XIII

Sigma Station
« Engaging Sigma Ray modifications. » Sarge announced. Everyone turned to the room-sized screen where the information about the Sigma Ray was displayed. The specifications changed as the modifications were implemented.
« Modifications complete. » he reported.
« Run a computer-simulated test. » Jennai ordered. Sarge turned to his console and executed the order.
« Aligning Sigma Cannon with specified target. » Sarge said.
« The rebel village. » Jennai said coldly.
Sarge put the designated target into the targeting computer.« Village targeted. »
« Fire. »
It was silent for a few minutes. Everyone held their breath for what they knew must come : success and continue with the assembly or failure and back to the drawing board.
Then Sarge announced : « Target destroyed. Simulation successful. »
Jennai grinned. « Continue with assembly. »
« Yessir. » Sarge replied and did his work.

Cheyenne Tribe Camp, Neron Mountain Range, Neron Continent
« Now would be a good time to do something. » Talinn said as the warriors advanced. « Duncan ? »
He said nothing. He just stared at them with an ice-cold and unwavering look. Talinn was surprised to see them hesitate. They stopped and turned to each other, murmuring among themselves. Duncan hefted the ritual knife and threw it at the totem. The blade buried itself into the ground right in front of it.
One of the warriors turned and went to the Chief. « Ugh, man with long coat has hard look in eyes. »
« Wolf-with-one-feather has nothing to fear. We are Cheyennes. »
« What are they doing back there ? » Talinn wondered.
« Discussing their next strategy I guess. » Skywalker replied. « Do you know what animal they worship ? »
« No. »
« The falcon. »
« What's your point ? » she asked as the Chief joined the four warriors.
« You'll see. » he replied and called Shirrah. The bird flew over and landed on the totem and spread its wings. The indians all gazed at the little falcon whose wing Skywalker had treated. The bird then took off and landed on Duncan's arm. The Chief approached him. Talinn saw the surprised look on his face as Duncan addressed the Chief in his own language. « Would you be so kind as to release our friends ? »
« Ugh. » he replied and untied the prisoners. Ringo ran to Talinn and embraced her.
« I knew it would take a lot more than a fall to put you out of commission. » Jeb said to Duncan.
« Yeah. I know. »
They all stood there for a few moments, talking about what they had found out when suddenly a Cheyenne woman stormed out of her wigwam, screaming as if her life depended on it.
« What's going on ? » Ringo asked. He and all the others, save Skywalker, had no idea what she was screaming for.
Duncan's eyes narrowed as he put his knowledge of the Cheyenne language to use. « Her son has some kind of disease. »
He walked to the wigwam, ignoring the protests of the other Cheyennes and stepped inside. Inside, he found a kid who was delirious with high fever. Behind him, the Chief, the Shaman, the kid's mother and Talinn and Ringo entered.
Duncan put his winged companion on the edge of the bed and placed his hand on the boy's forehead. The kid was practically burning up. He removed his hand.
« Hmm. Magola Fever. We have to calm him down somehow. » he said in Cheyenne.
« I've tried everything. » the mother said. « Nothing helps. »
« I got something. » he said and pulled out his little wooden flute. He sat down on the ground, cross-legged and started to play the small modification of his wife's favourite song Watch Over Me. At first nothing happened, but a few minutes later, he calmed down bit by bit. It also had effect on the others present. The mother was relieved that her boy was going to be all right. Duncan stopped playing as the boy was totally relaxed and began the treatment. He checked for any injuries and found one on the boy's right shoulder which was infected.
« Bingo. » he murmured. He took his medicine bundle and took out some Logoma leaves which he ground into a fine powder.
« I need some water. » he said.
The Chief leaned out of the wigwam and shouted an order to bring water. The water came a few moments thereafter. Shirrah watched everything from his position on the edge of the bed.
Duncan mixed some of the water with the powder in his hand. Then he held out his free hand over the ground. Right under his hand a small tear became visible from which a bit of Lifestream energy rose up. The released energy cast the inside of the wigwam in a blue-green glow. He caught some of it in his free hand and mixed it with the other compounds. The tear disappeared. Then he applied the mixture on the infected wound.
Everyone gazed in disbelief as the wound actually closed before their very eyes.
« Well I'll be » Ringo stammered.
« There. Your son will be fine. Give him a few days to recover and he should be running around again and up to no good in no time. » Duncan said to the kid's mother who could thank him enough.
They all stepped outside. While they stepped out into the open, the Shaman eyed Skywalker with scorn. He was stepping on his, the Shaman's, turf.
« What brings you here ? » the Tribe Chief asked.
« We are looking for the Earth Dragon. I believe it's nearby. » Duncan replied.
The Chief's eyes widened as he heard the Earth Dragon being mentioned. « You're crazy. There have been previous attempts by unfortunate adventurers who tried to find the dragon who were never heard from again. »
« Well, we have a good excuse. There's a city a few miles back which robbed the Celestial Dragon of her spot. »
« The Mirror City »
« That's Lakoya City. » Skywalker said. « Correction : was. » he added.
« What happened to it ? »
« Let's just say that the city had a little trouble with a bit of uncontrollable foliage growth. » Duncan said with a glint in his eyes.
The Chief didn't know what he was talking about. But he knew that people shouldn't mess with him.
« Do you have any idea where the dragon might be ? »
The Cheyenne Chief pointed to a high peak up north. « Lots of adventurers have gone in that direction. Many dangers lie ahead. »
« Tell us something we don't know. » John muttered. The Chief didn't understand it.
Suddenly, there was a commotion at the rear of the camp. The Shaman was turning the Cheyenne warriors against the unwelcome visitors. The Shaman finished his speech' and the Cheyenne warriors turned and came at them.
There were about six of them.
« Oh shit. » Jeb muttered. Ringo kept Talinn behind him, using his body as a shield. The Chief tried to persuade them not to mess with Skywalker but they didn't listen.
The six Cheyennes took their Tomahawks and while screaming their battle cries, they ran towards their targets.
Fools Duncan thought, pulled out his Daïkatana and ran towards the incoming Cheyennes.
What followed seemed to happen in a fraction of a second. Skywalker reached the Cheyenne warriors, the blade flashed through the air while he passed through the attacking formation and he came out of the crowd of six warriors, unscathed. The Cheyennes stopped a bit further. They had nothing but the handles of their Tomahawks in their hands. Between their position and Duncan's lay the top half of their weapons. A few of them swallowed hard. The Chief was right.
The Shaman was furious. « Kill the outsiders. I am the Shaman of this tribe and I'm telling the truth. »
Skywalker stepped up to him and looked deep into his eyes as if probing his very soul. « The thruth ? » Duncan said in Cheyenne. « You know what the truth is ? »
The Shaman shook his head. The ice-cold look in those light-blue eyes gave him the shivers.
« The truth is that you can't handle the thruth. » he continued. « I'm not out to take your job, so don't go running around sending brave Cheyennes to their deaths. We're only looking for the Earth Dragon. The Chief has told us where to look and now we'll be on our way. »
While turning, he put his sword away and walked back to the others.
« Let's go. » he said and exited the camp with the others close behind. The Chief and the boy waved after them.

