Chapter Two: Sneak Peek continued!

I am very happy to announce that signed copies of Guardians of the Crystal Skulls can now be purchased at: http://3lpublishing.flyingcart.com

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to experience life at the microscopic level? To have control of all forms of matter at the sub-atomic level? This is what it would mean to wear an Anti-Grav Suit that the Guardians use in my book, and also why they have to protect this technology from their enemies. The massive control and power they wield is devastating in the wrong hands, and a huge responsibility in the right hands.

So the battle lines are being drawn: Anti-Grav Suits for 13 grieving women and a Weapons Master against a fleet of Mobile Attack Robots that are 30 feet tall backed up by the much larger Mobile Attack Robot Carriers operated by trained soldiers from the Warrior Guild. Please enjoy the following, as I share with you how the Guardians felt the first time they bonded with the Anti-Grav Suits.

~D.B. Stearns

Chapter Two 

   ANA’KA SAT BESIDE the stone marker that stood at Ukit Took’s grave. Three days had passed since they had entered the altar room deep inside the Pyraportal. Thirteen men had sacrificed their lives so that the home world could activate the Pyraportal one last time and send them help. But a few memories and some foot lockers greatly disappointed the surviving members of the Mayan Grand Council. These women had lost their life mates in the exchange, and for what? 

   Ana’ka was now drawn back to the memories of that day. She had not opened the footlocker the man had given her. Now her curiosity was up. She set down the flowers she held in her hand at the stone marker. I love you, mi amor, she thought as tears began to flow freely again. Off to the side, she heard a sob and noticed her best friend, MeNana Took. She was Ukit’s sister, and she mourned for her life mate, Senai Batan. MeNana was taller than Ana’ka, but no giant herself at only five feet two inches. A dark haired beauty, MeNana had the slightly elongate head like Ana’ka as was common with Balsarius descendants. Her large, almond-shaped brown eyes complimented her dark hair and dark skin. MeNana was built very differently from Ana’ka, with an athletic build, where Ana’ka was femininely curvy. MeNana loved to run, and her runner’s physique made for a lean beauty. 

   Ana’ka walked over to her best friend and embraced her. They cried together for a moment as they clung to each other. 

   “There, now. We can’t cry all the time, can we?” Ana’ka asked.

   “I can if I want to!” MeNana said defiantly.

   Ana’ka looked at MeNana and blinked her eyes. Then they shared a brief laugh.

   “Something good has to come from this,” Ana’ka remarked. “Have you opened your foot locker?”

   “You mean that box the Weapons Master gave us? No, have you?” 

   “Not yet,” Ana’ka replied. “They’re just sitting there in the Science Guild’s caves. Maybe three days is long enough? I’ve looked and every morning still the same thing: Ukit is gone.” 

   “I know,” replied MeNana. “But sometimes I can almost hear Senai. It’s like he’s close by and calling out to me.” 

   “Can you remember what happened?” asked Ana’ka. 

   “Not really, now that you mention it,” MeNana answered. “I remember a bright light hit my head, then it all gets fuzzy after that. What do you remember?” “That’s about it,” Ana’ka replied. “But aren’t we supposed to seek someone out?”

   “Yes ... but the name escapes me.”

   Then a voice from behind them spoke up, “Shihan Kahn?”

   MeNana and Ana’ka looked around to find a teary-eyed Shea `Ashandra behind them. Shea was one of her childhood friends. Her light complexion and soft brown hair stood out in contrast to Ana’ka. Her bubbly personality helped her through many tough times, but her normally big, beautiful blue eyes were now red from crying over the loss of her life mate Umberto San. Tears streaked her lightly freckled cheeks and ran down her large dimples. 

   “Come here, Shea,” Ana’ka said as she held out her arms for her friend. “I think you’re right. We need to seek out Shihan Kahn, but first I think we have to open the lockers. Shall we do it together?” 

   “That’s fine with me,” said Shea. “I’m going stir-crazy sitting in my room alone. Can we leave now?” 

   The three young women left the grave site and walked back to the village. The commoners watched as the women dressed all in black passed through to the caves where the Science Guild had stored the black footlockers. When they arrived they noticed that the remainder of the Mayan Grand Council had arrived as well. All the women were dressed in black. Ana’ka looked around the room and took stock of who was there. She saw Marta Skyhawk and Alejandra Balche providing comfort to a crying Gabrielle Cabich over to the right. In the center of the room, Alana Akholay hugged Josephine Itza, who sobbed uncontrollably. Isabella Kuxim and Adrianna Noh were listening to Miriam Mucuy, who was obviously furious about something. She was ever the rebellious one. Alessandra Pech and Fabienne Pitz came up and hugged Ana’ka, Shea, and MeNana. 

