The Secret of Mars
Chapter 14: The Stryguard Obelisk

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but I didn’t have much luck finding much that’s edible,” Weenow said, placing a handful of green moss on the smooth rock Mary was using for a plate. “I believe it is time to start exploring some of the other tunnels. Perhaps they would contain more food. ”

“I did not have much luck either,” Mary stated, placing her few insects and one relatively large glowworm on the plate. “I walked quite a ways from the pool of water outwards, and this was the only glowworm I found.”

“FarCore is a made realm, not a real world containing lifeforms,” Weenow explained. “I am amazed we have found plants and animals at all. I can’t imagine how the little bit we have found so far ever made it into FarCore. It’s not like there’s an opening to other worlds that creatures and things can crawl through.”

“Now I see why the Orbs put the surviving Oonocks in suspended animation,” Mary sighed. “There is not enough food down here to even feed one Oonock, let alone almost two thousand. I fear, Weenow, if we do not figure how to get us out of here soon, I too will have to go into suspension. Perhaps we should try repairing the window again.”

“I cannot think of anything I have not tried,” Weenow replied. He was apprehensive about the lack of food too and the possibility that the princess would have to be placed in stasis like the others, which meant her chances of being rescued would drop dramatically. “But, who knows? Together we might see something different today. Perhaps after you’ve eaten.” He watched the princess take a bite into the large glowworm and make a horrible face. Apparently, even after several weeks of eating them they still tasted no better.

“Perhaps we are going about this the wrong way,” Mary suddenly stated. “If it were the Orbs that brought me here, as we suspect, then they would have known I would have no way of getting back out.”

“But why would they do that?” Weenow asked.

Mary thought while she finished the glowworm. “Let us see what we know.” She quickly ate the few insects, then picked up several stones and placed them in her hand. “My presence woke you from your sleep.” She put a stone on the table. “I was taken by the Orbs and brought here.” She put another stone beside the first. “According to my feelings, my twin sister is now on Mars also.” She placed a third stone further away from the other two. “But why have the Orbs not brought her here too?”

“Perhaps she is needed on the other side,” Weenow innocently stated.

“That is it, Weenow,” Mary shouted, jumping up. “Why did I not see this before? As twins, we share a special bond through the Orbs. She has to remain out there so we can form a bridge between the outside world and FarCore, like the painting of my father and Grandfather. A form of portal.”

“If that were true, Your Highness, why has this new portal not been created?” Weenow asked, hating to burst Mary’s excitement. “Your sister has been on this planet long enough for the bridge to form.”

Mary sat back down, the smile on her face replaced by a look of determination. “That only means that there is another piece of the puzzle that either they or we have not discovered yet.” She bent down and picked up a small stick, laying it on top of the two stones representing her and Amber. “Something to reinforce our connection.”

“Might you know what that something is?”

“No. I fear that too is something we must discover. What are we missing?” Mary asked as she began to walk about, her stomach loudly grumbling, wanting more food. “What would Dattwa and Nanna do if they were me?” She continued to pace around, trying to remember all the stories her father and grandmother had told her about FarCore and the Orbs. Tried as she might to concentrate on the problem, all she could think about was something more to eat, especially the bittle worms that tasted so good. Not the terribly bitter glow worms. What she wouldn’t give for a handful of bittles, taste their sweetness once more in her mouth. She stopped, staring in disbelief at an indentation in a nearby rock. Crawling inside were several bittle worms.

“Weenow, come here please and tell me what you see,” an excited Mary shouted.

Weenow swam over and looked into the crevice Mary was pointing to. “Bittle worms! I wonder where they came from? I searched this rock earlier and didn’t see them. I am sorry I missed them, Your Majesty.”

“I do not think you did miss them,” Mary smiled, an idea forming in her mind while she hungrily ate the squiggling worms. “Quick, Weenow. What other insects have I enjoyed eating?”

Wondering what the princess was thinking, Weenow replied, “You enjoyed those red, six-legged things we found a few weeks back. They were only there for a few days, then they disappeared, like much of what we find.”

“And there were those long leaf-like structures we found in that pink pool of liquid,” Mary happily stated. “Once I ate them, we never found any more.”

