Chapter 1
(Five years later)
Robert pulled hard on the wrench locking the bolt into place and then stepped back. Good work Robert. It looks good he told himself as he admired his own handiwork. Now the question is will it fly. Robert was a little bit nervous on that thought as he took a few more steps back to admire the whole ship. It wasn’t much to look at now. A well maintained SS-19 Thunderbird was one of the most common star fighters in the galaxy and they were sleek good looking ships. Robert couldn’t help but compare the rusting and dented ship before him to what he knew it looked like before it crashed years ago. The ship was long and stood just a little taller than Robert. Large engine pods were mounted on either side of the main body which reminded Robert a great deal of three rockets tied together with little wings. But this beat up ship is my ticket out of here. I’m just lucky the ship is in as good of a condition as it is. And lucky no one else found it first. Robert smiled as he took in the scenery around him. Maybe luck had nothing to do with it; maybe I really am playing a part in God’s master plan.
Robert had found the crashed ship in the bottom of a canyon not far from the base of a waterfall. The waterfall was a long series of cliffs with white foamy water cascading downward onto the jagged mossy rocks. The temperature of the water was just above freezing. It flowed from a slowly melting snowfield higher up the canyon. Tall deciduous trees covered the canyon walls and even grew on the cliffs where they had found enough soil and root space. The tall mountain peaks soared up into the sky drawing the eye heavenward. It’s so amazing, Robert thought to himself. He looked up into the blue sky and imagined the galaxy beyond. A shadow crossed Robert’s face and his thoughts turned bitter. “It’s so sad that something as beautiful as this would be on the planet controlled by the most evil man in the known galaxy, Javis Zaragoza.” The name slipped from Robert’s mouth like it was a curse of the worst kind.
Javis, the man who had ordered his parents and all his relatives killed just because they gave aid to a missionary who was trying to get off of the planet. After Javis had come into power he had issued an extermination order of all religious leaders on Pangea. They all had promptly left on the first transport they could get off of the planet, all but that one missionary. Why had he stayed, Robert thought to himself? Robert remembered the night five years ago vividly, the night that the missionary had stayed in their home.
Robert had been playing in the simply decorated front room of their farm home with his space explorer action figures when a knock came at the door. Robert’s lovely mother had opened the door, and there standing out in the falling snow was a dark skinned man in a worn and tattered suit. A few books were tucked under his arm, “Please,” he said with a pleading tone, “Please, can I have a room for the night?”
Robert looked up from his toys and got a good look at this man who had come into their home from the cold. Robert couldn’t help but stare. This man with dark skin and shining black eyes was unlike anyone he had encountered living in the sheltered mountain valley. He was dressed simply in a suit with a large brimmed hat perched on his head. “Mom,” Robert said quietly, “Look mom, look at his head. Do you see it under his hat?” Robert was pointing to a blood stained bandage just under the brim of the man’s wide hat.
Robert’s mother, Arianna, gasped, “You’re hurt.” Then in a commanding tone that Robert had learned all too well, “Let me see that injury right now.”
“It isn’t much,” the man who had introduced himself as Elder Walter Lamoni said. “I’ll be alright, I just need a place to stay for the …” Walter wasn’t able to finish his sentence before he collapsed to the floor of the Griffin home.
“Marcus,” Arianna yelled at her husband, “Come quickly, this man is hurt.”
Robert’s father, a large serious looking man with sandy blonde hair burst through the door from the adjoining room. “What’s wrong?” He asked as he rushed to his wife’s side?
“I’m not sure, but he’s hurt badly,” Arianna said as she unwrapped the bloodstained bandage. There underneath the wrap was a wound oozing blood and infection.
Marcus knew the kind of injury the man had suffered. It was minor, except for the fact that the infection would probably cause problems, just a laser blast across the scalp. The question was why? Then Marcus nodded in understanding as he saw the books that the man had been carrying, Holy Books. “Sweetheart, this man is a fugitive.”
Arianna gasped, “What are you talking about?”
The planetary broadcast yesterday, Governor Javis declared that everyone who believed in God to be an inferior people and has ordered them to leave or be exterminated. From the look of him this man is a missionary.” It was there that Marcus realized just how corrupt his government really was. He had quietly been fighting against them for years, but with an innocent man dying in his doorway Marcus knew what he had to do. Marcus looked into his wife’s eyes and knew that she agreed with him.
Arianna said nothing. She quickly went to the kitchen and came back with a damp towel and began washing and dressing the wound. “We’ll give him a place to stay till his wounds heal, and then we’ll send him on his way. Robert?”
Robert looked up at his mother, “Yeah?”
“Make sure that you tell no one that this man is in our home.”
“Ok mom,” Robert replied in his most solemn voice, he knew the seriousness of the situation.