   “My Queen, it’s good to see you,” Alessandra said to Ana’ka. 

   “Please, Alessandra, we grew up together. There’s nobody here but us, so don’t be so damn formal.” 

   “Actually, we’re not alone,” replied Fabienne as she pointed over to Elder Danshe and Elder Shihan Kahn who stood in the middle of the room. 

   “Shihan, what are you doing here?” Ana’ka asked as she walked over to him. 

   “Waiting on you,” Shihan answered, then addressed everyone in the room in a loud voice. “I know that you’ve all been through much, so we have let you mourn. Now that you have all come here of your own free will, it’s time to open the lockers that Weapons Master Tsu gave you at the Pyraportal.”

   Ana’ka noticed that all the black footlockers lay in a row on the floor with labels for each of the women. She walked over to the one with her name on it. She scolded herself for her nervousness as she knelt beside the locker. In the center of the lid was a strange round symbol of dark flames that spun off the outside in a counter-clockwise motion, while the inside of the circle had very light-colored flames that spun clockwise toward a golden twisted triangle in the center as if drawn to it. In the center of the triangle was a small black Crystal Skull.

   To either side of the symbol were two hand prints. Ana’ka instinctively placed her palms on the hand prints. The skull at the center of the symbol turned white and glowed as the entire locker changed in color from black to white. Ana’ka felt the lid push against her hands, and as she leaned back the lid lifted. Inside she saw a large, strange glass container full of a dark multicolored gel. The container’s lid and base were clearly electronic with many lights that flashed and a holographic interface built into the lid that flashed red and read “Gravity Sensitive Materials”. The dark colors of the gel inside the container swirled and moved as though alive. Ana’ka could only look at it for a few seconds before she started to feel sick to her stomach. A pouch full of data crystals was found in the bottom of the footlocker with the label “Science Guild”. Next to the pouch was a dark, multi-colored suit that resembled black opal. Ana’ka suddenly recalled a memory of Weapons Master Tsu who had referred to the dark bodysuit he wore under his white robe as an Anti-Grav Suit. Ana’ka picked up the suit and held it before her as she stood up. This is too big for me, she thought. Then she looked down in the bottom of the locker and noticed a second suit with a label on it that read “Shihan Kahn”. 

   “Shihan, I think this is for you,” Ana’ka said as she handed him the second suit. “I don’t see how this one will fit me.” 

   Shihan smiled, “They self-adjust to fit you. All of you must clear your mind and let the Anti-Grav Suit bond to you. Relax and accept this tremendous gift. The Light has chosen all of you to save humanity, and these are the tools you’ll use. Now clear your mind as if you’re making yourself ready for battle.” 

   Ana’ka glanced over at MeNana and Shea and nodded as they all began to pull the suits on over their clothes. 

   Shihan shook his head, “The Anti-Grav Suits must create a neurological bond with you; so you need to remove all clothing. The male Science Guild members will now collect their gifts from your boxes and will leave for modesty purposes.” 

   Miriam gasped, indignant at the suggestion that she had to remove her clothes. But then she softened as she looked over at Ana’ka and saw that she had already removed her long black robe even as the Science Guild members began to collect the containers and data crystals. Miriam sighed and reluctantly followed the example of her queen. 

   Ana’ka felt like a child in the large suit as she pulled it on. It had a warmness to it, as if it had been in the sun all day. The suit had built-in areas for her feet and hands that left her fingers exposed. She could feel bumps all along the back and feet. To get her hands and feet into the proper places, she had to bunch the suit around her ankles and wrists. 

   She sighed and closed her eyes. So many thoughts ran through her mind. Recent events clouded her thoughts. She visualized a bonfire in the darkness of her mind. She slowly placed each thought into the fire and forgot them as they burned into nothing. As each thought burned in the fire, the darkness began to fade as she floated in the peaceful white void. This gave a warrior clarity to let the body react as it was trained. 

   Then she felt the suit tighten up around her arms and legs and continue upward until it touched every part of her body. She became acutely aware now of all the bumps that now pressed against her spinal cord, feet and hands. Then all at once Ana’ka felt tiny needle pricks enter her skin on every one of those bumps simultaneously. 

