As they entered the weight room they were greeted by a smiling Bhlani. Paul could tell that he had already been working out before they had arrived. He had his shirt off as he did cross-over cables in front of a mirror. Paul glanced over at the amount of weight and it appeared to be about 200 pounds. Bhlani didn’t even look like he was straining. As Paul counted 25 reps, he knew that Bhlani had been doing them before they arrived. Bhlani turned to them as he finished and told Paul, “I think we may be wasting time working with the free weights. My goal is to build up your strength and your endurance at the same time. That can be done best on what we call the Infinite Resistance Apparatus or IRA’s.” He indicated the equipment across the room. “These are ergonomically designed to give the very best range of motion possible, to maximize the resistance throughout that range and allow you to increase the weight infinitely. The computer in each machine will evaluate your performance during each exercise and increase or decrease the level of resistance as needed to best develop your strength and stamina. There will never be too much weight or too little. You will always be performing at your max. You’re going to be amazed at the results.”
Bhlani led Paul over to a bench press machine and adjusted the seat height to fit Paul and programmed something into the computer screen attached to the exercise machine. As Paul started to push the weight away from his body he could feel the computer begin to adjust the resistance. He not only had resistance as he pushed outward, he also had to pull the weight back down. The workout was grueling and after only four sets Paul felt as if his chest, shoulders and arms were going to explode. He asked Bhlani how much weight he was actually lifting and his rely was, “Exactly what was needed; No more – No less.” He then motioned Paul over to the next piece of equipment. By the time he had been through all 12 stations there was not a muscle in his body that he could not feel. As the three left the weight room to go for lunch Paul wondered how he was going to survive his afternoon with Master Gljarne.
Zimuel corrected Paul’s direction as he turned down the hall to go to his rooms for lunch. “Let’s go out for lunch. You can’t spend all your time in this building.” They took the antigravity shaft to the lower level garage. As they walked past Paul’s Triumph, Bhlani asked, “What is that?” Zimuel answered, “It’s a two wheeled, surface bound, transport, capable of only sub-sonic speeds. Paul insisted on bringing it with him.” Paul looked with a frown at Zimuel and said to Bhlani, “It’s called a Motorcycle, and it’s an addictive form of transportation. I’ll teach you to ride it someday when we have time. You will never be the same.” The three of them climbed in a bright red transport and slowly hovered out of the garage. They moved upward, merging into the flow of existing flight patterns between the skyscrapers. As they reached the outer limits of the city Zimuel accelerated with such force that Paul thought his skin was going to peel off his face. It shortly ended and Paul realized that they were moving past everything at an incredible rate of speed. He asked Zimuel, “Just how fast are we going? And where are we going?” Bhlani answered for Zimuel, “Only about Mach 6 and in a few more minutes we will be eating Xhondarian seafood by the Wjarki Ocean.”
Paul looked out the front windscreen and could see huge mountains rising high above a beautiful blue sea of water. They landed the transport by a building about 3000 feet above the water line and soon were seated on a terrace high above the water. Zimuel ordered the “Catch of the Day.” (Which looked like some kind of blue lobster/crab/snake thing) served on a bed of some sort of rice and spinach mixed together. Paul was so starved he dug right in and to his surprise it was delicious. He asked why they had to come all the way across the country to eat this, and Bhlani explained, “Our seafood spoils within minutes of being removed from the sea. What you are eating now was alive and well when we entered this building. It doesn’t matter if you freeze it or refrigerate it, and for some reason we have not been able to keep the seafood alive in manmade tanks. So if you want to eat seafood, you must go to the sea.” Paul’s only reply was, “This is delicious – thanks! Can we come back again soon?” As they rose to leave, Bhlani told Paul, “I’ll take you to a place even better this weekend if you will teach me to ride your motorcycle.” Paul replied, “You’re on. What’s the chance of me flying us back to the city?”