The missionary stayed with them for several weeks while his wounds healed. While he was there he taught them the principles of his churches gospel, and the Griffin family believed his words. Shortly thereafter Marcus was able to book passage on a transport off of the planet for the missionary. He and his family had hoped to follow, but they never succeeded. Somehow the government had found out that they had harbored the missionary and had helped him escape. Only Robert survived out of the entire Griffin family on Pangea.
Robert awoke from his memories, and looked around to remember exactly where he was. The waterfall was still cascading down the cliffs and the birds were singing their joyful songs in the trees. A small moota had come out of the woods and was studying Robert with his little eyes and big ears. The little animal scurried off and ran up a tree when Robert noticed it. He turned his attention back to the spacecraft. Don’t let yourself get distracted Robert, he told himself. We’ve spent two years on this ship. Now is not the time to get yourself distracted. There will be time to relive memories after I get into Republic space and find Walter. Stay focused, you’ve got to get away from Javis and tell the galaxy just how evil he is. The Galactic Republic will have to act.
Robert looked over his repairs one more time and nodded in satisfaction. “Well I guess that’s it. Time to get going,” Robert said to himself. He began tossing the rest of his tools into the storage compartment and then closed the access hatch. Robert then picked up the last of his supplies and climbed into the cockpit of his SS-19 Thunderbird.
Robert looked out the view port of his spacecraft and drank in the beautiful scenery outside. It began to sink in just what he was leaving behind. These mountains were the only home I’ve ever known. The only person I know in the universe who doesn’t live within a few kilometers of here is Walter and I’m not really even sure how I’m going to find him. Maybe I shouldn’t go. Robert’s thoughts were running wild and then suddenly stopped as the faces of his dead parents popped into his mind. There is nothing I can do here. We need help to stop Javis from hurting anyone else and I’m going to do it. He made a vow, “I will return with others, and we will liberate this planet.”
He reached over to the control console and powered up his weapons and shields. Robert had spent a lot of time hanging around a repair shop. The locals all knew his family had been condemned but everyone was willing to help an orphaned boy when they could. The mechanic was happy to have Robert’s willing help and in exchange Robert learned how to fly all kinds of ships and vehicles. In talking with the pilots Robert had also learned what to expect. “Rad
ar will pick me up as soon as I clear the mountains. I sure hope we know what we’re doing,” Robert told himself.
Robert gripped the control stick tightly in his right hand, and with his left hand he flipped the little switch labeled anti-gravity pads. The little one-man ship rose slowly off of the ground, above the tree level and finally it rose up out of the canyon. Robert could see hundreds of kilometers of forested mountains. The view was more spectacular than he ever imagined, better by far than the view from the highest peaks he had climbed. He renewed his vow and engaged the main thrust drive.
The ship rocketed off, accelerating to amazing speeds in less than a second. Before Robert knew it he was free of the atmosphere and in open space. This was also even more awesome than he had ever imagined. The bright yellow orange of Pangea’s sun shone brightly in the distance. More stars than Robert had ever seen in his life burned in every direction. Robert spun his ship so he could look down on Pangea, white puffs of clouds drifted lazily over the ocean and onto the continent. Robert’s emotions were close to the surface as he gazed with his own eyes on a sight he had seen many times in photos. Part of me didn’t think I would ever make it this far. The universe is a wondrous place. If only everyone could step back from the cares of life and appreciate it.
Robert rolled his ship again and looked back at the stars. A dozen or so stars seemed to be moving closer to Robert, while he was wondering what they were, the communications console came to life on its own. “Unidentified fighter,” a deep voice boomed out of the speaker. “Identify yourself immediately or be destroyed by his Excellency’s Navy.”
The twelve points of light came into focus revealing twelve of Javis’s elite fighter ships. Twenty-four bright red laser blasts lanced out towards Robert, fortunately they were only firing a warning shot at him otherwise Robert knew he might have been dead before he could have even gotten started.
Robert’s mind raced and he nearly panicked. “I’m in trouble!” Robert forced himself to take a deep breath and then toggled the communicator. “I am Robert Griffin,” he said trying to sound authoritative. “I am the last remaining member of the outlawed Griffin family. I am leaving Pangea and there is no way that you can stop me.”
Robert rapidly squeezed his trigger twice and had the pleasure of hitting one of the fighters. It exploded into a fireball of escaping oxygen, which quickly dissipated leaving atoms behind in space. “One down, eleven to go.” Robert opened his throttle to full and shot through the cluster of oncoming fighters.
The remaining eleven fighters turned hard and began chasing Robert. They randomly opened fire with their laser cannons filling the space around Robert’s ship with deadly red bolts of energy. Robert said a quick prayer. He didn’t always understand God’s ways, but he knew that God was all powerful. He jerked his one man fighter right and left, up and down narrowly avoiding one laser blast after another and hoping that no one could get a missile lock.