“That is true, Your Majesty,” Weenow said. “Most of the plants and animals we find are only here for a few days, then they disappear.”

“Do you not think that strange?” Mary gleefully asked. “Why would there be so few of each type of plant and animal? How could they exist if they are not reproducing?”

“I do not know,” Weenow confessed. “This is FarCore. As I said earlier, they shouldn’t be here at all. Besides, you don’t leave any so they can reproduce.”

“Exactly, Weenow,” Mary cried. “They should not be here. Which means, someone or something is placing them here for me. Do you not see, Weenow? The Orbs are leaving food so I can continue to exist. They do not want me to re-enter the crystal.”

“But if that were true, why isn’t there more food for you?” Weenow asked. “You are barely staying alive with what we’ve found.”

“I think the Orbs have been waiting for me to tell them what I want, what I like,” Mary replied. “They have been giving me an assortment of food to try, but I have not told them which ones I liked. So they keep trying. I have an idea. We need to go to the Orbs’ table.” Without waiting for a reply, Mary darted off to the table. Several minutes later she was standing beside the table, her stomach growling even louder at the thought of food. “I do not know if I’m right or not about this, or if I can even do it.”

“Do what, Your Majesty?”

“When Amber and I were born, Grandfather Kiijon went into our FarCore and asked the Orbs for two amulets for us to wear. He did the same thing when Robert was born. Grandfather said they just simply appeared on the table. Maybe that is all I have to do – ask!”

Never having asked the Orbs for anything, Weenow did not know if that would work or not. “I suppose it is possible.”

“Here goes nothing,” Mary said. Hoping her stomach would stay quiet so she could concentrate, she calmed her insides and stood tall. “I am Mary Waters, daughter of Monarchs EJ and Medaron, granddaughter of King Kiijon and Queen Europa, the Supreme Monarchs of the Oonock people. I am in need of nourishment. I humbly ask that you bring forth some bittle worms.” She and Weenow nervously waited to see what would happen. As with the request for the amulets, a golden hinged-box suddenly appeared on the table. Mary anxiously moved her hand toward it, grasped the lid and opened it. To her delight, the inside was filled with a multitude of bittle worms.

“It worked,” a surprised Weenow said.

“Yep,” Mary smiled, while she stuffed the worms into her mouth. When the box was empty, she closed the lid, and it disappeared once more. She wondered if it were possible to ask for other foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Maybe even a fish. Hoping she was correct, she said, “I, Princess Mary, ask for an apple and a tomato.” She waited, barely able to breathe in hopes of something more satisfying than worms. Nothing happened.

“Perhaps the Orbs do not know what an apple or, what did you call it, a tomit is?” Weenow stated.

“A tomato,” Mary corrected, turning to look at her host, a disappointed look on her face. She so suddenly craved an apple. “They are fruits from Earth. Perhaps I can only request food from Mars since this is Mars’ FarCore.”

“While this may be Mars’ entrance to FarCore, all of FarCore is connected,” Weenow smiled. “There is only one FarCore. What happens on Earth, or on some undiscovered moon millions of light years away, it knows. Look, Your Majesty.” Weenow pointed to the table where another box had appeared.

Giggling with excitement, Mary opened the new box to reveal a ripe red apple and the reddest large tomato she had ever seen. Picking up the apple, she bit into it, savoring the sweet juices filling her mouth and sliding down her chin. “Now THIS is food.”

Jeanip and Swaybuk sat in the land rover watching the diggers cut away at the formidable fake mountain from a safe distance. Both monarchs wanted to be present at the excavation but knew it was too dangerous to be close. So they opted to sit in a cramped land rover in their space suits and watch the slow process. Earon and Anew stayed at the Settlement with Amber.

“How’s it going?” Earon’s image asked on the communication screen. “From back here, it looks like they’ve barely done anything.”

“They have to go slow,” Jeanip replied. “The removal of the dirt and rock is taking a lot longer than we anticipated. And a lot more dangerous. This is not like an ordinary mountain that was formed by nature. It is a conglomeration of six thousand years of rock, dirt, and dust stacked upon one another. Already there’s been a few rock slides hurtling some good-sized rocks down. One barely missed hitting the digger.”