   The white void wavered for a second, then the calmness returned. She was aware of great spasms in her legs and arms. A searing pain flashed for just a moment in her mind, and then it was gone. Now the only thing left was an awareness like she had never known before. It overwhelmed her as the sound rushed in all at once. The volume overwhelmed her as she heard what could only be described as music. 

   As the sense of her surroundings came into focus, Ana’ka now realized that this was the music of reality. She had never realized it surrounded her, but it was always there. Everything resonated and had its own pitch. At first, the sound was deafening, but then she began to control the volume, and it soon became a dull noise in the background. She felt a sense of balance and oneness that surrounded her in this simple cave. 

   She looked around and everywhere she turned the music changed to reflect what she saw. Then she realized she could sense so much more than she could see with her eyes. She closed her eyes as the world around her opened up. She sensed the water in the lake off to the side, and the caverns that extended all around her. She sensed the minerals, dirt and rocks, trees and every living thing that surrounded her. There were so many more living things around her than she had ever realized. There were snails, snakes, and bugs everywhere. Then she marveled as she focused even deeper on smaller things. She found microbial bacteria that lived in the warm dark earth that surrounded the caves. She focused ever deeper to the cells and molecules and basic building blocks of each item. Strange words filled her mind as she identified subatomic particles of protons, neutrons, electrons quarks, leptons, and bosons. 

   Ana’ka pulled back from the microscopic world and marveled as she zoomed back out and opened her eyes. Then she noticed that even the things she saw with her eyes had changed. Everything looked so crystal clear now. She could see details that she never dreamed were possible before: the grains of each speck of dirt, the crystal cuts of every grain of sand, and the wild colors of the rock formations in the cavern. There was a kind of “rightness” to things when they were in balance with the natural order of the universe. She could feel the simplicity and complexity of the universe all rolled up together, and she knew that all living things were connected in some way. She felt powerful and insignificant all at the same time. It all confused her. 

   Ana’ka looked up at her friends and saw the awe on their faces as each was bonded to their suits. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as the beauty of the music filled her with hope. She looked over and saw Shihan Kahn had also bonded with his Anti-Grav Suit. He had a peaceful look on his otherwise expressionless face, as he knelt quietly on the floor with his palms up as they rested on his knees. Shihan opened his eyes and saw Ana’ka. They stared solemnly at each other for a long moment, then Shihan nodded and rose as the ladies began to talk to each other in amazement at what they had just experienced. 

   “It’s time to begin our training,” Shihan said in a loud voice. “We have much to learn and very little time.” 

*   *   *

   The Science Guild members dressed in white lab coats walked in line back to the section of caves to their secret lab where they were able to safely link with the Space Station. They carried the gravity containers and data crystals from the footlockers from the home world. There were 91 numbered data crystals, and 13 containers of the strange gel. 

   The scientists all gazed and mumbled excitedly about the contents of the gravity containers as they placed them on a table in the center of the lab. A very excited Pressler Anias looked on with the other scientists until an older and very bald scientist with one gold band on the cuffs of his sleeves spoke up. 

   “I’m sure the data crystals have our explanation. Are they numbered?” 

   Pressler was quick to speak up. “I have the number one crystal,” he said as he lifted the red finger-length crystal up and made his way to workstations at the back of the lab. 

   Along the lab’s back wall were many workstations for the scientists. Pressler sat at one of desks and placed the red finger-length data crystal into the interface. Then he picked up a pitch pipe connected to the desk and blew a few notes through the pipe until his console came to life. A complete holographic projection of an older gentleman in a white lab coat with three gold bands on the cuffs of his sleeves stood in front of the scientists. 

   “Greetings, fellow guild members. I am Piers Mason, Elder of the Science Guild on Balsarius. By now you have the gravity-stasis containers in front of you. Inside those containers are the building blocks for the Anti-Grav Suits. It’s a naturally occurring bacteria on a desert moon in the Banthaba system. It requires low gravity to survive in its natural state. We believe that you can recreate the same conditions on your space station and have provided you with our studies on the substance on data crystals two through four. Data crystals five and six contain the plans to create your own Anti-Grav Suits that safely hold the bacteria and provide the interface to recharge the suit. The bacteria convert water into tritium, which powers the suit. With your unlimited access to water, one suit could last for centuries. 

   “As with all Anti-Gravity technology, you must take precautions with who has access. The suits are not as powerful as the Anti-Grav Units were, but they have greater capabilities to go deeper and farther because of the direct interface with the wearer. In the wrong hands a person would be nearly invincible, as your mind is the only real limitation. 

