The Battle

We had been on the Procyon ship for two days. I could sense the fear building up in the brig as we constantly anticipated the approach of Procyons (especially Hannington). On the first day after our first conversation with Hannington, we had been given loose clothing to wear over our pajamas and nightgowns (the Procyons, being strict about tradition, required that all prisoners must be given an appropriate appearance within the first two visits of an authority or high-ranking officer). Jim was silent most of the time trying to conjure up a plan. Liz was always quiet, silently lamenting over Sam's betrayal. Danny usually needed someone to chat with, so I was the only one left. I uneasily answered his inquiries about our fate, and most answers included an "I don't know," and "It's hard to tell at this point, sweetheart." Occasionally, one of us would suggest an escape idea that was usually dismissed, finding that somehow, something would go wrong.
Hannington entered the brig later on the day of the first visit (we had awoken from our unconsciousness early that morning) and tried to threaten Jim into giving him hints to where the battle plans might be. The Procyons weren't simpletons. They always started out lightly and soon afterward began inflicting physical pain on prisoners. We knew we had to think fast.
After the Procyons left that night, Jim came up with a plan that would not necessarily save us or help us to escape, but it would stall the Procyons for a while. I was highly against it but knew that nothing else could be done. I would just have to trust Jim and pray. If the Procyons were to threaten injury upon one of us if the location of the battle plans was not revealed, we were to play along to make it look like Jim was seriously considering whether to give away the secret or not. Then he would lie about the plans' location, hoping that they would fall for it and he would be convincing enough.
Early the next day, the proposal was tested. Hannington's final warning had resulted in Jim keeping silent. Finally, one of his guards grabbed Liz by the arm and held a dagger to her slender throat. I cried, "No!" Danny drew in a breath. Jim gasped. Liz, however, remained silent. Her eyes filled with fear, but a bold expression soon came over her. Her bared teeth were clenched, and her eyebrows were furrowed.
Hannington said coolly, "Now, for the final time, Hawkins, where are they?"
Frantic prayers reeled in my head as I saw my Lizzy facing death. I begged Jim in my mind to say something. Yet he was silent. I still trusted him, however. I must have been crazy to let this go on.
The dagger made a two inch gash on the left side of Liz's neck right under her jawbone. She let out a painful gasp, and tears filled her eyes. I wanted to scream. They were giving Jim one last chance by not slicing over her windpipe.
"All right, Hannington!" Jim desperately shouted. "You win. I'll tell you where they are."
The dagger was lowered. The gash bled steadily until the guards applied Orcus Galacticus mucus, which killed bacteria and advanced the healing process, and a bandage to it. They would keep her healthy as long as they got what they wanted. I gave a sigh of relief.
"Okay," Jim began breathlessly, "they are l-located in the main Terran Naval Base. You know. The one that has a planet all to itself."
Now, we did not know where the plans were, so if we hadn't arranged for Jim to lie ahead of time, we would have believed he was telling the truth. He was quite convincing.
Hannington was not easily fooled. He approached, and the guards put Jim on his feet. The enemy captain came right up to Jim's face so their noses almost touched. Jim's face remained straight and unchanged.
"You listen to me, Hawkins," hissed Hannington menacingly. "If I sail all the way to your naval base to find nothing there and that this is a trick or some scheme of yours, I will make sure you witness the torturous deaths of your children and wife. You too will experience agony. Both mentally and physically. Do I make myself clear?"
"Transparently." Jim's tone and expression didn't change.
Hannington spoke to the guards, "Untie their hands and feet. I suppose they could use a little relaxation." His voice was ominously benign. "And make sure there is nothing in this brig with them other than the clothes on their backs. An escape is all too likely with Hawkins' sharp mind." We were untied from the ropes that held us for so long, and every object, including two empty barrels and the lamp, was taken out of the brig. We were alone once again.
The only light in the room came from a tiny open window near the ceiling that let in the light of the morning nebula. It was beyond reach.
Liz was breathing heavily, and she lightly put a hand on the bandage as she felt the itchy healing process take place.
Danny again broke the silence with a whisper. "So now what? You obviously didn't tell them were the plans really are."
Jim whispered, "Maybe not in the way they think, but I assure you some are there. They'll just never find them as long as my most trusted lieutenants and first officers as well as other captains don't give in."
"Great. We're dead."
"I'm still working on a plan, son."