“If it is that dangerous, Uncles, perhaps you should not be so close either,” a worried Amber suggested.

“We will be okay here, Little One,” Jeanip smiled. “We are far enough away from the mountain.”

“Anew, can you see any difference in the mountain?” Swaybuk asked, hoping the Ancient could see something they did not.

“No, nothing has changed,” Anew replied.

“Uncle, we received a communique from Dattwa a few moments ago,” Amber said. “He and Grandmother were able to talk to Hygone.”

“Did she tell them how to get Mary out of there?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Earon replied. “But she did give them one fascinating piece of news about the obelisk?”

“The obelisk? What about it?”

“It appears it’s not supposed to exist,” Earon stated. “At least not in real life. It’s from an Ancients’ legend, about the beings who created FarCore and the Universe of Windows. It’s called a Stryguard. Hygone said legend says it was a form of transportation used by the Librarians before the Ancients arrived.”

“But the Ancients are hundreds of millions of years old,” Swaybuk stated. “How far back are the Librarians?”

“Hygone said possibly a billion years or more,” Amber answered.

“Great, now we have another ancient civilization to figure out,” Jeanip grumbled.

“Did Hygone mention if she thought the obelisk had anything to do with the downed Terrian ship?” Swaybuk asked, ignoring Jeanip’s comment.

“She said that, like the Ancients, the Librarians were protectors of life,” Anew answered. “They could have tried to prevent JeffRa from obliterating the planet totally and destroying this entire solar system.”

“The elimination of Mars would have caused unimaginable destruction on the other planets,” Swaybuk commented. “Certainly all the life on Earth would have been eradicated. It’s possible it would even have ended all life on Europa, even under her thick layer of ice.”

“That’s a scary thought,” Jeanip said. “So, did Hygone give your father any suggestions?”

“Only that Barook was going to return to their homeworld and see what he could find in their ancient text about the Stryguard,” Earon said.

“And how long will that take?” an impatient Jeanip asked. “The Ancients live on the far side of the galaxy.”

“She did not know,” Amber sighed.

Suddenly, the image of Jeanip and Swaybuk began to shake, yet those at the Settlement watching felt nothing. “Staybo, what is happening?” Amber shouted.

“I don’t know, Your Majesty,” Staybo said, turning his knobs and dials. “It’s nothing on this end causing the disturbance.”

“Look,” shouted PiePie, pointing toward the mountain. One of the diggers had been working on the left side of the mountain and hit an unstable spot. A massive avalanche of rock and debris began to slide down the mountain, gathering momentum, tearing away even more debris and rock. Those at the Settlement could tell, even from their distance, that some of the dislocated boulders were at least ten to twelve feet across.

“Uncles, get out of there,” Amber shouted.

“She’s right, Swaybuk,” Jeanip shouted, as flying debris began to hit the land rovers windshield. “Get us the hell out of here.”

“I’m on it,” Swaybuk shouted, putting the vehicle in gear and heading back toward the Settlement. But the rover was awkward and slow. Debris continued to rain down on them, puncturing their tires and cracking their windshield. As those at the Settlement watched in horror, a boulder double the size of the others came rolling down the disintegrating mountain of rock. It hit another rock and became airborne, hurling through the Martian air with little gravity to pull it back down to land, speeding toward the land rover trying to escape.

“They are not going to make it,” Earon shouted, watching the enormous boulder drawing closer to the rover.

“Swaybuk,” screamed Anew, placing her hands on the Observation Window’s glass, trying to use her power to somehow stop the boulder from killing the only being she had ever loved.

“No, Uncles,” Amber yelled, also placing her hands on the window. Neither she, nor Anew, nor any of the others noticed the amulets around their necks begin to glow. No one except for Tong, who was at the back of the room with Glock.

The boulder continued to speed toward the fleeing rover. Even with the low gravity, it was hurdling at a tremendous speed. Impact was imminent. When it was just fifteen feet away, a bright green light of energy shot out from the tip of the obelisk and vaporized the boulder into a shower of fine powder. At the same time, the Observation Window cracked into a million pieces, sending shards of glass into both Anew and Amber’s hands. Drops of their white and lilac blood began to trickle down the window pane.