   “The remaining data crystals contain all the advances that we have made to date and include a new neuro interface, advanced holographic capabilities for virtual worlds, drone control technology, advanced artificial intelligence tech, and an energy conversion technology that uses enemy weapon fire to strengthen shield energy. 

   “We hope that what we’ve provided will be enough to help you until reinforcements arrive, but those ships are still several hundred years out. The good news is that the G`Alad reinforcements are also several hundred years away. May the Light shine through you and keep you safe until we can arrive. Pray that we arrive there first.” 

   Pressler looked around at the other scientists in the room and sighed.
“It’ll have to be enough,” Pressler commented.
The bald scientist replied, “We’ll make it enough. Time to get to work, gentlemen!” 

*   *   *

   The 10 red and gold MARs warriors crouched in the natural depressions of the land and waited in ambush for the blue and white MARs units of the G`Alad. They were vastly outnumbered, but the Balsarius had to provide a chance for the main portion of the fleet to escape the G`Alad. Commander Abdul-Wahid bin Abu Hafs was not happy with the way that things had worked out. First, he was furious that the Science Guild had circumvented him and woken Elder Kahn from stasis. You would think that the Elder of the Warrior Guild would better understand that the fog of war ebbed and flowed. There was nothing that required the Weapons Master to be brought out of stasis. 

   But now that he was out of stasis, he quickly took control back over and had demoted Hafs from general to commander. Damn Pressler Anias! His anger burned inside him again as he thought about the young, dumpy-looking scientist. I’ll make sure he pays dearly for this. But for now I’ll take it out on the G`Alad. He was a good-looking middle-aged man with dark skin, dark brown eyes and a well-trimmed beard. He had a large mole high up on his left cheek that stood out as an unmistakable feature. 

   Hafs snapped his head to the display of the remote camera as the proximity alarm sounded. Hafs had the MARs in a crouched position with the pulse cannons pointed in the direction of the G`Alad that pursued them. The newly updated virtual reality pod in the Balsarius MARs units gave them several advantages over the G`Alad. The faster-than-thought reaction times of their warriors helped to even the odds, but it only went so far. The Science Guild then updated the interface so that they could deploy tiny drone cameras that were no larger than an insect. That gave them much better ability to lock weapons from an ambush. Hafs took advantage of his drone camera to soft-lock on three of the G`Alad MARs. He looked at the holographic displays that surrounded him. He could clearly see his squad of 10 all crouched down as 40 G`Alad MARs warriors approached. Several hundred ground troops marched with the MARs warriors. Hafs signaled to his squad. 

   “Okay, time to see if these new updates from the Science Guild will make a difference. Lock down your visors, then lock-pulse cannons on as many targets as you can,” Hafs commanded. “Fire and retreat to rendezvous point Omega 4. On my mark.” 

   Hafs waited patiently until the enemy was nearly right on top of them. Then he set off the electro-magnetic-pulse beacons. The G`Alad MARs units all froze in place as their shields dropped. 

   “Now!” 

   Ten Balsarius MARs warriors jumped out of hiding with the dark visors pulled down firmly. Hafs fired his pulse cannon on the first three enemy targets. With their shields down, they were quickly destroyed. The G`Alad forces were fast to respond, as many other MARs warriors rushed forward to attack. Pulse cannons and lasers cut through the air at the Balsarius forces. With their shields in place, all the energy-based weapons were absorbed by the new Science Guild shields. The G`Alad shields were not as advanced, though. The Balsarius forces fired back with a barrage of rockets. It took three rockets to penetrate the shields, and when they fell the Balsarius cut them to pieces with the blue-colored lights fired from the pulse cannons. The shoulder-mounted red lasers cut across the battlefield to the exposed enemy units and cut them to pieces. Hafs noted several platoons of enemy MARs warriors followed by one of the larger MARCs. The green-and-gold-colored Mobile Attack Robot Carrier was fully 100 feet tall and was used to deploy MARs warriors and troops for an invasion force. They were massive and among the first things that the G`Alad had made sure that they had full control of at the beginning of the war. The Balsarius had still not been able to replace any of the MARCs they had lost. 

