Location: Thorn Valley

Sol: 258

It was late spring on Nimh-Beta. Thorn Valley had once again become a jungle of thick vegetation, the bounties of nature abound. The little colony of Hab-One was prospering nicely, their first crops beginning to grow on schedule. Now the colonists could start thinking about making use of the other resources their Valley had to offer. There was still so much to do.

The colonists were outside, hard at work, building a catamaran Josh had designed, with which they could use to explore the lakes and rivers of Thorn Valley, as well as to fish. Josh had discovered freshwater sardine living in the lake, which, like everything else on Nimh-Beta, grew to enormous size, almost like cod, making them very tempting for a fish-and-chips dinner. For propulsion, they'd use oars, until Josh could reinvent the internal combustion engine. Over by the lakeshore, pillars made from sawn-down trees for a dock were being planted in the water, for the construction of a proper marina for the catamaran.

Another project in the works, proposed by Bernard Mousekewitz, was the construction of a winery, which had won immediate approval. After all, a colony was never complete without all the luxuries of civilization. Scouring the Valley, they'd found several species of wild grapes and natural-occurring yeast extracted from berries, which could be used to make wine and also beer, using a recipe Mr Ages had copied off the Stone. Josh had made his own contribution to the project by introducing to the Rats the art of distilling, which he had learned as a boy from his uncle. By distilling some of the wine, they could make brandy, creating a wide beverage selection, enough to start their own pub.

With the exception of Mr Ages, who insisted on continuing with his study of the Stone day and night, copying down every line of text or image he could find for the manuscript of a new encyclopaedia he hoped to publish someday, the colonists watched their hard work slowly bear fruit. Their home was starting to look like a small town, growing with every passing day. The only member of this happy community who was not happy was Justin.

Ever since their return from their expedition to the Dry Sea, Justin had become very despondent, constantly thinking about Princess Isabella. With the last piece of the Stone finally found, he felt they should be doing more to rescue Nicodemus' granddaughter and overthrow Jenner, instead of continuing to hide like outlaws. While Josh and the others deeply sympathised with him, they couldn't possibly think of any viable plan to rescue Isabella, much less go to war against Jenner, who remained powerful and in control.

Weary that one of Jenner's patrols might stumble across Thorn Valley by accident and discover them, Josh had set up a network of hidden security cameras and infrared beams that triggered alarms all around the Valley, which could be monitored from the Hab's control room. At least that would give them a timely warning should any unexpected visitors show up here when they were least expecting. Thankfully, so far, they had had no unpleasant surprises.

While the Rats and Josh were working on the catamaran, Bernard and Tanya were working on the winery, and Elizabeth and Emily were cooking lunch, the children were out fishing on the half-finished dock, with the promise of a special fish-and-chips supper if they brought back enough fish, courtesy of Josh.

"This is boring!" complained Martin, who was not having much luck with the homemade fishing-rods Josh had built for them using paperclips for hooks, parachute cord for tackle and pieces of antenna masts for rods, and getting really bored, "Fishing is stupid!"

"You are always bored!" muttered Teresa, who, getting so annoyed with her brother's constant nagging, had a good mind to ditch him headfirst into the lake, "Try being patient for once!" Martin pulled a face at her.

"Hey, I think I got one!" called Fievel excitedly, feeling a tug on the end of his rod. Pulling with all his might, he hoisted up his prize – which turned out to be nothing more than a length of kelp from the lake bottom. His friends burst out laughing.

"Nice catch!" Martin mocked him, smirking at the sight of the slimy kelp, "How very appetizing. Look, everyone! Fievel, the great fisherman brings us a feast in, what? Some slimy, gooey kelp not fit even for a rabbit! What's next? An old boot, perhaps?" He burst out laughing at his own tasteless joke. Teresa shot her brother a cross look for ridiculing their stepbrother.

Fievel, annoyed by Martin's remarks, responded by flinging a length of the kelp at Martin's face. The eldest Brisby son cursed in disgust, spitting out some slime that had found its way into his mouth. He glared at Fievel, who, too late, realised he'd poked a sleeping cat in the eye.

In an instant, the pair was caught in a furious brawl, wrestling each other to the ground and rolling all over the dock. Timmy and Cynthia cheered and applauded the show, while an irate Teresa struggled to separate them.