“No one move,” shouted Earon. He knew that if the broken pieces of the Observation Window fell, they would lose the air pressure inside the room. All would die within seconds. “There is a force shield on the other side of the glass, but I do not know if it will hold. Staybo, can you get another force shield up?”

“I’m talking to the Command Center now,” Staybo replied, also realizing the danger his princess and Anew were in. “They have a crew on their way, but it will take them five minutes before they can get here. They said the existing shield should hold, but not to take any chances or make any sudden moves.”

“Okay, everyone, let us all remain calm,” Earon announced. “Amber, Anew, try to stay still. If possible, keep your hand pressure on the window constant.”

“Your Majesty, you’re bleeding,” Tong said, as she and Glock came forward.

“Stay back,” Earon said. “Do not touch her. She and Anew’s hand could be all that is holding that window together.”

“It is okay, Tong,” Amber stated, her back to those in the room, unable to turn and face her new friend. “It does not hurt. And the bleeding should stop soon.” She wanted to tell her friend that, with the gift of healing, came the ability to heal oneself. She wondered if Mary had ever told Tong of their abilities.

“Uncle Earon, what about Uncles Jeanip and Swaybuk?” Amber asked, fear in her voice. With the window shattered into tiny pieces, she could no longer see the scene outside. “Did the boulder hit them?”

Earon looked again at Staybo. “I’m getting information on that now.” He paused. “Are you sure?” He listened again. “Yes, thank you. I am very happy to tell you that the boulder did not hit them. It was vaporized by a lightning bolt from the obelisk.”

“The obelisk?” Anew asked.

“Yes. Apparently the same time the window shattered, a ray of something emanated from the obelisk and vaporized the boulder into dust,” Staybo said. “Swaybuk and Monarch Jeanip are fine, but the rover has suffered significant damage. There is a rescue team on their way to retrieve them also.”

“Thank goodness for that,” Earon sighed. “What about the crew on the diggers?”

“Command reports that they believe one digger and her crew are lost,” Staybo answered. “The other digger is heavily damaged. The crew is alive but injured.”

They heard the sound of running footsteps in the hallway. Supreme Leader Gart appeared in the doorway. “Amber, are you okay?” He rushed toward the window where she stood. Glock immediately intervened and blocked his way. “Get out of my way, you hairy thing.”

“Take another step toward my princess, and I will shoot you,” Gart heard PiePie’s voice say. He turned to see the protector standing a few feet away, her weapon drawn, and her finger on the trigger. “I will not hesitate, in case you were wondering.”

“You people are still mad because I kissed her?” Gart shouted.

“No, Gart,” Earon said, walking up to the confused alien. He placed his hand on PiePie’s weapon and lowered it. “At least not at the moment. Glock and PiePie are both stopping you because we cannot go near Amber or Anew until they reseal the fractured window on the outside. We are afraid that if they move, the window will crumble and the atmosphere in here will be sucked outside, along with them and us. For the moment, the only way to keep her safe is to do nothing.”

Gart looked at the monarch, then at the window. He had not noticed that it contained thousands of tiny cracks running in every direction. Realizing the mistake he almost made, he looked up into the big creature’s eyes. “Thank you, Glock. Thank you for stopping me from making a terrible mistake.”

Glock grunted. “He said you could not comprehend what you did not know,” Tong translated.

“Hey, that is what Mary says all the time,” Amber stated.

“Yes, amongst other things,” Tong replied.

“I think the repair crew is here,” Anew announced. “I can hear something outside the window.”

“I can vaguely see movement through the cracks,” Amber said.

“The Command Center said the repair crew has arrived and is placing a patch over the window. It should be just a few more minutes before Princess Amber and Anew can move.”

“Leader Gart, if you would like, you can go stand beside that chair a few feet behind Amber and talk with her,” Earon suggested. “I am sure she would like that. And it would help keep her mind off her current circumstances.”

“Are you sure it’s alright?” Gart asked, looking at both PiePie and Glock.

Glock grunted. “He says he has no objections,” Tong stated.

Slowly, Gart walked toward the Oonock princess. As he drew nearer, he could see the hardened streams of blood that had trickled down the glass and onto the floor. “Amber, you’re hurt.”

