Chapter 6: The Zentas Hue II

Jed An quickly overcame his surprise and it wasn't long before he understood what had happened. With understanding the alien's concern faded as the spell that was in force did not actually affect him unless he attempted to employ power or spellcraft against the Republic battlecruiser or one of its inhabitants. Jed An would be forced to delay his plans for a short time but there was no real obstacle to implementing them. Jed An was sure now that Mev possessed no greater powers than his own and there were only two in Mev's group. If Mev refused to join him Jed An thought, he could easily overcome and destroy Mev, since Jed An controlled a triad of power.

"Very impressive, wolfling," Jed An said. "But it will only last for a short time and then my time will come. I know full well there are only two of you on this vessel. If you refuse to join me you will be destroyed easily."

"I know your nature, Jed An. Desist your foolish ideas immediately. And you will find that destroying me will not be as easy as you currently think. Know you that if you should return when the current spell protecting this space ship fades you will face three and not two." Mev replied.

"Even if it shall be three there is little time for you to train any of these sheep you might make into wolflings. Without training they can aid you little. Even with another in your group, if you do not join me I can destroy you with ease." The alien said.

"You may take your leave now. When you return I shall be waiting for you. In full combat we shall decide all." Mev told Jed An.

"Very well, so be it," the alien replied, and suddenly disappeared.

Mev let himself relax and he felt the sudden release of tension and the effect of the energy drain caused by the spell he had used on the ship. It was so extreme that it was all he could do to just remain standing so he moved over to one of the un-melted chairs and sat down. The heat in the compartment was rapidly dissipating now the combat was over and the fire alarms suddenly shut off.

The fire fighting team that had been kept out of the compartment by the backwash from the combat now rushed in. The found Mev sitting in the middle of a collection of furniture partially melted and damaged by heat but fortunately no fires had been ignited and the space was already cool enough the heat resistant suits worn by the fire party were unnecessary.

As soon as the fire team had ensured there was no fire danger in the compartment, Lt. Casey the security chief came in with a squad of security people. Casey looked around the compartment in puzzlement, taking in the scorched and partially melted furniture, and Mev sitting alone in the middle of it.

"What happened here?" Casey asked somewhat testily.

"One of the aliens who recently came on board the ship attacked me. I was forced to defend myself using the same means. The damage you see here is the back wash from his attack and my defense." Mev answered.

"Where is this alien now?" Casey asked.

"Their location is unknown. However the most likely location is somewhere on the surface of the planet below, though I doubt you would be able to find them unless they wanted you to." Mev replied.

"How did the aliens attack you? We are certain they have no weapons, they were checked for that before they were allowed on board."

"These three aliens, while not from Venda, are of a nature similar to the High Lords of Venda, and therefore need no weapons in order to be extremely dangerous. Everything I told you about the Vendan High Lords in terms of capabilities also applies to these aliens from the tomb on the planet below. Perhaps they even have some powers and abilities which are unknown to me, though my sense of them so far is they are at approximately the same level of development at the Vendan High Lords." Mev replied.

"I see. Why would they want to attack you Van Zehe?"

"It would appear the aliens wish to gain control of this ship and I stand in the way of their plan. This attack today was only to test me and perhaps to persuade me to join them."

"Did the alien ask you to join them Van Zehe?" Casey asked.

"Yes," Mev replied.

"Did you agree to join them?"

"No, I did not. It is not desirable to join them. These aliens have already exhibited behavior that was considered to be unacceptable for High Lords on Venda. The alien's actions in this room are one example of the behaviors I am talking about. His attempt to engage me in power combat seriously endangered the others in this room and ultimately the ship."

"I see. What caused the alien to stop his attack upon you?" Casey asked.

"I used spellcraft on the ship which temporarily inhibits their ability to use their power and spellcraft against the ship and by extension anyone who is aboard. However this will only last for a short period of time as the pattern of the spellcraft I used decays swiftly. Perhaps even sooner if the aliens find a way to counter it." Mev answered.