"Stop it! Stop this foolishness, both of you! Mother will be furious when she hears you've been fighting again, Martin...! Look out! You're getting too close to the edge...!" Too late. With a scream, the boys tumbled off the side of the dock and into the water, accidentally taking Teresa with them. The trio resurfaced, coughing and splattering. Teresa, soaked to the skin, her normally nicely groomed fur a mess, glared daggers at the boys.

"You idiots!" she yelled, "You've ruined my new dress! Just you wait until I tell Mother! And shut up, you two up there, will you!" she added to Timmy and Cynthia, who were rolling with laughter all over the dock. But none of them realised all the racket they were making carried up to the top of the nearby cliffs overlooking the valley, where a patrol of half a dozen Rats, concealed behind the rocks, were surveying the Valley.

Up on the cliff, the leader of the patrol looked down at the children through his telescope, the distant sounds of their voices having caught his attention. Nearby, he could also see the human and the other traitors who'd defected to his side working away. It seemed Thorn Valley was not completely deserted after all.

Captain Baffor, an ambitious soldier Rat, who had worked his way up through the ranks during Jenner's reign, was leading his first patrol. Although military protocol forbade patrols from venturing outside the Empire's borders, as well as Jenner's own scepticism that his enemies would be hiding in such an obvious place, Baffor had managed to get permission from the King to lead a secret reconnaissance mission on the far side of the Dark Mountains, in the vicinity of Thorn Valley, to look for any signs of the fugitives' hideaway. And, it seemed his hunch had been right.

Looking closer, he saw the Hab and the nearby plantation, indicating a fully sustainable colony. It seemed the fugitives had been busy. In a way, Baffor couldn't help being impressed by how well the human and his associates had done for themselves, while Jenner had led the whole Empire to the verge of starvation with his mismanagement. But, reminding himself that these were still wanted criminals, traitors to the King, he quickly turned his attention back to his mission. Now that they had pinpointed the location of the fugitives' lair, they had to get word back to Rosebush City as soon as possible, to send the army in. But Baffor wasn't leaving here empty-handed.

"It's them, all right," he whispered to his men, "His Majesty will be most pleased when we give him our report." The Rats looked very pleased with themselves; apprehending the most wanted criminals of the empire meant not only a generous reward in gold, but also officers' promotions with distinction for them all. But their commander's next words wiped the smile off their faces.

"We're going down there to do a closer reconnaissance on the enemy."

"But, sir, we could be putting ourselves at risk," protested one of the soldier Rats, "Who knows what that savage human might be capable of? If we're caught and killed, this whole mission will be for naught!" Their captain gave him a look of absolute disgust. Cowardice was not something he looked kindly upon.

"All the more reason to find out the full extent of the enemy's strengths beforehand," said Baffor, whose dedication to duty and to his King left no room for sloppiness. He knew Jenner would not be satisfied with a job only half-done. They needed more information on the enemy's stronghold before his superiors could send in an attack force and he would get it, if he had to whip this sorry bunch of cowards all the way down to the Valley. "Now forward march or I'll have the first Rat who dares cower court-martialed for insubordination!"

Noiselessly and with their wits about them, the Rats made their way down the narrow footpath, into the heart of Thorn Valley...

Back at the Hab, Elizabeth had just finished wrapping towels around the soaked Martin and Teresa, while Emily did the same to Fievel. Other than a few mild punch bruises to the face and a drenching, neither boy had been hurt. And in Teresa's case, no harm had come to her other than getting her dress wet. Neither mother was happy after hearing what had happened.

"You know better than to pick fights, Martin! How many times must I tell you?" Elizabeth chastised her son, arms crossed in displeasure, "You know my rules: we don't fight! I will not tolerate such behaviour by my own children!" Nearby, Fievel was receiving a similar dressing-down by his own mother.

"I'm very disappointed in you, young mouse!" she said, narrowing her eyes crossly, "Fighting like some street thug is not something any Mousekewitz stands for! The Brisbies are like brothers and sisters to you and you go pick a fight with your own stepbrother! Where's your shame?" Fievel gulped; his Mama could be very scary when she got angry. Next to her, arms crossed, stood his Papa, whose face showed equal displeasure.

"But, Mama, he was laughing at me...!" he protested, trying to defend his actions.

"He threw slime in my face...!" Martin protested back. But their excuses only fell on deaf ears.