“I was,” Amber replied. “The bleeding has stopped now.” She paused, not sure what to say. It had been several days since the incident, and she had neither seen nor heard from the Supreme Leader. “I thought maybe you left without saying goodbye,” she finally stated.

“I was going to,” Gart answered. “Had my bags packed and everything. But then I stopped by to tell Jeanip I was leaving and he didn’t need to worry about me anymore. He said something about being your quanish and that I shouldn’t go.”

“He called you that? My quanish?” A huge smile spread across the young princess’s face, but she could not turn to show it to Gart.

“Yes. I didn’t understand what Jeanip was saying except that I needed to stay,” Gart said. “So I’ve been hanging out in the other Settlement helping the engineers there discover a way to tear down that mountain that just collapsed.”

“Command Center says you two can move,” Staybo announced. “The new plate is in place. Everything is secured.”

Immediately, Amber rushed to Gart, throwing her arms around him. “I am so glad you stayed.” Not sure what to do, Gart quickly looked at Earon who gave a nod of approval. He wrapped the precious female in his arms, happy she was safe and unharmed.

Remembering the blood, he released his embrace and grabbed her hands. “Your hands were bleeding,” he said, staring at the uninjured hands. “How?”

“Remember your daughter?” Amber quietly asked. “It does the same thing to me.”

“Anew, are you okay?” Earon asked the Ancient.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Why did the window crack like that? The avalanche could not have caused it.”

“I don’t believe it was the avalanche,” Tong stated, floating closer to the two Oonocks. “Somehow, I believe you and Amber are responsible for the window. And possibly the ray that originated from the obelisk.”

“Us?” Amber asked, trying to imagine how she or Anew could have caused the beam to emerge from the obelisk. She thought it might have been possible for one, or both, to crack the window, but not the other.

“I noticed just before both occurrences your amulets began to glow brightly,” Tong replied. “Within seconds of each other the beam emerged, and the window cracked. I don’t believe those are coincidences.”

“We Oonocks do not believe in coincidence,” Earon stated, looking down at his now-silent amulet.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty,” Staybo said. “Central Command informed me that the speeders have picked up Monarch Jeanip and Swaybuk. They should be arriving at the hangar in approximately twenty-two minutes. Also, the Commander is asking that they and you meet with him upon Jeanip’s return.”

“I bet he is,” Earon commented, mostly to himself. “Probably to tell us this mission is over. With the deaths of several crewmen and both diggers destroyed, he will not allow us to continue.”

“But what about Mary, Your Majesty?” Tong asked.

“Staybo, send an urgent message to King Kiijon,” Earon ordered. “Tell him what happened and that we might have a problem continuing our search. Then join us in the hangar. The rest of us will go down and wait for the returning members of our party.”

“Might I also come, Your Majesty?” Gart asked.

“You are a part of this group, are you not?” Earon asked, giving Amber a wink.

“Yes, yes I am,” Gart stated.

As the group was leaving, a repair crew arrived to take down the cracked window and replace it with a new pane of glass. Something caught Tong’s eye as she prepared to depart. “I’ll join you later at night meal. I need to check something.”

“See you then,” Amber replied, sliding her arm inside Gart’s.

Glock followed the glowing capsule over to the broken window. “Might I have that section there?” she asked, indicating a portion of the window where Anew and Amber’s blood had dripped down and coagulated on the pane.

“Sure,” the crewman replied. “You can have it all if you’d like. I’m just going to throw it in the recycling.”

“No, that section will be enough,” Tong answered. “You can give it to Glock for me.” Glock grunted, wondering why his friend wanted a piece of broken glass. “I’ll explain when we get back to our room.”

“She’s DEAD,” screamed the Commander, frustrated at arguing with the Oonocks over their continuation of the search for Mary. “Accept it. You’re never going to find her or her body. Not on this planet.”

“You do not know that,” Jeanip argued.

“I know that thanks to your idiotic search I have three men dead, two in the medical ward and two destroyed diggers,” the Commander stated. “I’ve spent a fortune of this corporation’s resources trying to find her. That ends now. I am revoking your permits. I have arranged special transportation for you all to be off this planet by fourteen hundred tomorrow afternoon.”