Danny looked at him disbelievingly for a moment, knowing that it was nearly impossible to get out. Jim knew it too.
It was late that night, and we knew that the Procyons could reach the naval base any day. If I could see out the window I would know where we were by the stars and if we were anywhere near it. It was completely dark in the brig except for the starlight coming through that little window. We sat leaning against the poles that supported the ceiling. I saw Danny and Liz doze off from time to time, and I felt myself nodding every now and then. Jim's eyes were closed. I knew him too well to think that he was asleep. He was deeply concentrating. Suddenly there was a high-pitched trill. I knew that sound anywhere. Jim opened his eyes and looked up to the source. Liz and Danny, both awake at the time, smiled and gasped joyfully at the sight. I was thrilled to see our little friend.

"Morph!" Jim cried in a whisper (which we had grown accustom to doing). Morph rubbed against our cheeks in greeting with happy trills. Danny was right. He had been left behind. I felt a surge of joy and lightheartedness.
"How'd you get here, little buddy?" Jim asked. The shape-shifter morphed into three miniature ships. Jim automatically recognized them as part of the Terran Empire Navy fleet. He gave a quiet cry of victory. Morph flew up to the window, chirping. He looked down at us as if wanting us to look outside. Liz got up on Jim's shoulders to look out (they were the tallest in the family after all). Morph transformed into a spyglass. Liz held it to her right eye and exclaimed that she spotted three ships in the distance. She explained they were barely noticeable because of the darkness. She saw no lights on them, and the rockets on the sterns were not activated. Jim commented that was good. They were using the darkness as a veil, so the Procyons would not notice them unless the area was thoroughly scanned.
"Well, what do we do now?" Danny asked in an exasperated tone. "There's no way to get out of the brig."
"Actually," Jim said, pondering, "with Morph's help, I think I can increase the chances of escape." Turning to Morph, who was at his shoulder, he said, "Okay, I need some sort of saw." With that, Morph instantly changed into Jim's request. The rest of us stared at Jim questioningly.
"Danny, go to the door. Listen to make sure no one approaches, and if you hear anything, let me know." Our son obeyed, rushing to the door and putting his ear to it. The door had a window with bars near the top. Usually, this enabled guards to look in on prisoners, but at the moment, a wooden flap was locked over it. This near-total isolation from the outside universe would often result in the captive losing sanity (which the Procyons took advantage of when they wanted something from the prisoner). Fortunately for us, this would give Jim protection from the watchful Procyon eyes. He took the saw and silently slipped it between two floor planks running perpendicular to the wall opposite the door's wall. As quietly as he could, he sawed about four planks (making sure not to go in too deep) so that they lifted completely off of the floor. This revealed strong metal sheets held together with heavy screws. Jim told Morph he needed a screwdriver. It took several alterations in Morph's appearance to get just the right size. When the right screwdriver was achieved, Jim used it to remove the screws. Each one required all of Jim's arm strength until it budged. Once loosened though, they were easily removed. When the metal sheets were removed, a layer of electric wires and cables stood in the way. Jim expected this and, being a mechanic, was able to move them aside carefully and with ease to expose another layer of metal sheets. The screwdriver process was repeated until finally they too were removed. We watched Jim in awe. I estimated that it took about half an hour.
Danny announced that he heard nothing from outside and no one had lifted the flap on the door window. Everything was safe so far. Jim informed us that he was going down to disable the laser cannons and anything else on the ship that would provide the Procyons a direct advantage in combat in case the Terran ships were discovered. He would also try to find an escape route to the longboats. With the cannons not working properly, we could leave relatively safely in a longboat until the Procyons figured out the cannons' problem (they were pretty quick to find technical troubles though). I was worried for Jim. However, I trusted him as usual. I even allowed Danny to follow him. Morph went in case Jim needed a tool of some sort. They left instantly. Liz and I stayed in the brig, filled with anxiety. Not five minutes later, the two men and the shape-shifter returned. They were breathless. Jim replaced the wooden floor planks so they looked as if they hadn't been touched. If we needed to escape, the floor was always ready. Jim explained that his mission to disable the cannons had been successful. They tried to get to the longboat bay and did catch a glimpse of it but suddenly heard footsteps coming toward the area from the darkness. The three of them rushed back to safety.