"Enough!" said Josh, who normally wouldn't waste his time with some petty, childish squabble, but now he realised an important lesson needed to be learned here. If he was going to be a responsible fatherly figure to the children, then he had to set a good example.

"While I'm sure neither of you meant for this to happen, your mothers are right. We can't go fighting amongst ourselves."

"But you fight all the time, Josh!" Martin pointed out. Josh sighed.

"I only fight when I have to," he said, "Only when I'm faced with an enemy who threatens me or those I care about. Being a soldier doesn't mean you go around, picking fights for every little thing, just to prove you're the strongest. Most importantly, I don't pick fights with my friends and family. Look around you." He gestured at the other Rats and Mice present.

"We're all we have," he said to Martin and Fievel, "There are many unsavoury characters out there, who mean us harm if they find us. We can only rely on each other for our safety and the one thing we can't do is fight each other. We must always look out for the good of the others and nothing less. As long as we stay united, we stand; divided, we fall. Do you both understand?" The boys nodded solemnly, ashamed by their earlier behaviour. Josh was right; it had been wrong and stupid, not to mention a bad example for Timmy and Cynthia. "Now, I want you to shake hands and apologise to each other."

Martin and Fievel were hesitant, feeling it a great stab to their pride being made to apologize in front of everyone. But, caching their mothers' warning glares that it was either that or punishment, they finally gave in. They shook hands.

"I'm sorry for pocking fun at you, Fievel," said Martin, lowering his head apologetically.

"And I'm sorry for throwing kelp at you, Martin," said Fievel, also lowering his head. They were just about to walk away, when Elizabeth stopped them. She gestured at the soaked Teresa.

"Don't you also have something to say to your sister?"

"We're sorry for getting you all wet, Teresa," they said in unison. Teresa nodded at them, accepting their apology, albeit half-heartedly.

"Well, it looks like our plans for a fish-and-chips supper is a bust," said Josh, now that the incident was closed, "But no matter. Justin and I will get some potatoes from the larder and we can bake them with cheese. Speaking of which, where is he?" he asked, realising Justin hadn't been seen for quite some time.

"He said he was going to inspect the perimeter for security weaknesses," said Teresa, "But that was hours ago..."

Figuring Justin had just wondered off because he was feeling despondent again, Josh picked up a utility walkie-talkie lying on the table. As part of their safety protocol, all the colonists carried walkie-talkies when venturing outside, in case of emergencies.

"Justin, you there? Justin, we're calling it a day... Eh, Justin? Justin, do you read?" There was no answer. Something was wrong. Not a moment too soon, an alarm started blaring.

"That's the perimeter alarm!" cried Josh, "We've got a security breach!"

They hurried to the control room. Warning lights were flashing all over the surveillance console, indicating one of the infrared alarms planted on the southern side of the Valley, close to where the path to the outside world was, had been tripped. There was an intruder about! Looking at the feedback of the security cameras in that area, they saw something that made their blood curdle.

"Oh, damn...!"

Minutes before the alarm had gone off, Justin was out, inspecting the perimeter defences: motion-sensing security cameras and infrared beams that had been planted at every possible entrance route to Thorn Valley. Nothing could get past without setting off the alarms. Although a long and dull job, which he had already done yesterday and the day before, at least, it helped him keep to himself and not have to show his foul disposition around his friends.

The thought of Isabella, still held captive by Jenner, had become a constant torment on his mind and the feeling of hopelessness by not being able to do something to help her was eating away at him to the point of sheer agony. Although he knew Josh was right that there was nothing they could do, he couldn't just forget about Isabella. But what could he possibly do?

Everything appeared tip-top. All cameras were operational and all infrared beams activated. Satisfied, Justin was about to leave to return to the Hab, to join the others for lunch, when suddenly, his soldier's instinct told him he was not alone. Quickly taking cover behind a tree, he spotted half a dozen Rat soldiers in patrol formation emerge from the foliage. All of them were walking with their heads low, in a crouched position, weapons drawn, as if to avoid being spotted. Justin cursed under his breath; they had been discovered!

Looking at the intruders, he could recognise several of them as soldiers from his former garrison, including the leader Baffor, who had been a corporal under his command not so long ago. Although a reasonably decent fellow, Justin knew him to be fiercely loyal to the Crown and not the type to question orders. The patrol was moving straight in the direction of the Hab. He had to warn the others!