“No, you cannot,” Amber shouted. “I will not leave my sister here.”

“It’s time to face the truth, Miss Waters,” the Commander said. “I am sorry, but as I said before, she is dead. The matter is closed.” Amber ran from the room, PiePie close behind her.

“Go after her, Gart,” Jeanip stated. “She needs a friend right now, not an uncle.” Gart quickly departed, running down the hallway after the princess.

“Commander, I swore an oath to protect my monarchs always,” Jeanip said. “I cannot leave here until I find the princess.”

“The subject is closed and no longer open for debate,” the Commander replied. “As for that thing you found out there, it is off limits. It almost destroyed my settlement with that blast.”

“It was only protecting us by destroying the boulder,” Swaybuk clarified.

“And cracked the largest window in this place,” the Commander screamed. “We were just lucky the force shield held the broken pieces together. That thing is dangerous. Until we can discover a way to rebury it, no one, and I mean NO ONE, goes near it. Is that understood?”

“Understood, Commander,”Jeanip replied. Realizing it was useless to try to sway the Commander, the four males turned and walked out of the room.

“I have a feeling that by tomorrow morning that subject will be opened again for discussion,” Earon silently stated.

Later that day, the small group was in the dining area enjoying what could be their last Evening Meal on Mars. Too distraught to eat, Amber did not join them but remained in her room with PiePie. Hoping to entice her to eat something, Gart had invited her and her guard to join him in a small, private visiting room on the same floor as her room. Missing his company, she agreed and was surprised to find a beautiful meal waiting for them.

“Oh, Gart, it is beautiful,” Amber stated. “But I am not hungry.”

“There is a condition to sitting in this room,” Gart announced. “It has the best view on the entire planet of Mars’ sunset. Therefore, tears are forbidden inside these walls. And you must eat three pieces of food.”

“Only three?” Amber asked.

“Yes, only three. And the foods can be of your choosing.” He escorted her to the table, pulled out her chair, and then pushed it in after she sat down.

“Where do you learn to do that?” Amber asked.

“In addition to helping the engineers I’ve been studying the traditions of Earth,” Gart replied. “The humans have been instructing me on what to do.” He walked over to the other side and pulled out another chair. “PiePie, won’t you join us?”

“Oh, Leader Gart, that would not be appropriate,” PiePie stuttered, shocked to be invited to dine with her charge.

“Please join us, PiePie,” Amber said. “Mary would want that.” Immediately her eyes teared.

“Remember, no tears,” Gart reminded her.

“It would be an honor to join you two,” PiePie stated, walking over and taking a seat, after which Gart pushed it in. He then took the seat between them pouring each a glass of wine.

“I was told this is a regular part of first dates, to serve this red liquid,” Gart stated. He poured each a glass then offered a toast. “To the beginning of a long friendship.” After the toast, Gart nodded to a human who suddenly appeared at the door, signaling for him to serve the food. The human wheeled in a cart of food containing various forms of human delicacies. After placing the dishes on the table, he left.

Amber looked over the assortment of food. She was astonished at what was available. “Where did you get all of this? I am not sure I can reduce it to only three choices,” Amber confessed.

“When the humans learned that the Commander was going to end the search for your sister and you were leaving tomorrow, they combined their resources and gathered all of this.” Gart raised his hand across the table. “They wanted you to have a good last meal here. They know your departure will not be a happy one, but they hope this will make it an amicable one.”

“I must remember to thank them,” Amber replied, looking over once more the assortment. Sheepishly, she took her fork and stabbed a large mushroom-like fungus. She took a bite and grinned childishly. “Oh, this is fantastic. Thank you, Gart. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“You are very welcome, Your Majesty,” Gart smiled, watching his guest sample a fourth and then a fifth piece of food. Soon, she was laughing and having fun, telling him stories from her childhood. PiePie added her story about how the Twins would switch identities and try to trick everyone. After dinner, he surprised the two females with some recorded music the humans had insisted he play. He danced several songs with Amber then, with much protesting from PiePie, he danced with the protector. She thanked her host for a most enjoyable evening, then took her leave, allowing the two time alone together as she stood guard outside.