Paul didn’t do too badly flying from point A to point B; he could hardly contain his excitement as he broke the sound barrier and continued on accelerating to Mach 6, but his take-off and landing nearly gave his companions a heart attack. It’s a good thing that Xhondarian vehicles are made a bit sturdier than Earth vehicles. Paul banged into the two transports parked on either side of his and clipped a tall tree as he proceeded out of the parking area. He did a little better on his landing; this time only clipping the side of the garage entrance and a transport parked next to his transports parking space. As Zimuel was trying to climb out the opposite side of the vehicle (Paul left only inches between himself and the vehicle on his right) he laughed as he said, “You’ve never flown before have you? We’ll begin flight instruction next week. I certainly hope you ride that thing better than you fly” as he nodded his head toward the Triumph. Paul still feeling the rush of flying for the first time replied, “It’s one of the few things I actually do well. I’ve been riding since I was 12 years-old and even did a bit of racing when I was younger. I’ve ridden some extremely fast motorcycles in my day, but nothing compares to the rush I just got in this baby.” Bhlani looked at Paul with a very serious face and told him, “This baby is a 200 year-old lower atmosphere transport. Next week we will start you out in a Speeder. They are nothing like a full-out spaceship, but are capable of Mach 20 and operating all the way to the outer limits of the Xhondarian atmosphere; about 250,000 feet. Only an enhanced body can withstand the G-force during acceleration. This is the kind of vehicle Moms use to take their children to school. A Speeder is what we use to train future Spaceship pilots. You’re going to love it.”
By the time they exited the Antigravity Shaft they were running late for Master Gljarne’s training session. Paul quickly rushed to the training area and as he entered began to apologize to the Elder. After Paul explained where they had been, Gljarne told him, “If this ever happens again you better take me with you. You ate at my favorite restaurant and didn’t even invite me. I will now have to take out my frustration and disappointment on you as we train.” Paul hoped he had not misread the slight smile in Master Gljarne’s face. If he did it was going to be a bad afternoon. The two of them immediately began their warm-up and stretching exercises. Paul was still sore from the day before and his muscles were still tight from his morning run and weight routine, however, by the time they had finished loosening up, he actually looked forward to his next few hours of abuse. They started out slowly as the Master explained the philosophy behind Jxansa Gha. “Jxansa Gha is not a sport. I realize that on Earth there are competitive events to determine those that are the best at their particular form of Martial Art, and that they compete in what you call Ultimate Fighting for prize money and fame. Jxansa Gha has one purpose, to kill or completely debilitate your enemy. I showed you yesterday how I could render you completely helpless in a fraction of a second. At that point I could have done anything I wanted to you. With a little more pressure applied to the same spot you would have lost all control of your bodily functions. What is the point in these competitions of seeing just who can take the most abuse? Two men beat on one another until one of them connects with a good punch or kick and renders the other weaker opponent helpless. In our form, the objective is to hit your opponent so fast and with such destructive force that he is either killed or completely incapacitated without ever being so much as touched by your victim. In fact, by the time I’m through, you will be able to take out multiple opponents and never even be seen. You will also learn to do the same with swords, knives, and a staff. I personally have faced more than 20 men determined to take my life, instead, I took theirs. That is what Jxansa Gha is all about; that is why we call i
t Death Fist.”
They spent the rest of the afternoon with Paul being shown various pressure points that could kill, cripple, paralyze, stop a heart and even cause a stroke. Then Master Gljarne brought out a punching dummy that was the most realistic Paul had ever seen. The pressure points where all labeled for easy identification and there was a buzz from a control panel on the wall every time he hit the right spot with the right amount of force. The Master’s concern at this point was with accuracy, not Paul’s speed. After a while the dummy began to move slowly around the training floor, increasing its speed of movement as Paul became faster and more accurate. By the time the afternoon secession was over Paul felt like he was moving like an expert; with the buzzer going off on every hit. Then Master Gljarne stepped onto the training floor as Paul went for a bottle of well-deserved water. The Master approached the striking dummy and moved so fast that Paul could only make out a slight blur as he heard the buzzers going crazy from the multitude of perfect hits. After he stopped, Master Gljarne looked at Paul and commented, “You have done well today. Tomorrow you will move faster, and the next day faster still, before long you will do what I just did. We will do only instructional sparring. Jxansa Gha is too lethal for us to fight each other. We have drones like this one for hand-to-hand training, knife and sword. They are very tough and very fast. You must learn to be faster. I’ll see you tomorrow; don’t be late, unless I am invited. And don’t bang into my transport again. It’s my wife’s favorite.” Before Paul could reply, he was gone. Not just walking out of the room gone, but literally disappeared in the blink of an eye gone.