After a few minutes, they reached a blank rock wall.
« A dead end. » Talinn said. « Now what ? »
Ringo and all the others eyed the rockface for anything that might point them into the right direction.
A dead end ? That's impossible. The Cheyenne Chief pointed to this specific trail Duncan reasoned. He too eyed the rockface. Nothing to see. Just plain rock.
There are clues everywhere, if you look closely enough the voice's words flashed through his mind. And, as the voice had told him, Duncan looked over his shoulder at the trail behind them. The he looked back at the trail and the rockface ahead of them. And then he saw something he hadn't noticed before, until now. A small carving in the form of a dragon in the lower right corner.
« There ! » he said while pointing.
« We're on the right track. » Jeb pointed out.
The head of the carved dragon pointed diagoally up to the east.
« We have to go north-east. » Ringo said.
« Come on. » Jeb said enthusiastically. « The sooner we find this dragon, the sooner we can put that station out of commission. »
An hour later, they stood before the opening of a large cave.
« Spooky. » John said as they entered.
« Don't be silly. » Ringo snapped back.
Duncan held up a hand as a plea for silence. They all held their breath as they heard something move in the dark.
« What's that ? » Jeb asked silently.
« I hope it's the Earth Dragon. » Talinn replied. « And I hope it knows we got peaceful intentions. »
They moved deeper into the cave. Everyone took their weapons except Skywalker. He could defend himself with his bare hands if he had to. Step by careful step they went deeper and deeper into the dark and dank cave.
« Man, I don't like this. I really don't. » Jeb muttered.
« Jeb, quit griping. » Talinn said in a measured voice.
« Allright, allright. I'm just saying I have a bad feeling about all this and »
« Yeah yeah, save it. » Ringo cut in.
Duncan suddenly stopped. They all peered into the darkness and saw something move in the dim light.
« It's a big lizard. » Skywalker announced. « Nothing to be afraid of. »
He must have the eyes of a cat John said to himself and indeed saw a big lizard crawl lazily across the ground when Duncan let some Lifestream energy coarse through the walls to light up the cave.
Now that that matter was solved it was time to turn back to the matter at hand : finding the Earth Dragon.
They all split up and went their separate ways, in order to find the Dragon more efficiently while the cave walls shimmered with Lifestream energy which was illuminating the cave.
« Over here ! » Jeb yelled from another, smaller cave. They all rushed over and saw something blue-green standing on a pedestal. A statuette in the form of a dragon. Duncan instantly knew that this was it. He was only surprised to find this statuette, not an actual living dragon.
« That's it. » he said.
« Then let's grab it and find the other. » Jeb said and reached out. He didn't get very far. A blazing wall of blue-green energy appeared as Jeb's hand made contact with it and sent him flying backward. He quickly got to his feet and waved that everything was okay.
« It's being protected. » Ringo observed. « But by what ? »
« Lifestream energy. The ultimate shielding. » Skywalker said without taking his eyes off the little dragon. Then, he walked forward.
« Hey wait » Talinn wanted to stop him but he had already reached the barrier. Jeb didn't dare to watch, John turned away with the thought that this could get nasty, Ringo's gaze never wavered and kept his eyes on Duncan, Talinn hid herself behind her lover as Duncan reached out. They all held their breath as his hand made contact. The barrier sizzled but didn't throw him backward like Jeb. Instead, his hand passed neatly through.
« Of course. How could I forget. » Talinn said and explained Duncan's condition when she saw the questioning look on their faces.
Meanwhile, Duncan had passed through the barrier and stepped up to the little statuette. He placed his hand on it and lifted it off the pedestal. The moment the dragon statuette was lifted up, the barrier winked out.
« One down, one to go. » Talinn observed as they went back to the cave entrance.


