the deaths of his ex-wife and his daughter. The message signed off cursing Jeff for the pirate kidnapping of Jason.

Jeff dropped the message board to his lap breathing in gulps. His eyes filmed over with the rushing of a vision. Out of the corner of his eyes, Jeff noticed the XO frowning at his state. Violently Jeff got control of himself so he could concentrate on the attack on Ibel. From this attack, he hoped to get information leading to Jason, his son. He leaned forward to eye the holographic representation of Colonel Morkel's lead Kosar transport.

Gladys felt uncomfortable in her armor. The barrage of star cruiser phaser fire bathing the surface of the planet buffeted the modified-Kosar transport. The Ral garrison shields were glowing with the hellish fire but holding so far. Then the expected enemy laser and maser fire struck fiercely causing the transport to shudder. Some armor-clad Marines got up off the deck to grab a handhold. Gladys called up electronic time in her helmet. She steeled herself for the landing and the expected fight with the Ral warriors sure to meet them.

Jeff ordered, "Batteries release."

Lieutenant Jim Thomas, the Tactical Action Officer⁽¹⁵⁾ or TAO, replied, "Batteries release, missiles away, sir!"

Gladys felt the shock wave from the concussions caused by the gigantic explosions. She smiled ominously as she realized the shield generators should be quite destroyed by now. The jolt of the landing was followed immediately by the rushing of the Marines to the surface full of Ral warriors. Gladys gave orders in a daze while blasting away at the enemy. Other transports landed and the fight was fully engaged. She turned to her communications technician, Cpl. Dawson⁽¹⁶⁾, to send a message to the Captain on the starship, but the man had disintegrated right before her computer-aided vision. She turned her laser on the Ralian-armored figure nearby and dispensed some revenge. And so the fight continued unabated.

Kosars screamed overhead strafing the Ral positions. Soon the attack proved overwhelming for the Ral stronghold. Most of Ral did not surrender but died gloriously for their empire as they had been taught, but the others gave up gladly. Gladys had accomplished her mission in short order, or so she thought.

Jeff watched the battle unfold on the three-dimensional holographic viewer that depicted the entire battlefield. He listened intently to the ground communications from Colonel Morkel, while acknowledging the constant flow of information coming in from all departments on the huge starship. The Aldermin continued to pound the surface until they got the word that the battle was over.

In that lull, Jeff was the first to notice, even before the automatic alarms went off, that Ral star fighters were approaching quickly from the other side of Ibel. No time to warn Morkel's forces on the surface, because the Ral star fighters were there instantly it seemed. Jeff ordered more Kosar star fighters to meet the new threat to his starship and to his forces on the planet below. He began to frown in worry. It was surprising to find Ral star fighters here on this planet. Ral was new to star fighters, and most Ral commanders didn't like them.

Gladys ran for cover when the Ral star fighters struck. She had been directing the collection of the prisoners and civilians. Now some innocent bystanders were either dead or dying horribly. Gladys, safe under what used to be an enormous phaser emplacement, watched helplessly while her forces, prisoners, and civilians were decimated by the bold Ral star fighters. The Ral garrison facilities initially spared by the Kosars earlier now were exploding all around them. The star fighters did not look like much, but right now they were doing their job too well. Where is that damn Kosar support the Captain promised, she cursed to herself.

In space a fierce star fighter dogfight raged. Jeff gave orders to maneuver the star cruiser to best battle the Ral star fighters who were putting up a startlingly good fight. Damage reports began coming in attesting to their improved skill. The Ral star fighters displayed new tactics in flying their craft one after another at the Aldermin's Bridge modules. Jeff made a mental note in between shouting orders to make a report to Admiral Montoya about the astonishing developments with the Ral star fighters. Ugly, but better, more effective than their first attempts, observed Jeff.

Gladys and her forces still were scurrying around trying to keep under cover. They watched as star fighters filled the sky with streaks of deadly laser and maser fire. Some fighters plummeted to the ground to their fiery deaths. They felt the concussions as the ground shook as if earthquakes were commonplace. Slowly her Marines were able to get organized. She concentrated on gathering the most likely intelligence sources from the survivors of the Ral garrison. A few she recognized as the dreaded Morrellian pirates. All she needed now were transports under protected escort. She scanned the skies thinning of their buzzing insectile star fighters.