He was just about to slip away before he was spotted, when suddenly, at the worst possible moment, the loud voice of Josh was heard over the walkie-talkie tucked in his belt.

"Justin, you there? Justin, we're calling it a day..."

Before Justin could do anything to silence the walkie-talkie before it gave him away, the damage was done. Hearing the sound of a voice, the patrol Rats whirled round and spotted Justin. Too late, Justin realised, he was standing outside the perimeter line. He was completely exposed, with his sword back at the Hab, and with no way to let his friends know he was in trouble! The Rats all trained their weapons in his direction.

"Don't move, traitor!"

"Well, well, well, hallo to you too, Corporal Baffor," said Justin pleasantly, hoping he might get through to them, "Long time, no see. Or should I say Captain?" he asked, noticing the gold captain's engravings on Baffor's armour. Baffor however wasn't in the mood for catching up with a Rat he had once respected as an honourable officer but who now had become his worst enemy after betraying the late King Nicodemus and joining the outlaws.

"At least I don't have to live with the shame of throwing away my honour over a murdering traitor...sir," he said coldly, stressing the sir, as if it were something repulsive, "You and that oaf of an aide of yours helped that human escape after he killed Nicodemus! Traitors!"

"Josh didn't kill anyone! There's a history here you know nothing about, Baffor...!" Justin tried to explain, but Baffor was beyond reasoning. They cornered Justin up against a rock. The time for talking was over.

"Justin, in the name of King Jenner, I'm arresting you for high treason, heresy and murder!" said Baffor, "Will you come along quietly, or do you need some persuasion?"

"Well, that's too bad, Baffor," said Justin coolly, "I don't want to have to do this, but you are the one fighting on the wrong side. Josh, shoot them!" he called over the Rats' shoulders, who whirled round, expecting an ambush, taking their attention off Justin for a split second. The bluff worked; like lightning, Justin parted his opponents' blades aside with a stick and made a mad dash back towards the perimeter line, with the Rats in hot pursuit.

"After him, you fools!" yelled Baffor, "Don't let him escape!"

Justin almost made it; he was less than five feet away from the edge of the perimeter line, when one of the Rats, who was faster than he was, latched onto his back and pinned him to the ground – but not before Justin managed to place his outstretched hand straight into the path of the inferred beam.

Alarms began blaring wildly everywhere around the Valley, warning that the safety perimeter had been breached. Baffor realised his little reconnaissance mission was over and he and his men had better cut and run before reinforcements arrived. But not without their prisoner, who might have valuable information on the inside of the enemy's stronghold.

"Take him alive!" he ordered his soldiers, "We need him for questioning. Hurry up!" Despite Justin continuing to put up a valiant struggle, Baffor's soldiers were too many and pretty soon they had him pinned down and securely bound. The Rats hoisted him to his feet. But their delay in capturing him had cost them precious minutes, enough for reinforcements to arrive.

"Hold it right there or I'll shoot!"

Josh and Brutus, the former clutching Fitzgibbons' gun and the latter his battle-axe, had appeared out of nowhere, their weapons trained on the intruders. Too late to pull out. But Baffor and his men weren't going down without a fight.

"You two, get the prisoner out of here!" Baffor ordered the two strapping Rats holding Justin. This final order, he knew, was most likely a death sentence for him and the rest of his squad, but the mission came first. Whatever happened, they had to get word of the fugitives' whereabouts back to the King at all costs. "We'll cover you!"

Without another word, the Rats fell upon the two fugitives, fighting for their lives, or else intent on keeping them busy long enough for their comrades to escape. But they were fighting a losing battle. Before they knew what was happening, bursts of red-hot plasma from Josh's gun sent them dropping one-by-one, in unrecognisable piles of charred, steaming flesh.

One Rat came at Josh, his swinging cutlass landing a cut on the man's cheek; before the doomed soldier could even realise his fatal mistake in missing his target, his body from the waist up exploded in a mess of blood, shattered bone and singed pieces of flesh, courtesy of Josh's electric bullet finding him square in the chest.

With one swift backward swing of his battle-axe, Brutus landed one good blow on Baffor's temple, knocking him out like a light. Another Rat came at him with a sword, but was no match for the mountain of muscle that was the battle-hardened Brutus. Easily dodging the blow, his swung his battle-axe at his opponent. Unlike Baffor, this Rat wasn't so lucky; the razor-sharp blade found him square on the side of the neck, chopping his head clear off. But, by the time the last of the hostiles were neutralised, the remaining Rats had escaped, taking Justin with them.