XIV

Neron Mountain Range, Neron Continent
Duncan eyed the small statuette in his hand. So this was the Earth Dragon. The Sun Dragon had to be of the same design : a small statuette. He looked up at the dark sky. The evening had passed rather quickly.
« Night is about to fall. » Talinn said. « We should find shelter and stop there for the night. »
« How much time have we got left ? » Ringo asked.
« Two full days. » Duncan replied and put the dragon away.
« That leaves us a rather large margin of time. » John said.
« But we don't want to waste too much of it. » Jeb cut in.
« Right. » Talinn said. « Let's find shelter and get some rest. »
The searched in the dim starlight for a place to sleep. After a few minutes, they arrived at some bushes which hung over a hollow path, providing a patch of trail with cover.
« Here's a good place. » Talinn said.
« Cozy. » Jeb admitted.
They placed themselves under the bushes while Duncan made a fire. He took the first watch as the rest went to sleep.
While keeping watch, he took the little blue-green dragon out of his pocket. It reflected the light from the camp fire in every direction. A rather nice sight.
« Beautiful, isn't it ? » a voice asked from behind him. Talinn placed herself beside him.
« Yeah, it is. » he admitted.
« I wonder what Sigma Station's status is. » she said.
« Still constructing and modifying. » Skywalker answered without taking his eyes off the dragon in his hands.
« I hope so. » Talinn said and looked up at the starry sky. Somewhere up there in orbit, a station with the power to incinerate anything was awaiting its completion.

Sigma station
The command center was full of activity. The Sigma Ray demanded most of the crew's time and efforts, for this piece of equipment had to work perfectly or it meant their own destruction if something went wrong with the cannon.
« Delta Wave generators are coupled and online. » a technician reported.
« Initiating Delta Wave energy flow to Sigma Cannon. » another one announced and set the energy flow in motion.
« Hey, we're getting a power surge over here ! » the system operator warned after half an hour. His job was to keep an eye on the systems to check if they were working correctly after numerous modifications.
Sarge sprang into action and ordered : « Hit that control panel and polarize those power systems ! »
The technician who had set the Delta Wave flow in motion ran to the designated console and pressed a control. The power gauges changed as the power systems polarized.
« Whew, that was close. »
« Next time be more careful. » Sarge warned.
« Yessir. » the technicians answered.
« How much time until the station is ready ? »
« Two days, sir. » a technicain reported.
Sarge eyed the room-sized screen on which a S ', the sigma symbol, rotated. The station's logo and a screensaver at the same time. He pressed a control, the S ' shrinked and moved to the lower-right corner to make place for the station's data and schematics. It was promising. All the systems were nearly online and complete. Two more days and the rebels would know what real power was and what it could do.

Neron Mountain range, Neron Continent
Talinn took the next watch after two hours. Skywalker got up and joined the others on the hard ground.
« Too damn hard. » he muttered, got up and looked around. He spotted a nearby tree, walked over and climbed onto the lowest thick branch. He then laid down on the branch like a panther and almost immediately fell asleep.
Talinn found that rather amusing, seeing him complain about the ground. But then it changed into some form of respect when she saw he felt kind of at home in that tree.
She looked up at the stars again. Among the millions of pinpricks of silver a large one was visible in the night sky. Sigma Station.
What the hell is going on up there ? she asked herself and wondered about the future and the future of both herself, Ringo and all the others.
« Is the ground too uncomfortable for him ? » Jeb asked while pointing over his shoulder at Duncan in the tree while he joined Talinn.
« Seems so. But you have to admit : he may be mysterious, but he has a good heart. »
« Yeah, we've accomplished more in these past few days than in a whole year because of him. »
In the tree, Skywalker kept one eye open. Something wasn't right. He could feel it. Something was sneaking around the place, searching for a prey. He got out of the tree.
« Something wrong ? » Jeb asked.
« Something is not right. » he replied.
« What are you talking about ? » Talinn asked. « It's in the middle of the night. »
« I know. But there's something wrong. » Duncan said and moved away.
« He's gone crazy. » Jeb flapped out.
« I heard that. » Skywalker's voice came from way behind them.
Shiiit ! Jeb thought. What else is he capable of ?
« Busted. » Talinn said amused.
Then a growling sound came out of the bushes from Talinn's left side. « Duncan ? Over here. » she said with a shaking voice.
He was by their side in an instant and peered into the darkness. « Stay here. »
« Okay boss. » Jeb said as he moved in to check things out. Talinn looked behind her at their comrades who were still asleep and didn't suspect a thing. Maybe that was for the best.
« Hmm. What have we here ? » Duncan's voice came from the bushes where Talinn had heard the growling. « You're a nice little feline, aren't ya ? There, good as new. »
Jeb eyed Talinn. What the hell is he doing ? they both wondered.
He returned with a feline form by his side.
« What the hell ? » Jeb asked and moved back.
« It's just a bobcat. Relax Jeb, she's harmless. Her paw was injured and she got scared by our presence here. »
« Can I pat her ? » Talinn asked with curiosity. This was the first time she saw a bobcat up close.
« Sure, but give her some time to get to know you. »
Talinn held out her hand. The bobcat moved closer and sniffed it. Talinn reached a bit farther and stroked the bobcat on the head. She began to pur. « I think she likes it. »
« She does. » Duncan replied and watched as the bobcat ran off into the darkness.
« Where'd she run off to ? »
« She's got a nest to take care of. »
« Is it gone ? » Jeb asked from behind a rock.
« Yeah, you can come out now. » Talinn said.
Jeb took the next watch as Duncan and Talinn went to sleep.

