"Professor," Stone said. "You mean to say you are using the cryotron to defend the rescue craft should Dragos destroy the seeker drones?"
Parsafoot nodded.
"It works," Parsafoot said. "We have adjusted the level of freezing layers to that being able to over us upon our flight down back to the academy." he patted on the cryotron, lightly.
"And the man that is currently entertaining ten thousand people is going on a Academy approved mission aboard the dragon ship to provide distraction," Stone said. "The same man who is going to be rescued from a certain death."
"Yes," Parsafoot said.
"Did they happen to figure out how they will know?" Stone asked.
"No," Parsafoot said. "We will be launching in a few hours," he tilted his head."How do you know?"
"It was easy to figure out," Stone said. "I am not sure they know. The boy apparently does."
Tee Gar came down the extended ladder with the bag over his forearm with a cheerful expression.
"Hey, I think we got enough time to watch that play in the gymnasium," Tee Gar said. "If you can handle your bladder, Deputy Commander."
Stone placed his hands on his hips.
"You think I am not familiar with Gampu's humor in the last three years," Stone said.
"You are not exactly known around campus for laughing a lot," Tee Gar said.
"I have plenty of jokes in this head," Stone tapped on the side of his temple. "Some that will make you die laughing."
Tee Gar and Parsafoot glanced a glance.
"I will take your word for it," Parsafoot said, earning a smile in return. "Why not go to the play after breakfast? I heard it is really good."
"I like the sound of that," Stone said. "What is it called?"
"The doctor hasn't told us the official title, yet," Parsafoot said. "The civilians and cadets are calling it The Wink of Alverez."
Judy found it difficult to fall asleep.
It was the same nightmare that had appeared in her dreams.
Her dreams often featured beauty, singing, dancing, music, colors, strange creatures that her family came across in their time on Priplanus, and places on Earth. Every time she closed her eyes closed to the brink of darkness there was that same sight of space decorated by small white specs in the darkness. There were occasions where she had nightmares regarding her family being taken. She had nightmares of her parents willingly going off with the Keeper leaving her and Don to take care of her siblings that plagued her for days. Ones that she woke up with trembling echoing throughout her body and sweat traveling down her skin. Many of those nightmares didn't leave Judy screaming after waking up.
This particular and repetitive nightmare started with stillness in the room. Her eyes on the structurally damaged cieling with sparks erupting here and there. Smoke drifting in the air from the pipes above traveling down toward the floor then her attention shifted down toward the floor where a lone figure was resting below a propped up computer. Long pipes embedded in the older man's legs. Her eyes going toward his face and her mind immediately recognizing Smith as electricity sparked from the nearby panels from behind his head. The white machine turned in Smith's direction. There were dark red slow moving but semi-transparent blasts headed in the direction of Star Command. Smith reached his hand out toward the machine. A faint long scar coated by filth was laid on his forehead, his hair disheveled covered in blood, his body visible tired. Different from the normally terrified man shouting and pleading for solutions out of this situation. His hard won battle torn facial features complimented by the week old beard that reeked some of his blood. He wore a resigned expression on his face in acceptance to his fate. To Judy, everything seemed to be going in emphasized slow motion in the nightmare.
The memory of the room trembling beneath her feet lingered leaving Judy feel she was on a ship that was unsteady and prepared to make another crash landing.
The loud protesting groans of the Command Control coming from all around.
Red flashes swallowing the room whole. Thin, silver breaks appearing in the glass from behind the white machine.
The red hue glowing in the room made the air feel uncertain surrounding the individuals. It felt like she were there standing behind Smith.
The small machine grappled on Smith's hand. His well aged fingers wrapping around the claw ever so tightly.
She can see the starship ahead that was firing on the planetoid that was dark and intimidating in ways that couldn't be exactly described in its design. It was massive compared to the floating asteroid. The dragonship had a gigantic antenna on the top. At first glance, it was decorated by massive cities that were sculpted to a uncertain degree that didn't look anything like the ones set on Earth with a focused large ball underneath but in the front there was a gun like body connecting to it. What few lights there were installed into the starship made the massive structure stand out in a menacing way with the shadows resting on the untamed sections. She can feel the air being unnerved around her laced with terror. The calm in the room was terrifying in way that felt it were the calm before the storm. Cracks spread throughout the window of the academy. There was a long moment where the firing stopped all together. Then in the next moment, she can see the small distant red lights headed toward the planetoid. She turned in the direction of the two to observe a aged, happy smile on Smith's face and the darker red hue illuminating briefly off the machine's visor. There was nothing to exchange between them.
Smith closed his eyes, calmly. There was a final blast that weakened the window. The breaks expanded leaving behind a dreading high pitch noise traveling from one crack to another until a small hole was exposed then another and another until the glass were sucked out into a million pieces. A really large laser blast struck the interior of the bridge leaving behind a explosion that destroyed most of the room. The machine's head was sent flying off from the sheer destructive strength. Smith and the advanced Robot sucked out of the space academy as everything began to blow up. Smith wrapped his arm around the robot's back with the pipes still dug into his legs and the floor panel that had been beneath his legs was sucked right out with him. There were more blasts being sent out toward the planetoid and one of the blasts seemed headed toward the two flying away from the disaster exploding from behind.
"Judy," a hand shook her by the shoulder.
Judy braced forward with a gasp snapping out of her daydream to see Don.
"Don," Judy said, then added with a yawn. "Didn't you go back to bed?"
Don looked toward the window then back toward Judy.
"Judy," Don said. "It is morning."
Judy turned her attention toward the window.
"Oh," Judy said. "It is."
"I thought you went back to bed," Don said. "After listening to the stars."
"Turned out I couldn't," Judy said.
"You fell asleep on here, to the sound of nothing, for the last five hours," Don said, placing a hand on the head rest. "I am really impressed and concerned about you."
Don reached a hand out for Judy.
"Don't be," Judy said, taking his hand as she got up to her feet. "I was just trying to find the meaning in the nightmare."
"That nightmare," Don said. "That nightmare doesn't have a meaning."
"What if the academy is going up there?" Judy asked. "They are not exactly truthful." The elevator came to a stop from behind Don. "And I doubt that he would stay on there long enough for that to happen."
"Will you feel better if you saw him for yourself?" Don asked, concerned.
"Yes," Judy said. "I would. And out of that costume."
"If that will ease your concerns," Don said, patting on her shoulder. "It will ease mine as well."