Josh and Brutus raced up the footpath that led out of the Valley, just in time to see the Rats, atop their rabbit-drawn chariots, riding away at full speed. They watched helplessly as they rode over a hilltop and disappeared into the distance along with their prisoner. Justin was gone. They were too late.

"Damn!" yelled Josh in exasperation. They had botched it up, and botched it up real bad. "Goddamn it, Justin! And after I warned him not to venture outside the perimeter line!"

There was no other way to put it. They hadn't just lost one of their own to the enemy; their safe location was now compromised. Very soon, all of Rosebush City would know their most wanted fugitive and his followers were hiding in Thorn Valley. They wouldn't even have to torture the information out of Justin. Jenner would send in every soldier he had and that would be the end of their colony. The only thing they could do now was gather up as many supplies and equipment as they could carry and get the hell out before the Rats returned with an army, or else stand their ground and probably die fighting. And with Elizabeth, Emily and the children caught in the middle of it, it was out of the question.

"We have to get the others together and evacuate now!" he told Brutus, "Those guys will be back soon with a whole army to wipe us out...!"

"I'm not abandoning my own commanding officer!" yelled Brutus. Josh had never seen him look so desperate before.

"You can't go after them!" he said sharply to the burly Rat, "They'll be expecting that! We don't even have any intel on the inside…"

"Oh, yes, we do," said Brutus, suddenly remembering they still had one survivor from the intruders' squad who might be able to give them some useful information, "I know just who can be made to talk. Let's go!"

A few minutes later, they were back at the Hab. Josh and Brutus had dragged the dazed Captain Baffor back with them and tied him to a chair in the Hab's kitchen, where they could interrogate him. Sensing that things could turn ugly and knowing Brutus' brusque attitude towards enemy prisoners, Josh had asked Elizabeth, Emily and the children to wait outside, leaving just himself, Brutus and Bernard, who insisted on staying, to question their prisoner. Baffor glared defiantly back at them.

"I'm telling you nothing, you traitors!"

"Then are you prepared to die – after you've experienced a lot of pain?" asked Brutus coldly, drawing his dagger – the same one he'd used to mutilate Warren T's hand months earlier. He held the blade over a candle, turning it red-hot, "Maybe the loss of an eye will loosen your tongue..." But Josh held up a hand to stop him. Their guest may be on the enemy's side, but unlike Warren T, he was no thug, merely following orders. He spoke to Baffor.

"You're fighting on the wrong side – Captain Baffor, is it?" he told their prisoner, "Jenner is the real traitor who sits on the throne illegally. He's the one who murdered Nicodemus and set me up in order to cover his tracks. Didn't one of you idiots even stop to think he was the one, rather than me, who had the obvious motive to kill his uncle?"

"Not to mention, he had his criminal associates target me and my family, to steal our cultural heritage!" said Bernard, "Warren T Rat had me and my wife buried alive and my son kidnapped by bandits and sold into slavery to silence us!"

"It's not my place to question my King!" snapped Baffor, clearly insulted, "If you think I'll let myself be brainwashed by some renegade human's ranting, you've got another thing coming! You're insolent fools, all of you! If you think you're going to get away with taking a Rat Captain hostage, then think again. Every word you say drives another nail in your coffin..."

"It's you who's just about to drive the final nail in his coffin!" growled Brutus, losing patience. It was clear they would have to do this the hard way. Grabbing Baffor by the head, he poised the dagger over his throat, "You're going to help us get my Captain back or I'll skin you from the neck up!" Although noticeably scared, Baffor didn't flinch; this was war and he wasn't about to betray his comrades or his king by giving information to the enemy, even if it meant death.

"I'm prepared to die with my honour intact!" he announced defiantly, "The Great Owl will receive me for fighting in His good name and that of my King to the finish, and my comrades will avenge me when they return with an army to destroy you! His judgement will be upon you all! Do your worst!"

Before Brutus could proceed however, Josh, influenced by Baffor's own words, stopped him. It was clear they could never hope to get through to Baffor, save of torturing and ultimately killing him, a prospect neither Josh or Bernard particularly relished, but maybe someone else could. OWL!