As Jeff began to relax as his superior number of Kosars began to take its toll on those of Ral, an apparition appeared on the Bridge. Everyone froze in terror at the shadowy sight in their midst. Jeff tried to control his mind as somehow he knew who the specter was. The Star Preacher! The visioning began to make his muscles twitch; his eyes became pinpoints. The mystery deepens; the Seeker must come to the Mountains of Ao on Kale. Jeff agonized and realized he must find this man, who was the Star Preacher, and Jason, his son. Inexplicably, he knew they were connected in that great circle described in the Runes of Kale. His throat constricted in fear as the dawning came upon him; he was being drawn uncontrollably to the Mountains of Ao. For what terrible purpose, he did not know. Then the fearful ghost vanished as the Bridge shook with maser hits directly on the forward shields.

"Captain! Star Engine One shutdown. Air leak in compartments --"

"Sir! Two class one Ral star cruisers on course one two zero mark three four five, range --"

Jeff ordered the immediate recall of all planetside forces and sent out more Kosars to harass the arriving Ral starships. He must leave now in a rush before more damage. Otherwise, he would be caught between the planet and the enemy starships before too long. Bitter communications passed between Jeff and Gladys, as she was forced to abandon some of her own dead. The crisis was that bad. Jeff heard more damage control reports come in and then looked up to see a multitude of enemy star fighters filling the holographic battle displays. Jeff, for some odd and precognitive reason, grabbed his sword at his side for reassurance. Then he shouted more orders over his armor battle circuit.

"Helm, steer one zero niner mark two two three. Flight Control, get those transports back now. Weapons, targeting solution and then weapons free." As each of his orders were carried out, Jeff studied the holographic displays worrying over Colonel Morkel.

Gladys ordered, "Take the Morrellian pirates on the next shuttle; they are more valuable." As she watched her order carried out, she felt detached from herself as if in a dream. She surveyed the damage and the dead scattered about in various fearful positions. Then a watery figure appeared over a group of dead Marines. The creature looked at a black book and moved its lips. The mysterious soul speaking words over the dead had to be the infamous Star Preacher. Gladys realized this and moved to evacuate even quicker than before. As she headed for her transport, she noticed the commotion caused by the Morrellian pirates being loaded roughly onto the shuttle. "What could be bothering them?" she wondered aloud.

Troubling thoughts invaded her reverie on the way up to the star cruiser. The spectral sight of the Star Preacher disturbed her considerably and had an untoward effect on her troops and the prisoners. The pirates were especially upset by the ghostly appearance of the Star Preacher. The transport jolted to a landing. She walked out into a riot of Marines and Morrellian pirates battling with sword and lasers between two modified Kosar transports. She fought for her life, because these pirates were extremely good fighters at close quarters. Gladys noticed the Captain hacking at a pirate, backing the creature to the bulkhead.

Jeff breathed heavily taxing the automated armor to its design limits. He was afraid, scared by the sudden turn of events. He had to escape the two Ral starships swiftly or all was lost. The dream of captaining the Warlord, the mighty star carrier; the hope of finding the Seeker who would save the galaxy and Kale from the Anti-Kale; the burning need to find the Star Preacher and his lost son  --  all this in danger of being lost. So he savagely thrust his sword into the defenses of this fanatical pirate. The pirate backed; Jeff advanced defending from a few futile attempts at offense from the pirate's sword. Jeff narrowed his focus to this one moment, this creature. Abruptly, he lunged into the creature and blood stained its tunic. Jeff turned to give immediate orders to warp and found all staring at him in apprehensive fascination.

Jeff shouted, "I have no time for this nonsense. We must warp immediately." He sheathed his bloody sword and rushed to the Bridge. He felt the peculiar nausea caused temporarily by the initial warping distortions of space. On the Bridge, he stared at the video screens showing the red color shift and elongating specters of two Ral warships. Sighing in relief, he collected his thoughts for his after-action report to the squadron. He would have to be careful in his reports. Jeff must continue his mission to put a stop to the marauding Morrellian pirates and, more importantly, to find his son and the perplexing Star Preacher.

The new Executive Officer, Commander Cyrus, observed the interrogation of Mereq⁽¹⁷⁾, one of the captured Morrellian pirates from the Ibel raid. This is a piece of dirty business, he thought sourly. Cyrus looked at the Captain and wondered at the zeal he saw on that face. It disturbed him like nothing had ever before, even dulling his excitement over his promotion and new assignment. This captain was just barely qualified, operating on verbal orders, pushing the rules to the very limit, a captain for a few days only  --  he was a bit jealous. Anyway, Captain Kenwood was a fact, good or bad. He would survive even this if it went bad, which he somehow felt most certainly would. Captain Kenwood was a disaster waiting to happen.