The asteroid belt surrounding the Pangean Solar System loomed large in Robert’s front view port. It was a particularly thick asteroid belt full of rocks and space debris of all sizes and shapes. “God in Heaven,” Robert prayed, “the only way to avoid these fighters is through that asteroid belt. Guide my hands and bring me safely to the other side.” Robert closed his prayer and did what he could to coax a little more speed out of the small ship. “See ya later!” Robert yelled as he soared into the asteroid field.
Asteroids of all sizes swirled outside in the blackness of space. The space rocks ranged from microscopic to mountains. Most were scarred and pitted after drifting through space for millennia and colliding with other asteroids. Robert’s hands were white on the control stick knowing that one little hit could completely destroy his ship.
The communicator crackled to life and an angry voice came over it. “Robert Griffin, this is High Lord Javis Zaragoza. Surrender now or you will die.”
“Javis, I’m leaving and there is no way in the universe that you can stop me.” Robert looked at the monitor showing the rear of his ship and saw that only five fighters were still following him. Robert smiled; I must be crazy if half of the professional pilots wouldn’t follow me into the asteroid belt. Robert pulled up hard to avoid an extremely large asteroid. Two of the following fighters couldn’t pull up in time. They smashed hard into the asteroid and joined the rest of the debris that would float through space for all eternity. Robert cheered; only three fighters remained on his tail. This just may work yet, he told himself.
Robert looked over his shoulder out the rear view port. The three remaining fighters were close enough that Robert could see their faces. They were scared and clearly were using all of their concentration to keep from getting killed.
Another large asteroid flew by and Javis’s three men turned different direction to avoid it. Robert used their distraction and followed the asteroid in its unstable orbit. Following close behind the huge asteroid Robert marveled at the sight of the craggy canyons and craters that had formed over the millennia on the huge rock. Maybe I could land on one of these and hide for a little while. A laser blast shot past him and put another crater in the asteroid. Then again maybe not Robert told himself.
Glancing over his shoulder again Robert could now only see two pursuers and one quickly disappearing fireball. Another one had bitten the dust. Robert tried not to get too excited over the death of another one of his pursuers. One wrong move and I could be toast too.
The space in front of Robert that had seconds ago been clear suddenly had two large asteroids in it rapidly heading towards each other on a collision course. Robert pulled on the throttle and leapt forward to move through the fast closing gap between the boulders.
He soared through with plenty of room to spare, and was suddenly clear of the asteroid belt. Quickly turning around Robert checked to see if anyone still pursued. Robert was ecstatic to see that only one fighter remained; the other was a flattened chunk of metal between the two asteroids that had collided.
Now that they were free from the dangers of the asteroid belt the seasoned Pangean pilot returned his full attention to Robert’s fleeing ship. “The boy’s good. But now he’s got nowhere else to hide,” the pilot growled as he opened fire.
What to do, what to do, I can’t shake him. Robert’s hands were getting sweaty on the control stick as laser blasts continued to slide past him. He did his best to dodge the laser blasts although more than a few were getting dangerously close. Robert checked his shield’s status; it was still holding, but Robert knew it wasn’t going to take many direct hits; it might not even take one since I’d never fixed a shield generator before yesterday.
“Man this guy is good.” Robert said out loud as he dodged another blast. He was having a hard time thinking of how to get away while trying to keep from getting shot. “Wait a second.” Robert yelled out loud. “I’ll drop a mine. The exhaust should hide it till it’s too late.” Robert had tried this trick once in a simulator but had gotten killed flying straight for too long. But there didn’t seem to be any other way out of this mess he had gotten into.
The enemy fighter was slowly gaining on Robert while seeking the positive lock it needed to destroy or disable Robert’s ship. Robert’s targeting computer began beeping a missile lock on his ship at the same time Robert released the mine. The small rounded disk dropped out straight behind Robert’s fighter and Robert prayed that the thin stream of exhaust from the ship would hide the mine from enemy eyes. Quickly Robert pulled up to avoid any shots coming from behind.
The beeping of the target lock was still becoming more frantic and it grew increasingly in volume. A missile had been launched. This is it, I’m going to die. Robert looked down at his sensor screen watching the little blips that represented his enemy, his mine, and the incoming missile. Suddenly two blips disappeared followed by a flash of light that made the ship automatically adjust the darkness of the windows. There might be hope yet Robert told himself.
Quickly Robert pulled up extremely hard
on his control stick and the missile intended to kill him exploded where he would have been. Robert was safe. The relief that rushed through Robert almost brought tears to his eyes. Heaven must truly be on my side to have made it through that. Robert punched in the coordinates of a distant planet and engaged his faster than light drive. The small ship leapt forward into dimensions where man could move faster than light.
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