Chapter 26: Enemy Camp

TERMS

tinton - 2 1/2 seconds
specton - 2 1/2 minutes
Toton - 2 1/2 hours
minton - 2 1/2 days
daycon - 2 1/2 weeks
Malant - 2 1/2 months
quant - 2 1/2 years
galant - 2 1/2 centuries
Metson - 2 1/2 inches
maclon - 2 1/2 feet
heckson - 2 1/2 miles
tetson - 2 1/2 acres
unit - 2 1/2 ccs
Tac - 2 1/2 pounds

Mayan Terms

nohchil - Chief
Ahau - King
k’aat - Claim
k’iimil - Death
taak’in - gold

Characters

Bill Axor (AKA Ambrose) - Lion clan, Cit-Chac-Coh
King Tomco Traxor - Bill’s dead father, Lion clan
King Tobias Traxor - Bill’s dead brother, Lion clan
Queen Trianna Axor - Bill’s dead mother, Lion clan of Mandria
Queen Niaco Traxor - Tiger clan, Tobias mate, now Bill’s
Twitty Glax - Grey Tabby clan, bill’s body guard and mate
Glenna Nox - Bengal clan, Bill’s body guard and mate
Mikos Glac - Chartreux clan
Skylos - Commander of star crusier - Wire hair clan
Henna Glac - Chartreux clan, Mikos mate, Xendran Doctor
Theta Panadon - Cheetah clan
Cornelius Glax - one of Bill’s Uncles, Grey Tabby clan
Conrad Nox - Bill’s other Uncle Bengal clan
Assassin group - Jaguar clan
second assassin group - Ocicat clan
Typree Maxor - Sub King of Mandria, Lion clan
Adina Maxor - Paladin Princess of Xendra, Sub-princess of Mandria, Lion clan
Timora - The great mother of the feline people, mate of first tribal leader
Hippacamp - Timora’s father, father of modern Xendran doctors

Knights

General Roth - Leopard clan
Gregor - Cougar clan
Gwayne - Panther clan
Thomas - Lynx clan

Paladins - Female Knights

Wrena - Leopard clan, Roth’s mate
Cetana - Cougar clan, Gregor’s mate
Dawney - Panther clan, Gwayne’s mate
Mileen - Lynx clan, Thomas’s mate

Ambrose could hear Skylos rushing around the deck. He was about to try and help, then shook his head; no, all he would do was get in the way. A moment later, Twitty came flying by on her way to the command deck. Slowing, she suddenly fell, gasping just past Ambrose.

Skylos appeared with a third mask as he hurriedly tried to get the mask on the struggling Twitty, who was having difficulty breathing. Clawing at the air, Twitty knocked Skylos off his feet. Rushing to Skylos, Ambrose grabbed the mask and, pulling Twitty up, placed it over her face.

Gasping in a huge lungful of air, she smiled weakly up at Ambrose. “I’m proud to be your mate, sire!”

Still struggling to get up, Ambrose held her there a moment. “Rest a moment, you need to get your strength before you go at it again.”

“Sire! We have to keep the engine going or we are dead in space. Then help me, sire,” Twitty said as they both walked to Skylos, who was just getting off the deck.

“I’m going to the engine room. I need you to monitor the shapes I put in; with luck, we can get enough power to the one working to restart the other,” Skylos told Twitty as she nodded, heading for the command deck.

Ambrose sat after they went in opposite directions. [Cousin?] Ambrose heard. [Cousin? Can you hear me?]

Shocked for a moment, Ambrose thought, [I am here, cousin. Skylos is trying to keep the ship going. We’ve lost most of our power. He and Queen Twitty are attempting to repair it right now.]

[We will not leave until we know you are able to land. Just tell me, and we’ll be there in less than a specton, ] Typree thought back.

[No!] Ambrose almost shouted in his thoughts. [I don’t want to endanger your ships along with ours. Stand by; I’m sure Skylos will have us going soon.]

Just then, he heard Skylos cursing as there was a small explosion. Rushing to the engine room, Ambrose saw that Skylos was lying on the deck, gasping for breath, his mask across the room. Grabbing it, Ambrose struggled to get it on Skylos.

Taking a huge breath, Skylos’s eyes went large as he started to gasp again. Shit! Ambrose thought as he saw the crack all the way across the mask. Taking a huge breath, he ripped his off, securing it over Skylos’s face. “Sire NO!” Skylos yelled, then jumped up, rushing to a storage cabinet. Searching through the contents, he reappeared with another mask.

Ambrose nodded as he donned the one Skylos handed him. Donning it quickly, Ambrose took a huge lungful of air. Standing up, he nodded to Skylos as they both started to pull several golden pieces from the container.