The next morning, John woke the others.
« Everyone sleep well ? » he asked as the others rubbed their sore backs.
« Give me a break. » Jeb complained. Duncan came out of the nearby tree. Ringo came back with some rabbits they ate for breakfast. They they set out to find the other dragon, the Sun Dragon.
« Where will this dragon be located ? » Ringo wanted to know.
« I have no idea. » Duncan admitted. « We'll have to look for clues again. »
High in the sky, Shirrah kept an eye out for enemies or anything suspicious.
« Man, I hope we find these dragons before the station is complete. » Jeb said in a low voice.
They walked over a grass-covered trail that circumvented a huge boulder. When they had passed the boulder, another matter presented itself. Ahead of them lay a deep chasm, some seven meters wide and no bridge in sight.
« Hoo-boy. » Jeb said while looking down. « That's a long way down. »
« We have to get to the other side, I presume ? » John asked matter-of-factly.
« I guess so. » Talinn said. Skywalker said nothing. He just gave the chasm one of his looks while wondering what the best action should be to get to the other side.
Finally, he looked up and asked : « Anyone got some rope ? »
« I got some. » Jeb said and gave him a long rope. It was very long. More than they needed to reach the other side, which was a good thing. It would've been a lot worse if it had been shorter. He tied one end around his waist and gave the other to Talinn. « Hold on to this end for me, would ya ? »
He took his Daïkatana and before anyone could stop him he ran to the chasm. When he reached the edge, Duncan jumped and sailed through the air to the other side, dropping a bit as gravity began to tug at him and tried to drag him down. Along the way, he had a little help from the wind which blew up. Having reached the other side, he rammed the blade into the rock, turned around while holding on the the sword and waved at the others who were still dazzled by his move. He had made it.
Duncan climbed up after he had freed his blade and tied the rope to a tree. Talinn did the same on her side. As a precaution, Ringo hung on the rope on his side as a way to test the rope's structural integrity. What if it broke while the others were climbing across ? He would never forgive himself if it happened to Talinn. Again.
He nodded that everything was okay. Jeb was the first to climb over.
« Whatever you do, don't look down ! » Duncan yelled from his side. Curious as he was, Jeb did just that, looking down which made his hold on to the rope with all his might when he saw the dark space below him. Grip by grip, inch by careful inch Jeb made his way across while he silently prayed the rope wouldn't break. He was relieved when he reached the other side and let out a big sigh.
John was the next one. He was afraid of heights. They all could see it when he approached the rope : shaky and uncertain. Talinn told him to hold on, not to let go and especially not to look down. John sallowed hard, grabbed the rope and swung his legs around it which made him hang upside-down. Then he began the crossing. He proceeded like Jeb : inch by careful inch and was relieved when he had reached his destination.
Then it was Talinn's turn. She grabbed the rope in the same fashion like John : hanging upside-down and crawled over. She progressed a lot faster. Ringo warned her not to go too fast or she might fall. But she also reached the other side without incident.
« I'm gonna untie the rope and swing over ! » Ringo yelled.
« Okay ! » Dunan answered. « But you're gonna be squash if you hit that rockface at that speed ! »
« I'll take my chances ! » Ringo replied and untied the rope. He stepped up to the edge, filled his lungs and swung over like a full-fledged Tarzan. Half-way, he aimed his feet at the rockface which was rushing towards him and prevented him from getting a few broken ribs as he reached the rockface. Then, he climbed up the rope.
« Bold move. » Duncan said as Ringo climbed over the edge. « I'm impressed. »
« Thanks. I used to do that a lot when I was a kid back in Dyenso Village. Swinging on a rope which was tied to a thick branch of a tree. »
Duncan untied the rope and gave it back to Jeb, who put it in his backpack he had brought along.
They resumed their journey to find the one remaining dragon, the Sun Dragon. Along the way, they searched for any clue that might be linked to this dragon. Or statuette in this case. After a few hours, they stopped for a short pause.
« Talinn, Ringo, do you guys hear me ? »
« What the hell was that ? » Talinn asked while looking around, trying to spot the one that had spoken.
« Beats me. » John replied.
Duncan opened Jeb's backpack and took out a small headset with a built-in comm system. « This is it. »
Talinn took it and put it on. « Yeah ? »
« Hi, everyone, it's me. »
« Father ? »
« Yes. How are you guys doing back there ? Any progress ? »
« We've found the Earth Dragon. We're searching for the Sun Dragon at the moment. »
She could hear the villagers cheer in the background as the Chief updated them on their situation.
« Keep at it, honey. The sooner you find the dragon, the sooner we can get rid of the Lakoyans. »
« Copy that, father. Talinn out. » She switched the comm system to standby but left the headset on for futher updates. « That was father. He wanted to know how we were doing. I updated him on the situation. »
« Good. » Duncan replied. « Well, let's move. »