Paul walked slowly back to his rooms trying to determine how he had vanished like that. Computer greeted Paul as he entered and had already prepared the shower water to exactly the settings Paul always used. As he dried off, he couldn’t help but notice how lean and hard his body had become and wondered just what he would one day be capable of. There was food already waiting for him in the eating area; fruits, cheeses, two different kinds of meat and bread for sandwiches, a glass full of that disgusting gray stuff and a Diet Coke. After his heavy lunch and his hard afternoon workout, the meal was exactly what he needed to get full yet still remain alert enough for a few hours of intense study. As he walked back into his bedroom he asked Computer, “What’s on the agenda for tonight?” Computer replied, “Tonight you get to watch movies!” Paul shook his head and immediately thought of his favorite movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, then asked, “What kind of movies?” Computer informed him that Master Zimuel felt you needed to begin learning how to fly before you get someone killed; like yourself or Master Zimuel.” Paul thought, “That’s all I need, a sarcastic computer.” Then said; “Well let’s get started.”
Computer had laid-out a virtual reality headset and interface leads that where connected to a pair of gloves and a pair of boots. By the time Paul put it on he felt like if there were a short circuit he would be electrocuted. He was instructed to sit in a chair by his desk that felt exactly like the seats in a transport and spoke, “Let the show begin!” As Computer started the training film, Paul felt like he was actually in an aircraft, his mind, his hands and even his feet were being controlled by electrical impulses that simulated actual flight. Not only was his brain being programmed to fly a Speeder, his body was being taught in minute detail every movement required to properly control his ship. This was far more advanced than a flight simulator. The flight training program even stimulated fast twitch muscles and created muscle memory, as if he had been doing these things for years. Paul, after only a few hours, had the brain and neurological system of an experienced pilot. He knew when he finished and Computer had shut down the program, that he was completely capable of successfully flying a Speeder as if he had been doing it for years. He went to sleep thinking of flying, not dreaming about flying, but actually remembering how much he enjoyed flying. He couldn’t wait to get behind the controls.
“Bhlani, you have to pull the clutch in before you come to a stop! For a guy who can fly spaceships, and operate every piece of military hardware on this planet, you sure are having trouble getting this right.” Paul yelled. Bhlani smiled and replied, “I just forgot. At least I haven’t dropped it again.” Paul shook his head and put on his helmet as he walked over to where Bhlani was restarting the Triumph. He informed him, “Back when I started riding they had no electric starters, you had to crank the bike with your leg using a lever on the side of the engine. Come-on, let’s get out of here. This parking garage is no place to learn how to ride. (Paul pointed towards the park) Let’s go for a ride. You’ll learn more on the streets, and besides, there is probably no traffic out there at ground level.” Paul climbed on the back of the bike and patted Bhlani’s shoulder, indicating to go. He was surprised at just how smoothly Bhlani took off. The park had more people than he had expected to be out this early in the day and some were upset that they were riding on the paved pathways through the park, others were smiling and waving at the strange vehicle carrying two men; everyone was staring. They rode for about 45 minutes and stopped for a break by a narrow stream with a picnic area beside it. As he removed his helmet Paul commented, “Before we ride much longer we need to put some more gasoline in the tank.” Bhlani looked puzzled as he questioned, “Gasoline? What’s that?” Paul, thinking that was the dumbest question he had ever heard, answered, “I’m no chemist, but it’s a flammable liquid that is refined from fossil oil found deep in the ground. It is what makes this engine go, just like antimatter or nuclear power make the engines on Xhondar go.” Bhlani looked concerned as he told Paul, “I’m afraid there is no gasoline on this planet. I know where there is plenty of what you call crude oil, and I could no doubt figure out how to make some gasoline or something like it in the lab. Is there enough to get back to the garage?” Paul shook the bike so he could hear the gas slosh-around in the tank and replied, “Maybe, if not we will have to push it home.” Paul worried all the way back, and the bike finally sputtered and died about a block from the garage entrance. Bhlani was very upset and told Paul that he would head for his laboratory to see if he could synthesize a flammable liquid for Paul’s Triumph. Paul patted him on the back and told him, “Not only have you learned to ride, you have also learned a valuable lesson, never take off on a trip with a half-empty gas tank. You make us some more gas and you can ride it anytime you want. After all you and the others have done for me, how could I ever deny any of you anything you asked?”