Cyrus turned his attention back to the swarthy pirate, who was standing up quite well to the interrogation team. These pirates guarded their secrets successfully by using the latest technology in mind blocks and, in certain cases, complete erasure of synapses. Yet the team had successfully extracted over the last few hours the names of two other pirates  --  Moorr and Morax, somehow connected by the selling of slaves.

Mereq answered the question tired of all this nonsense about worthless humans. "Morax, the slaver, told me of three humans. One was a holy --"

Jeff riveted his attention to the pirate. Finally, a connection to his son and most probably the Star Preacher. Now he had the information to at least start a search for this Moorr and his pirate starship. More information would come from this Mereq and the others. Maybe he could even find Morax; he had some business with this slaver and his disgusting occupation. The chance of finding the planet of Morrell existed, although all the pirates thus far said they knew nothing of such a planet. Jeff turned to go to the Bridge to give the orders to begin the search for Moorr and his starship. If he could question those of Moorr's starship, they would learn more and slowly get closer to their goal. The journey begins, Jeff thought ominously.

***

Later, Jeff slept in a troubled prescient land of dreaming that was no-dreaming contained in disjointed time. Marc of Mar from the mystical Kale spoke softly of childhood and then of danger, the Anti-Kale ravening with hunger for the kill. The Star Preacher must come to the mountains steeped in antiquity. The Seeker must pursue Ao of Kale and destroy the Anti-Kale to save the Ky and all of the galaxy. The dream that was no-dreaming spun on without abating, and Jeff was terrified that he was caught up in this delusion; then, clearly, he was part of another place and time -- the Star Preacher and Jeff's son . . . 

Yopou⁽¹⁸⁾ read the news of the Ral Empire with interest. The rumor of his impending appointment to prime minister was there on the miniature computer monitor. He was satisfied that all his efforts with young Emperor Ykyr⁽¹⁹⁾ had borne fruit. Looking up, he noticed that the human slaves were in front of him waiting expectantly as instructed. Yopou drank from the jeweled goblet before speaking via the tiny translator located unobtrusively nearby. Permanent implants would be surgically attached later. "You may speak, Holy One. Tell me your names."

Kyle, the notorious Star Preacher who had struck fear upon the Morrellian pirates, was frozen by abject terror. Finally, he forced out choking words heeding the previous threats of sure and swift retribution if he and the child did not instantly obey every instruction. He was about to converse with a Ral aristocrat who owned him on this evil home planet of the Ral Empire. "My name, sir, is Kyle Hunter. This child is Jason Kenwood." Kyle shuddered at having said the child's name as if death rattled his very soul. He seemed to see dimly the dreaming of a powerful one connected to his destiny.

Yopou studied the visage of the grown human carefully. He schemed about the worth of a holy one in a land with no other religion except war. "Kyle, as you can see with the young one beside you, I am purchasing males to become my adopted sons in the future, after an appropriate apprentice period. The number of sons reflects my standing and worth in Ral society. Before I decide what to do with you, let us see your worth in the nonadopted children's compound." Then Yopou motioned for dismissal with a jeweled hand.

Kyle struggled with his mind being overcome with religious fervor and the visioning he so dreaded. "What you do is an abomination before God. You worship war and make sons from slaving by stealing their innocence. You violate your soul and these children. Your war gods will not save you from the retribution sure to come."

Smiling slyly, Yopou replied softly, "Spoken well, my human property. You may speak truth, but truth is not a requirement I want from you at this moment. Yet, for your unexpected eloquence, the child will be punished instead of you. Go now!" Yopou watched warily as the two humans were led to the nonadopted male children's compound. That compound was only temporary before the deserving ones went onto the permanent children's compound run by the Triumvirate⁽²⁰⁾, strange creatures from Turrr⁽²¹⁾. At the permanent compound the Turrrians trained the male children to become the value of the Ral Empire, the feared and dreaded Ral warriors.

Kyle found himself below ground in what appeared to be dingy old caves lit only by luminescent living creatures adorning the walls dank with moisture. His quarters were adjoining the several cells containing the nonadopted male children waiting to go to the main children's compound. His new job was to take care of these unfortunate younglings including the newest arrival, eleven-year-old Jason Kenwood. Kyle tried to comfort the boy whose wild-eyed look made the situation only worse. He couldn't abide the purpose of this compound; the injustice of all this rose in him becoming unabated anger.

"Do you think my dad will come to get me soon?" Jason whimpered in short whispering sounds. He rubbed his wrists pained by the punishment promised by the terrifying Ralian master.

Kyle prayed his prayers and tried to control his mind. All was in holy turmoil. "Jason, someone will come, I am sure," he replied not believing what he had said. He continued to rave inside his head as other youths of different races from many star systems came into the cell to see this tall human.