XV

Sigma Station
« C'mon, c'mooon. » the technician kept his fingers crossed. The computer was still busy executing the modification he had implemented a few moments ago. If this works, the commander and Sarge'll be very pleased he thought while eyeing the console display. Finally, a green light lit up on his screen.
« Yesss ! » he cheered. Then he turned to Jennai and Sarge who were discussing.
« Sir ? » he said as to get their attention.
Jennai swiveled his chair. « Yes ? »
« I've given the optical links to the cannon a 25 percent boost. That way we can target objects more precisely. »
Jennai and Sarge were pleased as he had thought.
« Good work. But if you want to do such a thing again, ask me or Sarge first. » Jennai warned.
The technician looked at the deck in shame. « Yessir. Sorry sir. »
« Don't be so hard on yourself, son. » Sarge said. « I like some initiative every now and then. »
The technician's face lit up with joy and he went back to his console to keep up the good work.
Some four hours thereafter, after a shudder ran through the station, Red Alert lights flashed and sirens wailed. Jennai checked the main screen. A short-circuit on one of the lower levels. He swore out loud. This could slow everything down. He hit the comm.
« What the hell happened down there ? »
« We were working on the emergency manual firing controls for the cannon, sir, when the entire thing blew up. We've got some casualties and heavy damage to the firing circuits. The optical links are undamaged. A bigger blast would've destabilized the cannon's energy manifolds. » a cannon technician reported.
« Salvage what can be salvaged and begin repairs. Take care of the wounded and get the cannon up and running A.S.A.P. » Jennai ordered.
« Yessir. » came the reply. Then the link was severed.
Jennai grabbed the armrests of his chair. This would definitely slow everything down.

Neron Mountain Range, Neron Continent
« We've been going for hours now and we haven't found anything. » Jeb complained. « Not even a single clue. »
« Quit complaining, would ya ? » Ringo snapped. « Something'll turn up. »
It was in the late afternoon. High in the air, Shirrah shrieked.
« There. See ? I told you something would show up. » Ringo said.
Skywalker looked up at his winged friend. The bird seemed to be circling over the opening that led to a cave. He ran ahead of the others to check things out and found the clue they were looking for. A craving in the form of a small dragon with a circle around it. It was carved near the ground at the rocky edge of the cave.
Bingo.
« Over here ! » he shouted. The others were by his side in an instant.
« All right. Finally. » Jeb said relieved.
« Boras to Talinn. Do you copy ? » came the Chief's voice out of the small built-in speaker in Talinn's comm system.
« I hear you. » Talinn answered.
« A few men and myself are standing just outside Lakoya City. But we can't get in. Can you ask Duncan to remove the foliage so we can get in ? »
« What are you up to, father ? »
« Nothing... Okay, we're just going in to get some of those high-tech weapons of theirs, nothing more. »
« To do what ? »
« To be able to put up a better defense in case they come back. »
Talinn thought it over for a moment, then went to Skywalker and asked if he could do the Chief that favor.
« Sure. » he replied, cleared his mind and got that distant look in his eyes again. After a few minutes, he looked up. « Done. »
« Okay, it cleared out here. Okay men, move in. Thanks a lot, honey. »
« No problem. » she replied and signed off.

Sigma Station
The repairs on the emergency manual firing controls were going steady, reducing the amount of total damage by half. Even Jennai and Sarge helped along from inside the command center. All things considered, this was Jennai's station and he had come a long way to get it built. He couldn't back off now.
His assistance' consisted of placing systems on stand-by or rerouting power from other nonessential systems to more crucial systems.
The Sensor Operator turned away from his console to face his superior. « Sir, a part of the city has just become visible. We've got it on visual feed. »
« Put it on the main screen. » Jennai ordered.
The screen came to life and, as the sigma-symbol screensaver was reduced to a small image in the lower right corner, it displayed a section of green in which the gleaming metal of Lakoya City became visible as the green foliage canopy receded. It was a small patch, but big enough to discern details. The command center was visible as well as one of the five reactors and the docking bay from which he had departed when they had evacuated the city to Sigma Station.
« What the hell is going on down there ? » he mused.
Command center, a reactor and the docking bay Jennai reasoned in the back of his mind. Docking bay
He suddenly sat up straight in his chair as reality sunk in. « The fighters ! »

Lakoya City, Neron Continent
The Chief and three of the best men the village could miss : Raoul, Alexander and Butch Sharpie'stood before the opening in the green foliage. Sharpie' was his nickname because his aim with an energy weapon was unsurpassed and he had the talents of a sharpshooter.
The four ran into the city and headed straight for the building that had housed the command center. Or to what was left of it. The reactor building was still largely intact and as for the docking bay, it looked like it hadn't been touched at all.
They searched the rubble of the command center building. If the Chief's memory was correct, there should be a weapons storage chamber near the command center. After a few minutes of searching, Butch yelled from behind a piece of jagged metal that had originated from a support beam : « Over here ! »
Butch had found a large, still intact, weapons locker. A corner was bent. Raoul found a metal bar that looked like a crowbar and used it to break open the locker. Inside, they found four high energy weapons and two disruptors.
They all took an energy rifle and put the other weapons in the backpacks they had brought along.
« All right. » Butch said happily as he eyed the energy rifle. « Finally something I like. »
« Don't get too excited, Sharpie'. » Alex warned.
« Relax man, I'm just enjoying my moment here. So what's next ? »
« Now we look around for something that might come in handy in our struggle with Jennai and his minions. » the Chief replied.