   “Shit! Everyone hold your ground; I’ve got a little something for that MARC. Blast shields!” Hafs yelled through the com. “Just a little closer, assholes. Now!” Hafs let out a primal scream as the blinding white light flashed. The sonic mine exploded in total silence. A split second later, wave after wave of low-frequency waves pounded against the MARC and the MARs warriors. The sound disrupted their shields, then buffeted the units’ outer armor. The MARs warriors had much more trouble than the larger MARC. In the confusion of the sonic mine, the Balsarius struck once again with a hail of blue pulse cannons and red laser fire. Within minutes the G`Alad had lost over 30 of their MARs warriors, and the MARC had been severely damaged. Hafs looked at the battlefield through the virtual-reality link and shook his head as 60 more MARs and two more MARCs headed their way. 

   “Fire three more shots and retreat!” Hafs commanded. His forces responded with a hail of pulse cannons. The blue electronic pulses slammed into the sturdy legs of the G`Alad MARs units and knocked several of them to the ground before they retreated. The Balsarius fired the rocket boosters that were attached to the sturdy wings that unfolded from the jet pack on the back of the MARs units. They quickly flew to the rendezvous point and waited for their commander. Seconds later Hafs gathered his squad together at the base of the ridge. There at the cave’s entrance he gave his next orders as he flicked his fingers in the holographic projection and the map was sent to the squad members. An underground path was highlighted that led back toward the enemy forces. 

   “Take this route back,” Hafs briefed. He pointed to a place on the map where the tunnel split into multiple tunnels that ended in different destinations. “Stay in contact when we get here, then we split up and come up from behind them. The main forces are already on their way. Launch your transponders to the East and let’s hope they take the bait. Move out!” 

   They launched their transponders and turned to the mouth of the tunnel. The escape tunnels were not tall enough for them to walk through, so each of them grabbed one of the rugged dollies that they pre-staged for their escape. They lay on their backs and used their feet to scoot themselves on the dollies. They moved quickly and silently through the tunnels, undetected. 

   Hafs waited until all his squad was safely on their way before he got on his dolly and made his way through the tunnel. He watched the remote drone camera and smiled as the G`Alad continued past the mouth of the escape tunnel, but his elation was short lived. 

   “Team Chief, this is Scorpion One. We reached the junction,” signaled Ensign Waters. “What’s it look like topside?” 

   Hafs hesitated for a second before he answered. 

   “It could be better, but it’s not. Wait for me at the junction. Be there in five microns. Team Chief out.” 

   A few moments later, Hafs met up with the other nine MARs warriors in the large cave. 

   “What’s up, Chief?” Ensign Waters asked. 

   Hafs stood up from the dolly and flicked his fingers through the holographic screens until he was able to share the remote drone feed with the rest of the squad. “We disabled the MARC,” Hafs commented. “But he’s right in the middle of our escape route.”

   “I still have the tactical nuke,” offered Ensign Waters as he highlighted the tunnel exit closest to the MARC. “Since we launched our transponders we’ll be more difficult to detect. Let me come up behind them here and launch the nuke. The rest of you can double up and escape through these farthest tunnels.”

   “How are you going to escape then?” Hafs asked.

   “I just plan to stick my head up long enough to launch the nuke, then I’ll 

duck back down the tunnel and make my way back through this tunnel to the south, and we’ll meet back up at the base.” 

   Hafs looked at the rest of the squad and asked, “Anyone got a better idea?” 

   Ensign Kotter spoke up next, “Nope. If we don’t do something quick we’ll get overrun by another platoon of G`Alad. I agree with Waters, but let’s pull lots to see who stays back.” 

   “Fine,” said Hafs. “I’ll set up the pull, and everyone pick a number between one and a hundred. Closest to the number stays behind.” Hafs pulled up and shared the holographic number generator. He activated it, and the numbers started to roll over too fast to read. 

   “Okay, lock in your numbers,” Hafs said as he locked in the number 75 and waited. A few seconds later the squad had all locked in their numbers, and the numbers began to slow down and rested on the number 72. 

   “Guess that means me,” Hafs said as everybody’s numbers lit up and the number 75 flashed. 

   After a couple of small modifications, the nuke was transferred from Ensign Waters to Hafs. “Chief, that’s not how I envisioned this working out.” 

   “I know, but it’s the only fair way,” Hafs said with a smile. “Two months ago I was a general. Now I get to do some fun stuff! Contact me when you get topside so I can transfer control of the drone to you. Just don’t forget to share the feed with me. When the nuke goes off, retreat to home base. I’ll get there as soon as I can. Don’t wait for me. That’s an order.” 

   “Aye, sir. It’s been a pleasure,” Waters said as he saluted his commander, turned, and picked up his dolly. “Move out!” 