“Alright, Queen Twitty, we are starting to place the pieces,” Skylos stated. “Slowly, sire, until we have a good match.”

For the next eight spectons, all that could be heard was Twitty going, “no, no, not even close.” Then suddenly, “Stop! That one, it seems to have the optimum shape.”

Skylos nodded as Ambrose slowly placed the piece within the chamber. Quickly closing it, Skylos pressed several buttons as the lights came halfway back on.

“I have the first engine stabilizing now. I’m still getting no response from the second,” Twitty called back.

“Good, though we are still dead in space if we can’t restart the second. We’d burn up long before we crashed,” Skylos told Twitty and Ambrose.

“I’ve started to go through what we have, looking for a comparable shape. So far, not much luck in size or shape...” Ambrose stopped as he felt a rather large round shape deeper in the container. Yanking it out, Skylos’s eyes went large as he opened the largest chamber.

“Careful, sire; if this works, it might bring everything halfway back up,” Skylos said as Ambrose very slowly began to place the rather large piece. “A little more, sire.” Skylos had a strange-looking pair of glasses out as he directed Ambrose to slowly shift the piece until it was as close to perfect as he could see.

Breathing a sigh of relief, both Ambrose and Skylos smiled. “You think this will work?” Ambrose asked.

“This is the largest energy chamber. If we can get this one going, then we have a damn good chance. Alright, Queen Twitty, I am going to bring the largest chamber online slowly. When it is at fifty percent, try to reignite the second engine,” Skylos instructed.

“Alright, got my eyes on the power output now,” Twitty replied as Skylos nodded, then closed the chamber.

Nodding to Ambrose, Skylos pushed several buttons then grasped a lever as he started to slide it upwards. “Here we go!” Skylos said as he increased the power.

“Looking good so far, chamber holding power, almost to twenty percent. Now at twenty-five, steadily rising, thirty, still climbing, thirty-five, air circulation has started.” Nodding to Ambrose, Skylos lifted his mask, taking a deep breath.

Ambrose took his off as well, taking a deep breath, then nodded back to Skylos. “How are the stabilizers?” Skylos asked.

“Power at forty percent, I have minimal stabilizers. Still attempting to correct our path. Forty-five percent!” Twitty shouted excitedly.

“Sire, try to find another piece like the shape of the last one. I’m going to command to help her reignite the engine. I just hope it doesn’t take that long to get it going again,” Skylos said as he moved past Ambrose toward the command deck.

Ambrose shook his head as he started to go through the container. I hope we can find a few more, he thought, not really wanting to die out here in space.

Still searching through the container, Ambrose felt the ship lurch as Skylos and Twitty again attempted to restart the engine.

Then Ambrose heard cursing coming from the command deck. Skylos came flying back to where Ambrose was, panting a bit.

Looking at the five or six pieces that Ambrose had found, Skylos held up one of them and smiled as he opened another chamber and gingerly placed the piece inside. “THAT should really help!” Skylos said as he ran for the command deck.

Again, the ship lurched, then there was a roar as the second engine came up. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ambrose was about to leave when Skylos appeared again. “We have power at seventy-five percent, sire.” Looking at what Ambrose was holding, Skylos’s eyes got large as he took four more from him, opening another four panels.

Five spectons later, Twitty called back. “We’re at ninety-nine percent, power has almost completely stabilized. I’m heading for Earth.”

Skylos nodded as he thanked Ambrose, then ran for the command deck again. Thankfully, they had control as they entered the atmosphere, then landed. As he expected, they were met by all his Knights and Paladins. Plus, the fact that Glenna was scowling at him wasn’t making things easier either.

“Mate!” She shouted as they ran to him, checking out every bit of him. Smirking, Glenna finally looked at Ambrose. “Mate, if you were so anxious to die, then you should have stayed here.”

Ambrose could only sigh as Twitty was soon in Glenna’s ear, telling her all that had transpired. Turning, Glenna told all the rest of Ambrose’s Knights and his Paladins. Roth’s face twisted into a mask of anger as he stared at Ambrose.

“Really, sire! If you continue to ignore us protecting you, then I and the others may have to retire from your detail,” Roth told Ambrose, whose face suddenly showed great shock.

“I am sorry, Roth; this takes precedence over even me. If we don’t get these people moved, then there will be no realm,” Ambrose told all of them.

Roth nodded then stated, “That is all well and true, sire. Remember, though, without you, not many of these people would go either. So as you see, it is a double-edged sword. Therefore, I might advise that you take both of your mates to, uh ... uh hum, smooth things over. I have learned the hard way, sire, an angry mate can make for many angry, tense moments in your life with them.”