Neron Mountain Range, Neron Continent
Skywalker took the lead with the torch Jeb had made and led them into the cave. The cave was dark like the one they had explored when searching for the Earth Dragon. The only illumination was that of the torch. Ringo had asked why Duncan couldn't let some Lifestream energy coarse through the walls to provide illumination, but Skywalker had replied that if he did that the cave would collapse. The structural integrity of the cave was bad, but not so bad it would cave in on them.
« So what's the deal here ? » Ringo asked. « Is this another little statue we're gonna find ? »
« I don't know. I told you before : even I don't know everything. » Duncan replied.
« Bet you do. » Ringo muttered. Duncan pretended not to have heard that.
Jeb wanted to intervene but was cut off by a bone-rattling roar. Even Shirrah got a scare. The bird flapped his wings to keep his balance for the roar had taken him by surprise and nearly made him fall off Skywalker's forearm on which he was sitting.
« What the devil ?? » John stammered.
« I say it's a real one. » Talinn said and eyed the surroundings.
« Let's go. Careful. » Ringo warned, drew his sword and took point.
Fifteen minutes later, they stood before a stone arch that led to an underground city. Everyone looked at the ancient, still intact buildings with amazement and interest. Skywalker as well. He took in every detail, as if recording the image of the ancient city in his mind while turning around in a full circle. That's when he noticed a stone slab set in the arch wall next to him.
« Look at this. » he walked over to examine it.
« What does it say ? » Jeb asked.
« I dunno. » Talinn said. « I can't read it. »
« I've seen this writing before On an ancient wall. A ruin in the North Regions. This » Duncan said as he tried to remember every shard of the experience. He carefully examined every marking on the slab. « this is Itelogian writing. I'll translate it. It says : All worshippers of the Dragon, we welcome you with open arms in Dragon City. This is the home of the Sun Dragon. A very powerful Dragon. But if you have come to plunder, turn back or face its rage.' »
« Nice way to greet people. » Jeb quipped.
« Itelogians ? » Talinn asked. « I've never heard of them before. »
« They were an ancient civilization who had mastered the art of taming Dragons. So this is the Lost City of the Dragon. Dragon City. »
« How much time do we have ? » Talinn asked.
« One day and then some. » Skywalker replied. « We'd better hurry. »

Sigma Station
« Speed up construction. » Jennai ordered. The station was near full completion. He could feel it. It was going to work out. He faced the screen on which the small visible part of Lakoya City could be seen. Four figures roamed around the command center and were making their way to the reactor. He reached for the comm and ordered ten Jennai Soldiers to board the fighters which were located in Sigma Station's docking bay.
What are they looking for ? Jennai wondered.
He kept eyeing the screen while the genetically constructed Jennai Soldiers put on their flight suits and helmets and made their way to the fighters docking bay. Once arrived there, the soldiers crawled into their ships and ran through the checklist.
« Jennai Wing, you're clear for takeoff. » echoed through the cockpit of every fighter. The Jennai Wing Commander was the first to take off, followed by the others. Ten sleek, streamlined fighters left the confines of the bay and into orbital space. There, they formed a formation in the shape of a V. After the station was at a safe distance and they had received their orders, which were to eliminate intruders in the city, the JW Commander angled his ship down into the atmosphere. The others followed him in tight formation.

Lakoya City, Neron Continent
The Chief, Alex, Raoul and Sharpie made their way to the reactor. Alex looked around and whistled. « What caused this growth to cover up this entire city ? »
« Not what, Alex. Who. » the Chief replied. « Skywalker did this. »
« That weirdo with the long coat ? Give me a break. » Raoul said.
« I'd carefully choose my words if I were you. He can do things we only can dream of. »
« Oh yeah ? » Sharpie cut in. « Like what ? » The others murmured Sharpie had a point. What could this newcomer do ?
« This. » the Chief simply said while spreading his arms.
Raoul wanted to say something more but what the Chief meant finally sunk in. Someone who had the ability to put nature at his hand had to be capable of a lot of things.
« Okay. Whatever. Now let s go. » Alex said.
The four proceeded through the city towards the reactor. The Chief had already seen this. This was the reactor the Lakoyans had modified to process Lifestream energy. Duncan had sabotaged the reactor.
« Geez, total mayhem. » Sharpie pointed out.
« This reactor was modified to process Lifestream energy. » the Chief said.
« Oh yeah, that rumored energy stream that brings life to the planet. That's just a fantasy. » Alex said.
« Not just a fantasy, Alex. Reality. Talinn told me about it. It exists. This reactor was sucking it up and was converting it into electricity. » the Chief pointed out.
Meanwhile Raoul was examining the pipes and conduits of the reactor.
« Hey, these pipes weren't destroyed by an explosion. They were cut. »
« That was Duncan's work. He wanted to stop the Lifestream energy from being processed so he sabotaged the reactor. »

Meanwhile, high in the atmosphere, the Jennai Wing was heading towards Lakoya City. The turbine engines extended from the streamlined hull after they had cleared the friction of the atmosphere.
« Switch to battle mode. » the JW Commander ordered. Every pilot pressed some controls. The small barrels of their ship's weapons systems, which had been retracted into the hull, extended. This weapon retraction system was designed in such a way that the weapons barrels wouldn't disturb the ship's streamlined form.
« Battle mode engaged. » his wingmen replied.
« Coming up on target. » the Commander reported.
The sleek fighters angled down, closing in on the city.