"Why not just repeat the spellcraft that you used before?" Casey asked.

"Unfortunately the aliens are now well aware of the type of spellcraft used and will not allow it to be repeated. It will be necessary to use a different, much harder and more risky method to stop them." Mev answered.

"What is this different method?" Casey asked.

"I think a conference with the captain would be the appropriate forum in which that should be put forth." Mev replied.

"Very well. I will talk to the captain and I will call you when the meeting is arranged." Casey told Mev.

"I will await your call." Mev stood up and then walked out of the compartment. As he left he noticed a scanning crew starting to run a scan of the interior of the space.

Mev quickly returned to his interior communications compartment to see Kathleen immediately. It was certain she would have sensed the energies expended in the battle with Jed An and it was necessary to explain and reassure her. Fortunately she had remained where she was instead of coming to investigate which was as he had instructed her previously.

"Oh Mev, what happened? I felt the surge of power from the dining hall where you were but I was afraid to scry and find out what was going on. I also felt the spellcraft you used on the ship." Kathleen asked as soon as Mev came in the door.

"The confrontation I was expecting has occurred and sadly it is now certain the aliens are indeed Zentas Hue. The spellcraft I used on the ship will only limit their powers for a few more hours." Mev replied.

"What can we do then?" Kathleen asked.

"It will not be possible to avoid facing them again since the ship is otherwise defenseless against them. The aliens have a Triad of Power so you and I will have to face them together when that happens."

"But if they have a Triad of Power doesn't that mean that just you and I will not be strong enough to stop them alone, Mev?" the girl asked.

"You are correct. We will need to persuade one of the humans to volunteer to be converted to join us in battle. Due to the circumstances we will need to use the Sha Ne form of conversion." He replied.

"Why do we need to use Sha Ne? Isn't using that forbidden?" Kathleen asked.

"Normally yes, but in this case there is no alternative. The expenditure in the conversion itself must be kept to a minimum and more importantly in Sha Ne the person converted emerges from it with full knowledge and use of their powers from the beginning." Mev explained.

"But won't using Sha Ne also cause them to be bound to use forever?"

"Yes, that is also true. One of the humans will have to sacrifice a part of their free will in order to defend the ship, it cannot be avoided."

"There isn't any other way to stop the Zentas Hue, Mev?" Kathleen asked.

"No, I am afraid not. With a Triad of Power they must be faced by another Triad. We must form one as quickly and as easily as possible if we are to have any chance of success."

"When will we form the Triad if there is so little time?"

"There should be a call for a meeting with the captain shortly. That would seem to be the appropriate forum to describe the situation and make the arrangements to obtain the volunteer. If the meeting with the captain is delayed we will use other means to accomplish our goal." Mev said.

The interior communicator beeped and Mev moved over and pushed the accept button. It was Casey informing Mev the meeting with the captain would be in conference room two in fifteen minutes.

"I must attend the meeting now, Kathleen. Please return here until I return. When I return I will let you know what we will need to do next." Mev told the girl as he stood up to leave for the meeting. It would take most of the fifteen minutes for Mev to make his way to the conference room. Mev walked briskly through the passageways to make it there on time.

When Mev arrived Casey and several other people from security were already in the conference room as well as the executive officer. The captain had not yet arrived. Except for two security men who were obviously guards Mev was the most junior person in the room in terms of Military rank. Mev took a seat near the foot of the table.

Almost as soon as Mev had seated himself Captain Mason entered the room and the executive officer ordered:

"Attention!" which brought everyone to their feet as Mason moved to the head of the table.

"Please be seated everyone," Mason ordered. "Casey, what is the situation with the aliens?"

'Currently the three aliens are either in hiding or are no longer on the ship. I've done some preliminary investigation and it seems they were brought on board without the full range of required security checks but that is an issue for later. The aliens did not cause any trouble after coming on board until just a few minutes ago when the male alien, who calls himself Jed An, carried out an unprovoked attack on petty officer Van Zehe in one of the enlisted dining facilities." Casey answered.