As they exited the antigravity shaft he asked Bhlani, “What time do you want to leave for dinner? He replied, “Since it may take a little longer to get where I have planned and since my lovely wife is going with us, we better get an early start. I know she will want to go shopping after we eat. Let’s make it 1500. Before you ask, yes, you can pilot and no we’re not taking a Transport or a Speeder. We’re going to Xhondar III, and we will be taking one of the Elder’s executive ships. Ask Computer to give you the down-loads for the 12 passenger executive starship. (Paul grinned) You’re going to love this. You’ve become very proficient in the Speeder, so I think it’s time to get a little Starship time.” Paul was so excited he walked past his rooms and had to turn-around. As he entered his rooms, Computer informed him that the down-loads he desires are ready for him as soon as he finishes his shower. Paul shook his head and grinned, knowing full well that there was no need to ask Computer how she knew; she seemed to know everything long before he did. Paul had been on Xhondar I for several months now and Computer had become his constant companion. Every evening he learned something new: new languages, (he was up to a dozen already), new scientific understanding, military tactics, weapons technology and usage (he knew, for example, that he could easily operate a shoulder fired plasma cannon, though he had never touched one), but what was really blowing Paul’s mind was the nightly downloading of The Power; the almost supernatural skills displayed by Zimuel on the day he met him. Although he knew that only the 24 Elders possessed The Power, none of them had demonstrated its usage or di
scussed with him how to do the things he was somehow supposed to do. He was thinking about this subject as he stepped out of the shower and realized he had left his towel across the room on the double-vanity. Not even realizing that he was thinking of how nice it would be if the towel would somehow come to him, the towel rose from the vanity and floated across the bathroom to his hand. He almost dropped the towel in surprise and shouted, “COMPUTER, did you do that?” In response Computer calmly replied, “Do what? I have done nothing but prepare the down-load for the executive starship for you.” Paul hopped from the bathroom, still putting on his pants, and said, “The towel, it just floated across the bathroom right into my hand.” Computer replied, “Were you thinking about the towel being in your hand?” Paul answered, “Yes, I was wet and had forgotten to hang the towel by the shower.” Computer stated so matter-of-factly, “Well, what else would the towel do. It seems The Power is already beginning to manifest itself in you. It gives you the ability to make things happen by simply thinking about it. See the fruit in the next room on the table?” (Paul nodded yes) “Think about having a piece of fruit come to you instead of you walking over to get it.” Paul looked toward the table and muttered, “This is ridiculous.” He then focused his attention on a piece of green fruit and it lifted off the table and floated towards him. “Very good, now eat your fruit and let’s get started on this Starship download” Paul wanted to scream, but calmly replied, “Aren’t you even a little surprised at what I just did?” Computer told Paul, “I am never surprised at anything. You are beginning to do exactly what I have been trying to teach you for the last several months. The more you practice, the better you’ll get and not at just moving towels and fruit.”
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