« That blade of his has to be really sharp. » Raoul pointed out as he ran his finger along the cut edge of the pipe.
« Yeah. » the Chief replied. « I think I heard him call it a Daïkatana'. »
« No way. » Sharpie asked, not believing what he was hearing. « I gotta see this. »
« Well, you can ask him next time you see him. » the Chief said. But then the whine of engines and the noise of directed energy weapons cut through the air as the Jennai Wing came into weapons range.
« What the hell ? » Alex demanded.
« Where in the name of the Dragon did they come from ? » Sharpie wanted to know.
« Jennai. » the Chief said flatly. « Take cover. »
The next moment, a ground rumbled with multiple weapons impacts as the four took cover.
The Chief took his comm headset. « Talinn, Ringo, do you copy ? »
There was silence that lasted for a lifetime.
« Talinn, we're under heavy fire here. I think Jennai sent some fighters to eliminate us. Do you hear me ? »
Still nothing. The only thing he could do was wonder what had happened to the others.


XVI

Dragon City, Neron Mountain Range, Neron Continent
Talinn and the others went into the city to search for the Sun Dragon. All the way, Skywalker looked around with the curiosity of a little kid. The only evidence of the existence of the Itelogians he had seen were some small ruins and some artefacts. But this city was different. This city was intact.
« Do you know anything more about these people ? » Talinn asked Duncan.
« They were experts in mathematics and astronomy. The city may look primitive but they were advanced in a certain way. Like the art of taming dragons, their astronomy and mathematics, and so on. » he replied.
The roar cut through the air again, louder this time, making the walls shake with its force.
Shirrah didn't get so scared like the first time, but it had taken him by surprise again.
« We're close. » Duncan pointed out.
« Tell me about it. » Jeb said shakily.
The source of the roar seemed to be a large temple at the end of the broad road they were walking on.
« They must've hollowed out this entire mountain. » Talinn said as she looked up at the ceiling of the ominous cave, shrouded in darkness.
« Don't ask me how they did it. » was Skywalker's reply.
The proceeded to the temple building and ascended the stairs.

Lakoya City, Neron Continent
The ten Jennai Wing fighters streaked downward, firing their deadly ray cannons. The Chief and the others dove for cover as the barrage struck a piece of the command center building, tearing one quarter off it. Debris rained down.
« Okay guys, time to defend ourselves. » the Chief ordered and aligned his energy rifle's sights with a fighter. The others did the same. Four crimson beams shot up towards the attacking wing of enemy fighters. Most of them angled away but two got caught in the four beams counting barrage and were destroyed. The remaining eight fighters regrouped and came back for another round.
The four instantly opened fire. Sharpie managed to hit the second fighter on the lead fighter's left side in the vertical stabilizer. The fighter smoked but remained on course.
« Nice shot. » Alex congratulated him.
« Thanks. » Sharpie replied and fired another shot.
Alex fired three times at a nearby fighter. Two beams missed, although they came very close. The third one, however, was the charm. It struck the fighter clear in one of its turbine engine exhaust pipes. The aft section of the ship was totally ripped open and what remained of the fighter crashed somewhere in the open fields and exploded.
« Got one. » Alex cheered.
« Three down, seven to go. » Raoul commented.

Dragon City, Neron mountain Range, Neron Continent
When they reached the top of the stairs, most of the group needed a few minutes to catch their breath.
« Wow, what a climb. » Jeb remarked.
« Sure is. » Talinn agreed.
After they had recovered from the climb, they entered the temple. The inside was being illuminated by glowing crystals. In the walls, markings were engraved. Duncan explained these markings explained the city's history.
They kept going through the illuminated corridors, taking turn after turn and corridor after corridor. Before they knew it, they found themselves at a large double door. It was covered with jewellery and gold.
« That's some door. » Ringo said.
« How do we open it ? » Talinn asked.
« I dunno. » Jeb replied.
Meanwhile, Duncan had begun to examine the massive door which was three times bigger than they were. The door was firmly shut, as he expected. There wasn't any doorknob or lever or button, no nothing. Just the door. He pushed against it, but it wouldn't budge.
« Any luck ? » Talinn asked.
« No, not yet. » Skywalker replied. Then, he took his Daïkatana and banged the bottom side of the hilt against the symmetrical line where both door halves met. The clang echoed through the air and the door swung open with a wave of foul air.
« Luck has nothing to do with it. Just the knowledge on how to open a door. »
Skywalker took the lead, Daïkatana at the ready. The others followed him into the dark space beyond the door. Two beady eyes gleamed in the dark, the glowing crystals came into action and illuminated the room and before they knew it, they found themselves facing a real live dragon.
« Oh shit. » Jeb said for all of them.

Lakoya City, Neron Continent
Another fighter was transformed into dispersing wave of quantum mist.
« All right. » Alex cheered. He had switched his energy rifle to full effect and hit the approaching fighter clear in its cokpit canopy.
« Not bad. » Sharpie complimented and fired a single shot in another fighter's weapons systems. The ship careened out of control and crashed against of what was left of the command center building. « Not bad at all. »
« Thanks. I do my best. » Alex replied.
« Hey Butch ! » the Chief called out from his hiding place. « They're coming in from this side ! »
« On my way. » Sharpie yelled back and hopped out of concealment and ran in a zig-zag pattern to the Chief's hideout. Once arrived there, he aimed his rifle up and started to shoot. The approching fighters broke off their attack to regroup and streak down again.
The four prepared themselves for another barrage, which followed shortly thereafter. The barrage hit, throwing up dust and debris with its impact. But then, they heard Alex cry out from his hideout.
The Chief, Butch and Raoul ran to their comrade's hiding place. What they found wasn't good news. Alex's leg was caught under a massive metal pylon which had fallen down when the enemy barrage struck. His leg was undoubtedly broken.
« All right. Spread out. » the Chief ordered. « We have to protect Alex at all cost. He's vulnerable. »
He turned to Alex. « Can you fire your weapon ? »
« I'm not sure. » Alex breathed in pain. « But I can try. »
« Good lad. » the Chief said and silently wished Skywalker were here to take care of Alex.

