Chapter Three
Alien Visitors
Day 149 Helionia Calendar
On Helionia, six more robotic machines were sent through the portal, but contact was immediately lost as soon as the robots entered through the portal, but it was still too early to give up on them, wasn`t it?
Patina Pallas, the young wife of the kidnapped politician was beside herself with worry over her missing husband, and it was not just for her husband that she worried, it was also for her planet, for if the partisan party won by default it would mean that Helionia would enter a dark age. There was no other politician to stand against Ares Fortuna, at least not one who stood a chance of winning. The planet would be ruled by its far right party, a group of men who knew little about pity, and who would take what they wanted from both Helionia, and the other nearby planets. Patina was also a little worried about the whereabouts of her missing lover, Lieutenant Ajmer Vakas, she knew him to be innocent of all charges, but couldn`t think where he might have got to.
Patina decided to call on the old mystic, the mystic lived deep within the woods near to the large estate where her own mansion was situated. The old mystic looked to be older than anyone else living on the planet, although she wasn`t, it was her lifestyle that had aged her so. She was sitting outside of her small house waiting for Patina`s arrival, for the mystic knew that at some point Patina would seek her out. The old mystic had befriended the beautiful young woman from her adolescent years, giving her advice that had paid off, for by following the advice of the mystic Patina had married into a most wealthy family. Patina had even fallen in love with her husband when she had moved into his family mansion; he too found that marriage to the young Patina was better than he could have hoped, for the young woman had turned into the ideal wife, for a man looking to be the next President of Helionia.
“How are you Magi?” Patina asked the old bent mystic.
“I am fine child, I have been expecting you.” Magi said mysteriously.
“Then hopefully you can tell me how to find my husband?” Patina replied. Hope filled her breast for the first time in days, could the old mystic help her she wondered.
“I can tell you who to bring to Helionia, for our planet`s fate rests on an alien who lives many light years away.”
“An alien, is there no one nearer Magi?” Patina asked.
“No child, you will have to travel by the recently discovered vortex to reach this man, and I will come with you, for so it is written in both of our futures.”
Day 151 Helionia Calendar
Travelling through the dangerous vortex meant that the small starship Swiftsure, which Patina and the mystic travelled in, was in orbit around the far off planet of Orion within just one day.
“Who do I need to speak with Magi?” Patina asked the old mystic.
“With the one that came to them from the dream world child, ask to speak only to him.” Magi replied mysteriously.
A minute later Captain Rada turned to Patina. “I have contacted the authorities on the planet Patina, and they have given us permission to send down a shuttle craft to the space port. It is on the edge of the small town that is the only modern complex on this planet, the rest being only villages inhabited by primitives.” Captain Rada said to the young woman whose family owned the starship. He had been a guest at the parties thrown by the family for the last two years now, and was intoxicated by the beauty of Patina, and would do anything Patina asked of him.
“I told them that we would like to speak to the one who came to the planet from the dream world, Patina, and I felt rather silly saying such a thing. However, they knew immediately who I meant, his name is Tyler Burrows, and he is the mayor of the planet, which is much like our own President, but on a very much smaller scale.”
“Has my android learned their language yet?” Patina asked.
“Yes Patina, here he is now, as you obviously know already he is the latest in a new series of androids, and so he will act as your body guard while you are on the planet, in case the natives are not quite as civilised as we are.”
The android was the usual five feet ten inch model with a serious expression set upon his face, which on a man might be considered reasonably good looking, he had dark brown hair and matching brown eyes. He was quite personable so that he wouldn`t stand out amongst the people of Patina`s position in society, and had been with her for one month now, and always travelled with her whenever she left the family estate.
Down on the surface of Orion, the sun was streaming down through the pale blue skies to scorch the spaceport, and the small town of New Eden. It was the year of 2505 as measured by Earth, and its colonies. All had been peaceful here on Orion for the last eight years, and the locals wanted it to stay that way. Walking towards the small office that took care of all matters pertaining to off world traffic, was Tyler Burrows. He had just left his wife Caroline and their three children, who were in town shopping, to come to the space port, for Tyler had been asked to drop by as an alien shuttle craft was about to land, and someone aboard wanted to speak to him personally. Tyler was from Earth originally but was now the Mayor of Orion, and had been since his arrival in a violent time storm eleven years ago. He was not striking in appearance; he was now thirty-nine years in age, and stood five feet nine inches tall, his hair was brown and he had blue eyes, he had a square chin and a largish nose.
The ultra-modern space shuttle landed close to the spaceport offices and almost immediately the outer airlock door opened in its side to allow Patina, her mystic and the android, to step down onto the large concrete area that was the spaceport. Tyler walked across to the travellers, and as he was unsure how this particular group of aliens greeted each other, he gave them his standard greeting.
“Good morning, my name is Tyler Burrows and I believe that you want to speak with me?” Patina moved forward along with the android who said in quite good English.