   One by one they saluted Hafs and disappeared into the outside tunnels. Hafs followed the center tunnel up and waited in the darkness of the cave just out of sight of any patrols that might be close. He looked at the holographic display that showed the battlefield from the drone’s bird’s-eye view. He watched the rest of his squad as they reached their destinations. 

   “Team Chief, this is Scorpion,” Waters called back to Hafs. “We’re in place.” 

   “Scorpion, take control of the drone. Share the feedback with me for a long as you can.” 

   “Aye Sir. May the Light shine upon you.” 

   “I’m going to need more than that, Scorpion. Team Chief out,” Hafs said. Hafs watched the battlefield map and waited until it looked like the enemy forces had begun to focus all their attention to the east in the direction of their transponders. 

   Hafs shook his head and said, “I don’t think it’s going to get any better than this.” He flexed his legs and ignited the rocket boosters in his feet. He shot out of the tunnel and up into the air in a split second. Hafs locked on the base of MARC and launched the nuke. After it launched, he spun around and landed on the ground with a thud. Panels on his arms opened up as machine guns locked into place. 

   He shot and killed the surprised ground troops that surrounded him, before they could transmit a warning. Hafs knelt down quickly and dropped his blast shield as the white flash indicated the nuke had exploded. A second later the shockwave hit his MARs unit. Hafs waited for the implosion shockwave to rush back from the other direction before he grabbed his dolly and ducked back into the tunnel. Just as he entered the tunnel he thought he saw a shadow move out of the corner of his eye. Then everything went black. 

You can find D.B. at the following social media platforms: www.facebook.com/DBStearns.HarmonicWars google.com/+HarmonicwarsBlogspot https://twitter.com/DBSHarmonicWars 

Chapter Three

Chapter Three 

   SHIHAN SAT SILENTLY behind the desk in his sparsely decorated of office. He listened intently as Ensign Waters stood in front and reported how they had lost contact with Commander Hafs in their escape. Shihan regretted not being able to make amends with Hafs, but it had been his incompetence that had caused his demotion. Shihan held out hope that Hafs would turn up later, but the odds were not in his favor. 

   "Ensign Waters, you’ve done well leading your squad back to safety,” Shihan said as he stood up behind his desk. “I need someone to command this squad. Do you want the job?” 

   "Yes, sir!” Waters said as he snapped a salute. 

   Shihan returned the salute, then spoke out, “Computer, note the field promotion of Ensign Waters effective immediately to the rank of commander and place him in charge of Delta Team 28, authorization Shihan Kahn, 14 Omega,” Shihan said. 

   "Noted, Elder Kahn,” the female computer voice responded after a series of chimes sounded. 

   "Commander Waters, you and your squad should take the next 48 hours off. Get some rest; I’ll need you back very soon for a final assault.” 

  Waters looked troubled. “Excuse me, Elder, but shouldn’t we send a search party out to rescue Commander Hafs?” 

  Shihan looked sadly at the new commander and shook his head. Shihan flicked his fingers over his desk and pulled up the holographic map of the area. It was covered with several dozen MARCs, hundreds of MARs, and thousands of ground troops. 

   "As you can see, the area is lost,” Shihan replied. “We have a new weapon that’ll change the tide of this invasion. That’s all I can say, commander. Go get some rest, that’s an order. Dismissed.” 

   “Aye, sir,” Waters replied as he saluted and left the of office still with the troubled look on his face. 

  Shihan sighed deeply. He hoped that the Guardians would be strong enough for the mission. He had pushed them hard over the last month and was surprised that they were so strong. They had bonded to the Crystal Skulls in a way that nobody had expected. In many ways, they were closer to their husbands now than at any time in the past. While they had surrendered their life force into the Crystal Skulls to power the Pyraportal one final time, they could still communicate with them through the skull itself. The emotional and mental bond was more meaningful in many ways. They still miss each other, but at least they are together on some level, Shihan thought. 

   They had found many new talents because of the Crystal Skulls that would come in handy during the battles to come. However, Shihan was leery of the Anti-Grav Suits. The Guardians had become nearly invincible in the Anti-Grav Suits, and it was dangerous for most humans to become so powerful. Power corrupts, so they’ll need to be watched carefully, Shihan thought to himself as he sighed again. 

    Shihan looked up as the door chimed. “Enter.” 

   Elder Salvatore entered with a chubby man with curly dark hair. “May the Light shine through you, Elder Kahn,” Salvatore greeted Shihan. “May I present to you one of our most promising young scientists, Pressler Anias.”