"If you think the Great Owl will receive you, then why not ask him yourself?" he asked Baffor, "It just so happens, he resides in my own backyard..."

They marched Baffor out of the Hab at gunpoint, towards the Temple of the Great Owl, formerly the wreck of Josh's ship, which the colonists still used for generating power, among other uses. Baffor stared in awe at the legendary ancient temple of his people's deity, a sacred place declared forbidden by their Church. What kind of game was that human trying to pull by bringing him here? He hesitated at the gaping hole in the hull of the ship, which the colonists used as an entrance.

"It is sacrilege to disturb this sacred ground," he protested, "You'll all face eternal damnation if you disturb the Great Owl...!"

"Shut up and march!" growled Brutus impatiently, "We haven't got all day!"

They led Baffor into the wreck and up onto the Observation Deck that housed OWL's hologram. Most of the earth and dust had been cleared out over the past few months, revealing much more of the domed compartment's false-screen walls. As they entered, the walls lit up automatically, projecting the hologram in the centre of the room, like a ghost materialising out of thin air.

"Good afternoon, Acting Commander Anderson. How may I be of assistance?"

At the sight of his people's legendary god materialising right before his eyes, Baffor uttered a gasp and fell to his knees, bowing low in the presence of the Great Owl. For the first time in his life as a soldier who valued courage above all else, Baffor knew fear; fear that he had committed sacrilege by trespassing onto this sacred ground, arising the Great Owl from His slumber in the process, and for which he soul would be cursed for all of eternity.

"Please forgive my intrusion, Great Owl," he begged the godly figure before him, "I was forced into desecrating your domain by these enemies who dare defile Your sacred name! Please, spare me...!" OWL, of course, who could make no logical interpretation of Baffor's ranting in his electronic brain, other than that this newcomer was mistaking him for something non-existent and needed to be corrected.

"I am no god," he said in an emotionless voice, launching into a long introductory speech, "I am OWL-114, designed by NIMH Corporations and modelled after CEO Dr Thomas Valentine's pet bird, activated in 2068. I possess the most sophisticated visual, audio and oral stimuli capabilities that allow me to interact freely with humans. I am currently serving under the command of Acting Commander Josh Anderson of the Nimh-One interstellar mission to the Alpha Centauri star system; my duties include monitoring all of the ship's systems, advice and assist the crew, both official and acting members, in their duties, and ensuring the ultimate success of the mission..."

Baffor was struck dumb by what he was hearing. What was all this madness? The all-powerful Great Owl, the sacred protector of his people, a servant to the human Anderson? Could this be a trick? Unable to find the words to speak, he continued to listen to OWL, who told him the whole story; the crash of the Nimh-One, the deaths of her crew, the genetically-enhanced rodents that had been planted into the ship's bio-payload gaining human intelligence and rising to take control of the planet. It was a long while before Baffor finally found his voice again.

"It can't be," he muttered in self-denial, still trying to process everything he had just heard. If all of this was true, then his people's entire beginnings were just a lie. "This is impossible... no way..."

"Only it is," said Josh as a matter-of-fact, "Look around you, Baffor. These decaying ruins were once a great ship built by the hand of man that came from another world from far across the universe, where humans, rather than Rats, rule. Only we went too far with our thirst for science and knowledge; we accidentally created you, gave you intelligence, even gave you this planet for you to build your own world. Nicodemus had worked out the truth, as had Jonathan Brisby; and that's why they were both killed." At the mention of Nicodemus, Baffor looked at Josh.

"They said you did it," he challenged, "There was evidence, witnesses..."

"As I said, a cowardly frame job orchestrated by that murdering traitor Jenner, who didn't want the secret coming out or Nicodemus' Plan commencing, to suit his own agenda."

"Plan? What plan?"

Although technically still bound by his oath of secrecy, Josh figured Baffor deserved the right to know, so he explained what Nicodemus had lived and died for, "Realising that your rapidly growing population would ultimately lead you to famine and ultimately extinction, Nicodemus sought to finish my crew's original mission, to make this planet habitable – not just breathable air, but also ways to create more habitable land to sustain an entire population indefinitely. For that, he needed another artefact my crew had brought up here with them: the Stone of all Knowledge."

"So that is what Jenner has been so desperate to find?" asked Baffor, the pieces of the puzzle finally falling into place, "But what exactly is that Stone thing anyway? Why is it worth killing over?"