“Good morning Tyler Burrows, may I introduce Patina Pallas, she is from one of Helionia`s leading families. She has come to request that you return to our planet and help us, as you are thought to be our last hope.”
Patina looked at Tyler for a long moment, for she was interested in one whom the gods seemed fit to take more than just a passing interest. He certainly was not as handsome as her Ajmer, but like her husband, Tyler possessed a certain something that poor Ajmer would never possess, this man before her was a leader who attracted followers, just as she attracted Beaus.
“May I ask where your planet is in relation to Orion?” Tyler asked looking at the android and his mistress, rather intrigued by the stranger`s request.
“Helionia is on the other side of the galaxy, about one hundred thousand light years away from Orion.” The android answered.
“Are you joking, it would take me years to travel that far?” Tyler said unsure whether the stranger had simply made a mistake with his use of the English language, or whether he meant what he said. As these thoughts went through Tyler`s mind he scanned the face of the beautiful woman opposite him, and failing to find any humour on her face Tyler assumed it was not an attempt at some alien sort of humour, an answer was not long in coming.
“If you travel through the vortex that we used to come here to Orion, it will take a starship just one day Tyler Burrows.” The android replied helpfully.
“I see and what help do you require?” Tyler decided to ask just where the vortex was later, if he decided to help the strange aliens.
“The husband of Patina Pallas has been kidnapped by extremists on our planet, and we must rescue him within twenty four days or a far right political party will gain power on our planet and throw our world, and those near to it, into turmoil.” The android answered.
“Surely you have the necessary people back on Helionia to rescue him, without having to resort to my having to travel right across the galaxy in search of the missing man?” Tyler asked looking directly at Patina now.
“Normally you are correct Tyler Burrows, but he has been tak
en through a recently discovered portal of great antiquity. Before the kidnapping, a party of Helionian archaeologists armed with the latest Phaser weapon travelled through the same portal and when no word was heard from them, we sent six robotic devices similarly armed in to search for them, but no further word was received from either the machines or the Helionians. It is now considered suicidal to enter the portal and it has been closed up until further research can be done. I can only assume that the kidnappers must know of a safe way through the portal, for they are thought to be extremists and not fanatics. When we left another six robotic devices were sent through the portal but we have not heard anything from those ones either.” The android explained to a baffled Tyler Burrows.
“You expect me to leave my family and travel to the other side of the galaxy on a suicide mission, with zero hope of getting through, is that right?” Tyler didn`t know whether to laugh or get mad with the alien`s ludicrous request.
Just then Caroline came over with their three children; Caroline was quite a beautiful woman with long blond hair, blue eyes, she was five feet eight inches tall. She was also normally a very happy woman who at the moment was interested in what the aliens wanted to speak to Tyler about. She was worried that they might want him to journey away from Orion to solve some problem for them, as soon as she drew level with him he told her.
“You are not serious Tyler; they expect you to lay down your life for complete strangers, with not even the barest of hopes of a successful conclusion?”
Just then, Magi came forward and she was looking decidedly odd even for her, she appeared to be in some sort of a trance as she looked up at Tyler, and then Magi spoke to him in English, without even the need for the android to translate what she said.
“Your future is intertwined with the people of Helionia, Tyler Burrows, I have seen you in my dreams standing before the portal that is on Helionia, and then too on another alien world. Be aware though, you are holding the traditional weapons of Orion, it is a warning from the gods; do not rely on your modern energy weapons when you come to the planet.” Tyler could have sworn that the old women spoke with an Orionist accent.
With that, Magi turned away and took Patina back to the shuttle with the android hurrying after them. Magi returned to her cabin as soon as they got back aboard the Swiftsure, for some reason she felt unwell, and not fully in control of her thoughts. Magi was more than a little troubled by what had occurred down on the planet`s surface, for she had felt the force of another, someone who lived in the spirit world.
Tyler looked after them as they boarded the small shuttlecraft. “They really must be mad to think that anyone in their right mind would voluntarily go on such a mission; and for a stranger too.”
“Forget about them Tyler, let`s go and have lunch over at that new restaurant, it looks quite nice, and they have such a great menu with many meals that the children like.” Caroline said, almost as excited as her children at such a thought. “Tyler do you realise that I have never eaten a meal in a restaurant before, this will be my first ever time.”
Tyler smiled at his beautiful wife and thought to himself, such were the innocent pleasures of the Burrows family now that we finally have peace here on Orion, and so they headed away from the spaceport and back into the small town of New Eden. The restaurant was the first of its kind to ever open on the planet, and it was visited by many of the colonists and the natives of Orion, who saw it as an exotic attraction, but the smallest of the Burrows family stopped and looked up at her father.
“Daddy you won`t leave us and go with those funny people and get killed will you?” Callisto`s face was very serious as she awaited her father`s answer.
“No Callisto, I won’t ever do such a thing as that.”