A robed figure came into the chambers making the children scatter in fear. Without words or thoughts the mysterious creature communicated to the shocked Star Preacher hideous instructions. The Turrrian pointed to a child and back at Kyle. Kyle was to get that particular child ready for the Ral master's pleasure. Kyle snapped and started ranting and raving about God and abominations. He frothed at the mouth, his eyes narrow slits of white. The Turrrian was unaffected by holy ones with many useless words. Its only job was to make Ral warriors and serve his Ral master, Yopou.

Kyle continued preaching the damnation of the planet, the Ral people, Yopou, and the strange and nameless Turrrian creature before him. The various kinds of male children came out of hiding slowly to see what would happen. They were not accustomed to someone standing up to the Turrrian who brought only unpleasantness to their pitiful lives. The children's short stay here was only to condition them to the regimen of the permanent children's compound. Kyle's hypnotic voice rose and fell in the singsong of religious fervor. The Turrrian finally decided that the children would be harder to condition to the transition of becoming adopted sons of Ral, if he allowed the human to go on for much longer.

The Turrrian struck the human's mind savagely causing Kyle to scream in painful terror. Instantly, children vanished into fearful hiding keeping their eyes closed. Kyle's body went rigid with the force of the mental pain and soon stopped screaming as sense left him. The room took on a new light and glow. The Turrrian began to realize that here was something beyond a human creature. The body of the human took on a glow of power, and the Turrrian's mind cringed in sudden realization. The Turrrian's mind probe broke off abruptly as the creature scuttled off to the protection of the surface. Breathing frosty air in the warmth of the evening, the Turrrian resolved not to probe that one again. Yet the creature could not remember why, only nameless horror and revulsion remained.

Kyle mindlessly bathed the child the Turrrian had originally selected. A different Turrrian escorted the properly clothed child to Yopou's private chambers. This Turrrian, though, stayed its distance from the holy one having communally shared the previous experience with the first creature. Kyle went to the resting platform in the corner in a daze and began to babble about the Runes of Kale. Slowly, mercifully he calmed down and settled into a dreaming delirium. A delirium full of the past and the future all at the same time.

 . . . his brother was in bed dying. Kyle observed, detached, the sweat bathing his brother in the hollow afternoon light. He couldn't feel anything at all; he had tried. The adults around him were impressively emotional. He admired the way they wailed and whimpered, but he simply could not find it within himself to mourn, to feel any emotion except maybe curiosity about this creature called death. His brother, his playmate and antagonist, was dying and Kyle couldn't figure it out. Kyle did not understand what it all meant. He looked on quietly in the corner when suddenly his dad came at him.

Kyle was not surprised; Dad didn't like him. He was intimately aware of that fact. Kyle listened while the man's voice penetrated his mind. The questions were the same as he had. He glanced at his brother and suddenly hated him and all the attention he was getting. Kyle looked back at his dad and didn't move while he was struck repeatedly. His mom came to his rescue. Kyle was barely thankful, for he was not hurt physically. He had grown used to the conflicts with his dad. He realized somehow that he was much like his dad and that was what incensed his father so. Father and son gazed at the bed containing the small and frail frame that was dying; both father and son stood emotionless. Yet the rage was soon to come again for both.

Kyle's mom copiously poured out emotion while hanging onto the body of the one that was dying. Kyle watched quietly while the weeping and the useless words of regret were said. Mom was so much the opposite of everyone in the family; Kyle barely recognized her. She groped for her oldest boy to come to comfort her. The youngest brother was breathing the air of death so shallow and slow. Kyle felt his mother's arms around him as she drew him closer to the horror that was his brother. Now here was a familiar emotion as he saw the jealousy on his dad's face.

Kyle could smell his brother now as the filmy eyes looked back at him. Here were the hidden secrets that he would not acknowledge, now being forced out into the open by his hapless mother. Kyle quietly exchanged last thoughts with his brother. Somewhere from above this fateful afternoon, Kyle could feel the struggle from within himself to pull away from this last encounter with an already dead brother. Yet he couldn't; events finally compelled him forward in memories no longer remote, no longer strange and forbidden. Dreams so real, dreams of childhood, dreams of Africa . . . 

Kyle found himself in this waking dream struggling to get out. In his delirium, he had struggled for some welcome piece of the past and had fallen into this terror. None of it was true, he tried hard to convince himself. He couldn't even remember everyone's name. Yet he continued in the dreaming, this dreaming of strange happenings foreign to his existence. The memory of his dead brother's last words evoked reflections of faces, of lost souls, of a son he would never want to see. A chieftain of Africa held that soul in safety, but Kyle denied these visions. The happenings were too strange, and this was only delirious dreaming to escape the revulsion of Ral. He slept fitfully before the force of his dreaming returned to torture him.