After Evening Meal, Jeanip and Swaybuk took a walk down to the medical wing to find out how the injured workers were doing. They were glad to learn that both men would survive their injuries and would not have to return to Earth. Their equipment, however, was not so lucky.

The two males proceeded to a smaller Observation Room on the floor below their quarters. The room with the shattered window was still sectioned off, waiting for further inspections that it was safe. As they entered the room, they saw someone had brought coffee, water and some dessert.

“You have to admit, Mars’ red sunsets have a certain beauty to them,” Jeanip stated, taking a seat before the smaller window, coffee and dessert in hand.

“That it does,” Earon confirmed. “But sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to look out over the ancient Mars, the way it was before JeffRa destroyed it. Imagine, there were all kinds of life forms, both plant and animals, just like Earth. They were unique and found nowhere else in the universe.”

“And yet not one bone has been found of these creatures,” Staybo added. “Not one blade of grass uncovered in any excavation. JeffRa’s vengeance was complete here.”

“Thank goodness he did not reek such vengeance on Earth,” Jeanip said, imagining Earth as a dead rock also. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought. “Perhaps that’s what the Terrian starship contains. Remnants of what was once alive here.”

“Or the dried-up, mummified bodies of dead Terrians,” Earon added.

“Possibly,” Swaybuk said. “And it could contain nothing at all, and is just an empty, forgotten starship from a forgotten war.”

“Never forgotten,” Jeanip said, rising and walking toward the table for another piece of dessert. He was surprised to see the Commander walk into the room. “Commander, you are just in time for dessert. Might I offer you some coffee and delicious ‘Over Eater’s Delight’? It’s superb.”

“No, thank you,” the Commander answered. “You apparently have some friends in some pretty high places, Monarch Jeanip. My supervisors just informed me that I am to cooperate with you in every way. The band on the tower is rescinded. All of our resources are at your disposal in the pursuit to find the missing princess. You can expect three new diggers here first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, Commander,” Jeanip said. “But before we try digging again, I want to go out and re-examine that pile of rock. I don’t want another avalanche like today. Although we may not be human, we do appreciate human life and have no desire to see it end.”

“Thank you. That means a lot.”

“Are you sure you won’t have some dessert?”

“As tempting as that is, I have much to do before I retire for the evening,” the Commander stated. “Have a good night.” Having said that, he turned and almost collided into the entering Glock and Tong. “Excuse me. I didn’t see you.”

“It’s completely our fault,” Tong stated. “We weren’t looking where we were going.” The two hurried into the room and over to Jeanip. Tong looked around and did not see Amber. “Princess Amber is not here?”

“No, she wasn’t up to leaving her room, although I think our news might entice her to venture out,” Earon said.

“Yes, I heard the Commander changed his mind, thankfully,” Tong said. “As great as that is, I have something even more spectacular. Might someone go and ask the princess to join us?”

“Might I ask what this something is?” Jeanip asked, always the protector and guardian on duty.

“This,” Tong said, as Glock carefully placed the piece of window glass beside the dessert on the table.

“It’s a piece of the window that cracked,” Swaybuk stated. “What’s so important about that?”

“This piece is special,” Tong replied. “Look where Princess Amber and Anew’s blood mixed. The window is healed there, the cracks repaired.”

“Here, let me see that,” Swaybuk announced, lifting the piece of glass and examining it. “Dang, she’s right.”

Jeanip stepped forward and took the broken glass, turning it over in his hand. “But it’s only repaired on the one side.”

“Yes, it appears that the blood could not penetrate through and heal it completely,” Tong replied.

“So what are you saying, Tong?” Jeanip asked.

“I know that you Oonocks guard your secrets well,” Tong stated. “And you carefully guard the secrets of FarCore. You need not fear my knowledge, Monarch Jeanip. We discovered our entrance to FarCore two thousand years ago. That is one of our guarded secrets.” She could see concern written on the Oonocks’ faces. “I assure you, your secrets are safe with me. And, as my associate, Glock is likewise obligated by the same confidentiality. Our law demands we cannot reveal secrets to anyone, except to those they belong to.”

“What is it that you know?” Jeanip asked, not willing to believe all their meticulous security measures had been in vain.

“Probably most of what you do,” Tong confessed.