"Knowledge," said Josh solemnly, "The sum of all human knowledge engraved on one single stone. And power. The power to rule with total control, should it fall into Jenner's hands. Luckily, thanks to Nicodemus, that grim prospect has been avoided. The Stone – all three pieces of it – is fully reassembled and safely in our hands, waiting for a new population to make good use of it."

Baffor didn't know what to say. Part of him wanted it all to be a bunch of lies, a ploy cooked up by the human and his associates to convince him to switch sides, but another part of him couldn't deny the cold facts: the people of Rosebush City were starving, while Jenner and his closest ministers got the best of everything. Persecution of innocents and especially of Mice was at its peak, worse than it had ever been in the history of the Empire. And yet, nothing was being done. Jenner repeatedly claimed that they were in danger of this human standing before him, yet Baffor could now see no dangerous beast in Josh Anderson. Just like Nicodemus had maintained, he was just another person trying to do the right thing, while Jenner was using them, literally enslaving them under his tyranny with his lies. Finally, he looked at Josh.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Help us get inside the City," said Josh, "It's not just about saving Justin anymore; we have to overthrow Jenner and his evil rule, if we are to fulfil Nicodemus' dream. Are you with us, Baffor?"

"What if I refuse?" challenged Baffor, thinking of his slain comrades which Josh had shot, albeit in self-defence, still lying in pieces out in the Valley, and the prospect of a similar massacre being unleashed if he smuggled the human into the City. Jenner's guards, his comrades, he knew, would fight to the death to defend their King. How many lives was Anderson willing to sacrifice as collateral damage, just to overthrow one Rat? Baffor couldn't let himself be part of this!

"Then, that will make you an open accessory to the traitor Jenner and therefore subject to execution," said Brutus menacingly, "You cooperate and maybe I'll forget the fact that it was your goons that took my Captain. And you better make up your mind while there's still time," he added, "Because if Justin dies, so will you!"

"This is insane," protested Baffor, "You have no chance of overthrowing Jenner! He's too powerful! Nobody on the inside will dare resist him!"

"Then we have to find a way to open their eyes to reason," said Josh, cool as a cucumber, "Show them evidence of Jenner's treachery that will end his rule for good."

"Actually, Captain Anderson, King Jenner's rule will not endure much longer," interrupted OWL, whom they'd forgotten all about, "Rosebush City will not endure much longer." Although, like all AI modules, the hologram displayed no emotion, Josh didn't like the sound of it one bit.

"What do you mean, OWL?"

"Rosebush City is doomed," OWL continued, "The unnamed volcano in the region is on the verge of eruption. Estimated projections place Rosebush City and all the surrounding valleys right within its range of destruction."

"That's impossible," said Josh. A volcano going up in the vicinity of Rosebush City was the last thing they needed now, "I wired that whole mountain with seismometers and sensors months ago. It was as dead as a doornail..."

"Negative, Captain Anderson," insisted OWL, "The volcano has finally awakened from its dormancy. Sensors indicate escalating seismic activity, elevated levels of carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide and rapidly rising magma temperature. Crunching data now. Estimated time to eruption is 2 days, 11 hours and 36 minutes, based on a margin of error no greater than 2,7%."

"There were a few minor quakes when my garrison left," piped up Baffor, "Some Council Rats had suggested evacuating the civilians to the hills as a precaution, but Jenner flatly refused to suspend the curfew. He said there was no cause for alarm..."

Hurrying up to the NIMH-One's bridge, on the satellite imaging screen, Josh saw that the seismometers he and Tanya had set up on the mountain, after being silent for months, were now live with activity. Quakes were beginning to swarm, gas levels were rising and a cloud of smoke rising from the crater testified to an imminent and potentially catastrophic eruption, with Rosebush City situated smack right at the foot of the mountain! This wasn't good.

Calamity piling upon calamity, thought Josh grimly. If Jenner didn't kill Justin, the volcano would certainly finish the job when it went up sometime in the next two days. That was exactly how much time they had to save their friend and God-knows how many other oblivious Rat civilians trapped in the City. It was all up to Baffor now, who, realising his people were in serious danger, finally gave in.

"Very well, I will help you," he said, "Actually, I think I know another way into the City..."

Author's note: Chapter 41 is up! Coming up next, a daring rescue. Enjoy and please review!