Dragon City, Neron Mountain Range, Neron Continent
Talinn and the others took cover behind a thick pillar as the dragon spewed a raging fireball. John tried to craw the dragon's attention onto him and lure it away from his companions.
« Geez, that's hot ! » Jeb cried as he held up his arms for protection. After the dragon had spewed its fireball at the pillar, it came after John who jumped away to distract the creature.
« You're telling me. » Ringo snapped.
« Guys ! » Talinn intervened. « Save it for when this is over. Right, Duncan ? Duncan ? »
She turned and saw him leaning against the pillar with a distant gaze in his cold light blue eyes. What was wrong with him ?
« Duncan, snap out of it ! » Talinn shook him by the shoulders as the dragon tried to torch them again.
His eyes cleared and looked around, as if trying to remember what was happening. « The Chief is in trouble in the City. »
« What ? » they all asked at once.
« They're having trouble with fighters from Sigma Station. » He got that gaze again as he continued. « A man named Alex is injured. Nothing serious. The others have taken up positions around him for his protection. »
« They'll manage. » Talinn cut in. « Now we have to get to the Sun Dragon. do you have any idea on how to get past that ? »
She pointed straight at the dragon which was searching for its prey. Skywalker leaned from behind the pillar to take a look. That's when he noticed the dragon's tail pass through a section of the wall.
Ahah.
« It's an illusion. »
« Say what ? » Ringo asked.
« An illusion. » Skywalker repeated and came out of concealment. He walked straight towards the dragon which, given its height, was still searching. He reached the door the dragon was guarding and opened it. The dragon wavered once and vanished.
« Yesss. » Jeb cheered. The others came out from behind the pillar and stepped through the open door into the room beyond. What they found was partially good news and partially bad news. The good news was they had found the glowing yellow statuette of the Sun Dragon. The bad news was that it hung suspended over a deep pit.
« Perhaps I spoke too soon. » Jeb admitted.

Lakoya City, Neron Continent
« How much fighters are still in the air ? » the Chief asked.
« Roughly, » Raoul replied and fired a shot which missed. « I'd say about five. »
« Roughly ? About five ? » the Chief remarked as he turned to face Raoul.
« Hey, it's a rough estimate. I don't know how many there are still left. They keep flying around all the time. I can't get a good count. » Raoul explained.
« Chief, look out ! » Butch warned. The attacking fighter exploded in a fiery storm of hot metal debris. They all turned towards a grinning Alex whose rifle was still smoking from the discharge.
« Got him. » Alex grinned.
« Thanks lad. » the Chief said gratefully.
« No problem. » Alex grimaced as a jolt of pain raced through his leg.
« You okay ? » Raoul asked.
« I'll manage I sure hope the others get here fast. »
« So do I, man. So do I. »
Meanwhile, the Chief tried to reach Talinn's group on the comm. Still nothing but static.
He sighed and ordered to take the two disruptors and told his comrades to defend themselves for what they were worth.

Dragon City, Neron Mountain Range, Neron Continent
« Great. » Talinn eyed the hovering statuette. « How do we get it ? »
« I'm sure someone'll come up with a plan. » John remarked.
« Why don't you make yourself useful for a change ? » Ringo said, turning to face John.
« Hey hey hey, look here buster. I was making myself useful. I was busy drawing that dragon's attention so one of you could get to the door. »
« Shut up. Both of you. » Skywalker suddenly snapped and turned to Talinn. « Do you see what I see ? »
« What are you ? » she wanted to ask but stopped in midsentence as she saw a ring in the ceiling. « A ring. »
« Exactly. So we are gonna use some »
« Rope. » Talinn finished for him.
« Bingo. »
« Jeb ! Rope ! » she barked. Jeb took the rope out of his backpack and handed it to Talinn who passed it on to Duncan. Skywalker searched for a small rock to tie the rope to. He found exactly what he was looking for : a small rock, oval shaped of which he would be certain it would pass through the ring. He tied one end of the rope to the rock and threw it towards the ring. The first three attempts missed. But the fourth went through. Duncan let it swing and caught the rock when it was close enough.
« All right. Who has the least weight ? »
« That would be me. » Talinn said. Duncan tied the rope around her waist.
« We'll let you swing. I hope you don't get sick when doing such things ? »
« Nope. »
« Good. When you're close enough, grab the statuette. »
« Got it. »
The others pulled on the rope and let Talinn swing towards the statuette.
« A bit more and a bit higher. » she called out.
The others compensated. Talinn almost could grab it. Just a few more swings. After two swings, she was able to grab it. « I got it ! »
« Hold on to it. » Duncan called out. They lowered her until she was almost parallell to the ground. Talinn used her feet to give her an extra boost by using the opposite wall. Ringo grabbed her and reeled her in.
« All right. Now let's get back. » Jeb said as he put the rope away.
The four ran through the door into Dragon City and out into the cave that led to the outside world.
Once they left the cave, Talinn received her father's message. She assured him they would try to reach the city as soon as possible.
« Let's go. » Talinn took point and led the others to the city.