“FarCore, the Window of Universes, the Ancients.”

“I don’t believe you,” Jeanip stated. “You have overheard us is all.”

Tong flew close to Jeanip’s ear and whispered so only he could hear. “I assure you, I speak the truth. So that you know that I am, shall I tell you the true secret of FarCore? That is a library, filled with countless glowing Orbs filled with the history of its planet. Or that through the Window of Universes you can see countless other worlds? Or to obtain one of the amulets that you wear one only has to ask, and it will be given?” Jeanip stepped back, shocked at the alien’s words.

“Again, do not despair,” Tong said. “Glock and I will guard your secrets as strongly as you do.”

“What are you suggesting?” Anew asked. “That if we mix Princess Amber’s and my blood together, we can repair Mars’ broken Window of Universes?”

“Yes,” Tong answered. “That is precisely what I am suggesting. If you restore the window, Mary can come home. Perhaps even the Ancient who is with her.”

“How do you know these things?” Jeanip asked as he stared at the small glowing capsule floating before him. Was there more to the Flick than they knew? Could they too be connected to the Orbs, able to tap into their powers?

“Yes, we are,” Tong silently told Jeanip upon hearing his thoughts.

“Wait, that won’t work,” Swaybuk said. “Even if their mixed blood can heal the broken windowpane, it will only heal the external portion. Someone would have to do the same to the inside.”

“Which may be the reason the Orbs took Mary,” Anew said, seeing Tong’s logic. “She and Weenow need to seal the crack from their side of the window.”

“And how do we tell them what they need to do?” Jeanip asked.

“That part I haven’t worked out yet,” Tong stated.

“How can we be sure this was not just a freak accident?” Earon asked, not wanting to get his or anyone else’s hopes up. “What if it has nothing to do with their blood?”

“Then we test my theory,” Tong replied.

“How do you propose we do that?” Jeanip asked.

“By combining some of Princess Amber’s and my blood on another section of glass,” Anew replied.

“But all the broken glass has been disposed of,” Staybo stated. “Probably already melted down to form new glass.”

“Not all,” Tong said, as Glock removed another broken piece of glass from his satchel. “I thought we might need another piece, so I went back and got a second.”

Jeanip smiled. “Staybo, perhaps you would go and ask Princess Amber to join us here.”

“Right away, Sire.” Staybo hurried from the room to get his young princess. He returned twenty minutes later with Amber, PiePie, and Gart. Tong quickly explained to Amber her hypothesis of how to get Mary home.

“Put a few drops of your blood on this cracked window piece,” Tong instructed. “Anew, you do the same.” After piercing their finger with the tip of a knife, each female dripped several drops of blood onto the glass and allowed them to mix. Anxiously, they all watched, waiting to see the cracks disappear. But nothing happened. After five minutes, they knew the experiment was not going to work.

“I knew it was too good to be true,” Swaybuk grumbled.

“Why did it not work?” a disappointed Amber asked. “What are we doing differently this time than last time?”

“Nothing that I can see,” Earon answered. “You both had your hands on the window, it cracked, cutting your hands. The blood dripped down and combined. That was all.”

Everyone went over the details in their mind, trying to find something they missed. “No, Your Majesties, that was not all,” Tong stated, remembering another part of the scenario. “Your amulets. They were glowing when the glass cracked. Is there a way to make them glow now?”

“The stones in our amulets only glow when we draw power from the Orbs,” Anew said.

“Can you tap into that power now?” Tong asked. “As soon as we see the stones glow, we’ll need to prick your fingers again. The power of the Orbs must be in your blood.”

As requested, Anew and Amber took hold of their amulets with one hand while holding out the other. Swaybuk held Anew’s hand, ready to cut it with the knife’s tip. Gart held Amber’s. The two females closed their eyes and concentrated on the Orbs, trying to draw power. Anew’s glowed immediately, but it took Amber a few attempts. Finally, theirs and the other monarchs’ amulets were all glowing. Swaybuk and Gart pierced the female’s fingers, allowing drops of purple and white blood to drip on the cracked glass. Within seconds, they heard the sound of crunching as the cracks disappeared. The experiment worked – they had a way to repair the broken window of Mars.

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