Morning came after a fitful night's sleep. A guard entered and gave us bread and water, which were hardly touched. The day passed without much activity. It was clear that the Terran ships were following the Procyon ship. Liz looked out the window a couple of times to inform us that they were far behind us and most of the time were concealed by a nearby nebula. In the daylight, this was the best way to decrease the chances of being revealed. Jim removed the floorboards on occasion to check on the longboat bay. Each time, a guard stood near, preventing an escape. Luckily, Jim wasn't noticed.
Night again fell upon us. Out of nowhere, there was a cannon's thundering boom. It hadn't come from the Procyons' ship. Liz looked out and announced that a Terran naval ship was right upon us. Joy filled our hearts, and Danny let out a cheer. With this, we knew our men would soon try to get us out of here. Just then, Liz screamed that a laser cannon's plasma pellet was heading our direction. We ran to our escape door. The planks were removed. There was a huge rocking of the ship as an explosion blew away the entire front part of the brig where the door was. We had gotten out just in time. We ran toward the longboat bay, and sure enough, the guard stood there. We took our chances and raced into a longboat. Jim instead ran to the lever that opened the hatch which was on the other side of the bay from the guard. The guard aimed at Jim and fired his laser rifle. I shouted and stopped the kids from jumping out to help. It would only jeopardize their safety. Jim ducked to the floor and just missed another shot. Jim had succeeded in opening the hatch. But before he reached the boat, the guard rushed at him with a dagger. The guard had Jim's head locked in place with his arm, the dagger ready. The four of us (including Morph) got out of the longboat to pull the guard off of him. Suddenly, before we reached the scene of conflict and before Jim could even fight himself free, there was another blast, this time from a laser flintlock. The guard's grip on Jim loosened, and he dropped to his knees drawing in a sharp breath. The guard fell face down to reveal a laser weapon's wound in the back of his head.
There was Sam, putting his flintlock into a holder on his belt. All of us were shocked. The traitor saved my husband. Jim thanked him sincerely, and Liz stared at him with wide eyes and a sweet smile. Her look was that of astonishment and infatuation. Sam nodded to all of us and told us to leave now; the Procyons had put out the brig fire from the cannon shot but discovered the prisoners were gone. We heard angry voices coming from the direction of our escape door. They had found it and were coming for us. Sam got into another longboat. After all, he couldn't return now that he had killed a guard to help prisoners escape. A young Procyon in uniform got into Sam's longboat at a signal the Terran made. The boats were released: ours first, Sam's and the stranger's next. Both were in freefall for a few seconds. Jim sat at our controls, and once the thrust control was set, Jim steered toward the next closest Terran ship that had just come up and was not currently firing at the Procyons. Sam's longboat turned off toward the east (I could sense direction from the stars again) away from the battle scene. Where he was off to was a mystery to us. He was soon out of our minds though. A Terran plasma pellet fired toward us and ended up damaging a longboat carrying the Procyons that came after us. We had only just noticed that they were not more than twenty feet behind us. We reached the Terran ship, and the crew men opened the longboat hatch for us. Our boat was attached to a platform in the bay. The crew men saluted Jim as a captain while he nodded back, acknowledging their respectful gesture. We were led to the ship's captain's stateroom.
Jim was thrilled to see Captain David Monroe, his head instructor when he was training to become a captain. They greeted each other with a friendly handshake. The white-haired Terran with a thick moustache beamed at Jim. After all, Captain Monroe had never seen anyone progress as quickly as this man, who was in his early twenties at the time. Jim had gone from an ensign to a captain in only a year. Jim certainly made him proud in his battles since then. Monroe addressed me cheerfully, as I was a navigator, and greeted Liz and Danny kindly as the captain's children.
We were given more well-fitting clothing, and Jim was given a captain's uniform. The fight with the Procyon ship wasn't over, and more may come. The Terrans had brought a solar frigate (which was the third ship) for Jim to command if he desired. He eagerly agreed to do it. Danny begged to go too, and I firmly disagreed. But Monroe offered navigating positions on the frigate for Liz and me, for he had only brought specialists for its crew to handle the ammunition. Danny begged again to go, and before I could protest, Monroe suggested that he handle one of the laser cannons. They could use another person, and it didn't require much training. I spoke up saying that he was half-blind. He couldn't do it. When the captain asked Danny which eye was bad, he pointed to his left eye. The captain, saying it was no matter, told him he could have a laser cannon with a seat on the left side, so his right eye could look through the eyepiece to aim.