   Pressler was a well-groomed man, and he had a smile that lit up his whole face. His blue eyes twinkled behind the wire-framed glasses on his chubby face. He’d refused to take the eye treatments that would have fixed his bad vision and instead opted for the old fashioned wire-framed glasses like many of the commoners had done back on the colony. Shihan extended his hand to Pressler. 

   "May the Light shine through you both. Well met, Pressler. What may I do for you?” Shihan asked. 

   "Go ahead, Pressler,” Elder Salvatore said with a kind gesture. 

   "Uh, okay. I guess,” Pressler started nervously. “I’ve developed an organic-based nanotechnology that I recommend be tested. It should help our soldiers heal faster and make them much stronger. Our tests indicate that it could prolong life beyond our current limitations. Would you like to see our test results?” Pressler said as he produced a hexagonal-shaped storage crystal. 

   "Sure.” Shihan nodded as he took the crystal and placed it into the slot on his desk. The holographic projection showed a young man dressed in dark blue shorts and no shirt. He was a fine athlete with lean muscles that rippled under his taut skin. He picked up a knife and sliced his left arm. Within seconds the blood stopped and a pink scar formed where the cut had been. 

    "Impressive, is it not?” Pressler said with a smile as Shihan leaned forward in obvious interest. “The next demo is a little more gruesome.” 

   Shihan watched as the man placed his hand down on a table and used the knife to cut his small finger off. He pulled the two pieces of the finger apart to prove that it was not an illusion, then, before the blood stopped, he placed the two pieces back together and held them tight as a med-tech injected a thick-blue substance into the finger. After a couple of minutes, he flexed his hands; the finger had rejoined itself. 

  "In this demo it did take a full day for the bones to fully reconnect, but it did return to normal,” Pressler said with a proud look on his face. “I’ve also created a spray foam for emergency use on those not taking the supplements.” 

   "Impressive,” Shihan replied. “How long does it take for this to be effective on your subject?” 

   "Preliminary tests indicate that the supplements are 100-percent effective in as little as 10-12 hours,” Pressler said with a smile. “The topical sprays and injections are effective immediately.” 

   "No side effects?” 

   "Pain levels are greatly reduced, but no adverse effects that we have been able to identify at this time.” 

   "Good,” Shihan replied. “I want this deployed to all the troops immediately.” 

   "Whoa, wait a second,” Pressler said as he shook his head. The jowls in his chubby face shook like a bowl of jelly. “We don’t have that much produced at this time. We’re hoping for a couple of subjects as a test-case basis only. And we need a couple of months to set up the test parameters ...” 

   "I’ve got a better idea,” Shihan said. “You have 24 hours to produce enough for 14 test subjects. We need it for a battle in 72 hours or we may lose the entire northern hemisphere. We’re seriously up against the wall, so it’s time to make this happen now.” 

   "Well, I don’t know,” Pressler said nervously. “This is not how we normally work ...” 

   Elder Salvatore winked at Shihan and placed his hand on Pressler’s shoulder, “When the need is great sometimes we must make sacrifices. Consider this a field test and let’s move forward with all speed.” 

   "But there is so much that could go wrong ...” Pressler objected. 

   "Pressler, we trust that the Light will guide us all through this. Your timing is perfect and solves a great many problems that would very likely have ended catastrophically for us,” Shihan replied. “I trust you. We trust you, so show some faith in us.” 

   "This is almost like talking to Elder Danshe,” Pressler commented. “Very well, Elder Kahn. I’ll do my best.” 

   Shihan smiled and said, “Please, call me Shihan. I have a feeling we’re going to be working together for a long time. I also want you to be added to the 14 test cases. It wouldn’t do to have one of our most promising scientists experience any accidents. G`Alad spies are everywhere and can cause many problems.” 

   Elder Salvatore smiled and said, “Well, you have a lot of work to do Pressler. Maybe we should be going?” 

   "Oh, yes,” Pressler answered with a nervous laugh as he blushed.

   "Good day and May the Light Shine through you.” Shihan responded as he placed his hands in the shape of a triangle.

   Pressler responded with a strange look, “Oh, uh, you too.” 

  Commander Apollon flew over the location of the last battle. For the last 12 hours, he had reviewed the video archives of the battle as he searched for answers to how they had lost so many MARs warriors. 