Callisto was the replica of her mother, and this was one reason why Tyler Burrows adored her so, one day she would have the pick of the boys, just as her mother had, but thankfully, that day was still so very far away.
They decided that as it was such a beautiful day they would sit outside to have their lunch, and the lunch at the new restaurant was indeed extremely good, Tyler couldn`t remember the last time he had eaten in a restaurant, it would have been back on Earth of course, but that was a lifetime ago. The sun being gloriously warm after the cold of the day before, and with some of their friends walking by and stopping for a moment to say hello, it made for a perfect family day out.
No sooner had Patina boarded the shuttle, than she gave instructions to the helmsman. “Ensure that you always know where the Burrows family is helmsman, and send their position to the Swiftsure so that they also know where they are.”
On her return to the starship Swiftsure, Patina walked straight up to the bridge and spoke to Captain Rada, and it was exactly forty minutes later when he turned to her with the news that she had been impatiently awaiting.
“He is away from his family; if we are quick we can bring them aboard now.” Rada called across to Patina.
“Do you have some crewmen waiting at the Matter Transporter, Captain?” Patina asked anxiously.
“Yes they are ready and waiting Patina.” Rada replied, happy to be of service to the beautiful young woman.
“Then do it now.” Patina ordered.
Seconds later and a confused Caroline Burrows and her three children found themselves standing aboard the Swiftsure, brought there by the Matter Transporter, they were then escorted down to a cabin in which they were to be kept confined for the duration of the voyage. They found their quarters to be extremely comfortable, but a prison cell is a prison cell however nice it looks. Caroline was furious with the Swiftsure crew, and especially with the blond woman who had asked Tyler to return with her to her world on a suicide mission to rescue her husband. Caroline now demanded to see the captain, but without success. On the bridge Patina had heard that she now had the Burrows family prisoner, and also that the long message that she had prepared had been sent back down to Caroline`s previous position, so she ordered the captain to return home to Helionia.
Down on the planet’s surface, the other customers in the restaurant were confused, as was Tyler when he returned to find his family gone, and a large box sitting on the table. Mavis the waitress rushed up to Tyler who looked up from the box and smiled at her.
“Do you know where my family are hiding Mavis?” He asked politely.
“They were beamed away in a shower of sunbeams Tyler; or that was what it looked like, one second they were sitting at the table and the next they just disappeared in what I can only describe as a shower of sunbeams. I think someone must have kidnapped them.” Mavis exclaimed.
“Those aliens have beamed them aboard their starship with a Matter Transporter.” Tyler said looking up at the sky and screaming loud enough to silence the square.
“I will kill you all if you so much as harm one hair on their heads.” Tyler had shouted up to those within the alien ship, but it had already left Orion, and was even now speeding back to Helionia and taking with it his family.
On the table in front of Tyler, the box beeped causing Tyler to look anew at it. On opening it, he found just a message written in English upon an electronic tablet. ‘Follow us Tyler Burrows, if you wish to see your family again, but bring only four of your friends with you as the portal will not allow more to enter it in any period of twenty four hours. You will find star charts on this machine that will allow you to find us, press the small grey button at the bottom left corner to activate the correct program.’
Tyler leant against the table as he fought to clear his mind of the fear that filled it, of the panic that swamped him, that stopped him from doing anything at all to save his family. Finally, though he struggled through this all-enveloping fog and was able to bring his rapidly beating heart back under control, and to clear his mind enough to allow it to work again. Around him, people looked at him, all were silent waiting for him to do something, or ask them for help that they would all have willingly given to him. Tyler pulled his phone from his pocket and
called his friend.
“Appolon it`s Tyler.”
“What is it my friend?” Appolon was native chief of one of the tribes on Orion, he was Tyler`s brother in law and also his very good friend.
“We have just had a visit from an alien starship, they wanted me to journey across to the other side of the galaxy on a certain suicide mission, and when I refused they kidnapped Caroline and the children using a Matter Transporter, I am going after them in the Orion Defender.” Tyler said, he didn`t have to wait long for a reply.
“I will come with you and so will Tryon, as he will certainly demand to accompany us on such a quest, pick us both up at our village Tyler.” Appolon said grimly.
“The aliens have said that just five of us can enter their portal, so see if Cimon and Argo fancy a trip to the other side of the galaxy? It could be a one way voyage my friend, I don`t know whether we will be able to win this battle, so tell them before they accept my invitation.” Tyler said, for he was unsure as to what he would find at the end of their journey.
“That is all the more need for you to have tried and trusted friends to accompany you on your quest Tyler.”
“Appolon I will explain later, but also bring along our bows and spears for this trip, I am going over to the Defender now. I should be with you very soon, oh and bring along those all-terrain boots that you recently bought for me, I hardly think my come to town shoes will be suitable for anything the future holds for us.”
“We will be waiting here for you my friend.”
Tyler rushed off to the spaceport and the space cruiser, Orion Defender.
Trial by Ordeal Page 4