"That is," said the captain, "if it's all right with your parents."
"Please, Mom?" He pleaded. "I can do this. It's not like solar surfing."
I looked at Jim. He smiled and nodded. Looking at Danny and putting a hand on his cheek, I forgot my fears for a moment and nodded. "Just be careful, baby."
A smile illuminated his face. We were soon in a longboat heading for Jim's current ship. Once on deck, Liz and I headed for the main navigation system room at the stern. Jim immediately began giving commands as the two other Terran ships fought against the ship on which we were captives (it had reactivated its cannons) and another that had just approached. We were separated from Danny. The cannons of this ship were below deck and fired through openings on the broadsides. This was good for some protection, but it was worse if there happened to be an explosion from an enemy cannon.
Liz and I worked at the navigation system as another officer stood by, ready to alert the captain of anything hazardous, natural or martial, that we might find. In the past few years, the Terran Empire Navy invented a long distance radar system that was useful in all battles. The Procyon Navy had not yet adapted this (which was why they did not detect the Terran fleet in the distance). The time passed quickly and in a blur. In the dark room, we could not see the action that occurred on deck. We detected another Procyon ship approaching, and the fleet was ready for it.
Hours later, the battle was over. The Procyons surrendered the battle. Hannington was severely wounded. Despite this, the war was far from over. Everyone in the Etherium knew that the war would last for generations to come if it ended at all. Danny was okay. Not only that, but he was highly praised for hitting the stern of the second Procyon ship where the most important mechanical equipment was. It was usually not aimed for because it was hard to penetrate the sides on many warships, resulting in most aims at the solar sails (the power sources). After Danny hit the ship, the effects proved he had hit the weak spot.
Jim was all right as well. Captain Monroe came onto Jim's frigate and congratulated him for another amazing battle. He had scheduled the frigate to return us to Crescentia (much to our gratitude). When asked how they found us, he told the story: "Captain Amelia went to Crescentia and informed the officers there that the Hawkins' family had been kidnapped by pirates. She had that little shape- shifter of yours with her. She explained that he was the source of this information. He changed into a miniature pirate tying you up, Captain Hawkins. I knew not to dismiss this, and I knew that many pirates were actually privateers for the Procyons. I was taking a shot in the dark by gathering a few of my high-ranking officers and their ships and just following the closest Procyon ship. We found one on radar within our borders. I took the morph with me. Once we found the enemy vessel, we followed it for a while under cover and eventually sent out the morph to find you. If he did not find you, he had to return, but if he did, he could stay with you. Sure enough, an hour passed and no Morph. So a cannon was fired to alert you—more so than the Procyons—of our presence. You have my deepest apologies for the one that hit the ship. Apparently, one of my specialists was not aware that we had allies aboard it. But we are so glad we found you."
"It's great to be back," Jim said.
Liz spoke up, "Daddy, where are the battle plans exactly?"
"Well," he began, taking a breath, "they aren't at a specific location. They are rather portable. Captain Monroe, you have them on you, don't you?" "Why, as a matter of fact, I do!" The cheerful captain took off his military jacket and handed it to Jim. "See," Jim explained, "this button—third from the top—has symbol keys on the back of it." He turned the button over to display six tiny keys. He pressed four of the keys, and a tiny hole (which I found to be a holoprojector) opened on the front of the button. Jim held the back of his hand toward the projector. Light blue beams were projected onto Jim's hand. The battle plans. The images on Jim's hand looked like part of a map. Some of the lines, dots, and symbols moved to show the maneuvers and actions taking place. "That's all there is to it. Different codes typed with the keys show different tactics. They aren't all my plans; if someone happens to have something that seems worth trying, the plans are installed onto some captains' and high-ranking officers' uniform buttons. I wasn't lying about them being at the Naval Base either. A lot of the officers there have these special buttons. I'm surprised the Procyons haven't come up with this yet, and let's hope they never do or find out about it."
"Wow!"
"Cool!"
"Oooooo!"
"That's brilliant!"
Liz, Danny, Morph (I wasn't sure where he had gone during the battle, but he was back), and I made these comments, respectively, after Jim finished.
"Well," Monroe began, "let's head back to your ol' Crescentia, Jim! I think you and your family could use a little rest at home."

Author's Note: To be continued...the story is far from over.