Kyle's unseeing eyes shone in the darkness as battles and starships sparkled there. The blood of pirates filled his eyes and the wind howled. With the clouds dripping venom, the visage of creatures across the galaxy lit up the sky. The Seeker must find the Anti-Kale and be the saving of the small ones caught forever in evil darkness so serene and clear. The call of Kale beckoned insanely so counter to one of his calling. There at the Mountains of Ao stood pools of blood so stark, so inviting. The blood of the child sought and dreaded all simultaneously. Kyle caught his breath and returned to see Jason, a child of Earth, strangely observing the Star Preacher with the blood of the child shining from within . . . 

[Book One Tears from Ao] [Book Two The Mountains of Ao Chapter One] [Book Two The Mountains of Ao Chapter Two] [Poetry] [Guest Author Palme] [Guest Author Hateley] [Runes of Ao/Kale] [to fly... to be... to love...] [Dragon Embers] [Guest Poet/Author Wilson] [Wilson: Grey Dragon series] [Wilson: Sentinel Dragon series] [Wilson: Thangath the Dreamer]

1. Jason -- Stepson of Jeffery Kenwood. He had grown ever closer to his stepfather with each passing year.

2. Renee -- Wife of Jeffery Kenwood. She sometimes didn't know what she wanted. She loved Jeff, but yearned for more.

3. Jennifer -- Stepdaughter of Jeffery Kenwood. She loved writing letters to her stepfather and helped her twin brother write letters too.

4. Panther -- An intelligent animal who is cub-mate to Marc of Mar. Cub-mate is a term used to describe the pairings of an intelligent animal to a child of Kale. Mar is the name of the land of Marc's family or gens.

5. Family of Mar -- Formal title of the beings belonging to the gens of Mar, somewhat like Earth last names, but stronger.

6. Season of Ao -- It is the solar cycle of Kale, roughly equivalent to 436 earth days. It also is used to determine age for those of Kale. In that case, one Season of Ao roughly equals 100 earth years. So Marc being 14 in Kale time is equivalent to 0.14 years in Earth time. The discrepancy between a Season of Ao for Marc and a Season of Ao for seventh Kale is that the original people and planet plus the Kalian race progression changed from the beginning of creation to present time. Original Kalians lived very short, desperate lives.

7. Wheeler, Todd Johnson -- Commander of Star Cruiser Squadron Seventeen, which is the squadron the USS Aldermin (CGS-102) is in. He is an up and coming officer being groomed for admiral.

8. Warlord (CVS-1), USS -- The star carrier that is the flagship of Admiral Montoya.

9. Cyrus, Abbot Brooks, Commander -- New XO USS Aldermin (CGS-102) replacing Jeff Kenwood.

10. Ibel -- Ral stronghold and haven for Morrellian pirates. One of the many garrison forces set up to protect Ral shipping lanes.

11. Morkel, Gladys, Colonel -- Commands USS Aldermin's Special Forces. Special Forces are highly trained sets of Marines used in star warfare.

12. Kosar, Franklin -- Inventor of many mylyn-driven systems including the star fighter named after him.

13. Phaser, maser, laser -- Various weapons systems of varying magnitude.

14. Fuzzworth, Roy -- Renee Kenwood's ex-husband. Roy was obsessive and possessive as well as self-destructive.

15. Tactical Action Officer (TAO) -- Officer in charge of conducting the overall battle action under the guidance of the commanding officer. Lt. Thomas is one of the two officers on the USS Aldermin (CGS-102) who is qualified for this battle station.

16. Dawson, James Tyler, Cpl. -- Communications technician assigned to the Special Forces on the USS Aldermin (CGS-102). He had just graduated Special Forces school and was excited about working on a real starship.

17. Mereq -- A Morrellian pirate captured on Ibel by the Aldermin. Mereq made most of his wealth in being the go-between for the transference of the best slaves to agents of Ral.

18. Yopou -- Ral prime minister. Yopou comes from an ancient family known for its ability to govern in difficult situations.

19. Ykyr -- Emperor of Ral. He has just barely become a fully matured warrior of the Empire, but must find a way to rule thousands of star systems who would rather rule themselves.

20. Triumvirate -- Three creatures of Turrr hand picked to raise Ral male children to warriors. These creatures are extremely loyal and dedicated to the ancient Ral families. The arrangement has existed for so long that no one really knows why anymore.