   “Set us down there,” Apollon said to the pilot as he pointed at the disabled MARC. Within seconds, the war shuttle landed on the soft ground. The war shuttle was over 40-meters long and shaped like a triangle. It was charcoal gray and had gun ports all around. Pulse cannons protruded from the bottom along either side of the single-rail gun that ran the length of the shuttle. The nuclear power plant at its center also generated a dense force field that repelled all energy weapons and was effective for a short time against conventional projectile weapons. It used a magnetic drive to create a gravitational eld around it. It was highly maneuverable as the gravitational field prevented the crew from feeling any “G-forces” during flight. This field also helped to block projectile weapons. 

   Apollon exited the war shuttle and was greeted by Field Commander Kosh who commanded the disabled MARC. 

  "Sir, Field Commander Kosh reports,” Kosh said as he hastily snapped a salute. His charcoal-gray uniform was tattered and charred. His red face was smudged with dirt, and he smelled of smoke. His shaved head had bandages wrapped around it. 

   Apollon took stock of the man. He clearly should have been recovering at the hospital, but he had stayed to supervise repairs and try to recover some honor after being defeated by a handful of MARs units. 

  "Field Commander Kosh,” Apollon answered and returned the salute with a kind smile. “Let’s nd someplace to sit and discuss this battle. After all, I can’t very well have one of my Field Commanders faint in front of the troops.” 

   "Thank you, sir. We have a Mobile Command Center set up this way,” Kosh gestured to a small gray building behind him. When they entered the building the door guard jumped up to attention. 

   "Room, 10-Hut!” cried the young woman in her charcoal-gray uniform. 

   "As you were!” shouted Commander Apollon. “I’ll be here all day, so go about your business. Field Commander Kosh, can you show me to the briefing room?” 

   "This way, Commander,” Kosh pointed to the far door at the end of the room. Eyes nervously followed Kosh and Apollon to the briefing room. The tension in the air was very high. Apollon was glad to see that they were cautious and not arrogant. They entered the windowless brie ng room and closed the door behind them. 

  "Kosh, what happened?” Apollon asked. “You had the main force on the run, 

then you were wiped out by a small task force?”

   "Commander, they changed tactics. But it’s much more than that.” Kosh answered as he took a moment to wipe his face with a wet towel, he pulled from a pouch in his uniform. “They were much faster than we were. Their reaction times have changed, dramatically. We could not react fast enough. I believe these 10 MARs were seriously upgraded. Nobody can react that fast. Also, their shields were much more effective.” 

   "I reviewed the ‘vids’, so I could see that. It also looked more like guerrilla warfare tactics. That means they’re getting desperate,” Apollon replied. 

   "Yeah, it was hit-and-run all the way around,” Kosh answered. “By the time we found the tunnels they had set off the tactical nuke and escaped. We tracked one back into the tunnel but lost him. The tunnel collapsed into a deep underground chasm when we fired on him.” 

   "Are you sure he didn’t escape?” 

   "Absolutely, sir. He was hit clean and fell uncontrolled as the ground gave way. We lost two MARs units in the process. Their transponders show they fell for over two clicks before impact. We found no life signs for our MARs warriors, so I doubt he survived. We sent another in to verify, and we’re still waiting for their report.” 

   "Very well, Field Commander,” Apollon said with a satisfied nod. “Your honesty has saved your life, at least for now. Admiral Ares was not impressed, but we may yet be able to sway his opinion.” 

   Kosh’s face became pale. “The admiral is here?” 

   "He’s in Hyperborea as we speak. He wants to oversee the final battles as we destroy the Balsarius once and for all,” Apollon said. “Now, if there is something significant that you can add we may all be better prepared for the end to this war.” 

   "Let me send more units to the search party,” Kosh suggested.

   "I think that’s wise. Make it happen now; I can wait to finish this.”

   Kosh pushed the com button and a female voice answered.

   "Ensign Klas, how can I help you, sir?” a young lady answered.

   "Ensign Klas, I want four more MARs warriors down into the chasm immediately. I want those units found now. And have them map the inside of the chasm.” 

   "Aye, sir.” 

   "Kosh out,” he said as he pushed the com button again. “The chasm opens up after a 50-meter drop, but I don’t think it’s safe to put any more in there until we get a better picture of the inside of the chasm. 

  Hafs felt pain everywhere. He was frustrated that it would end like this. I would love to have made Pressler and Elder Kahn sorry for how they treated me, Hafs thought as he coughed blood up. The metallic taste filled his mouth. 

   “Computer ... report damage and ... life stats,” Hafs gasped as he began to see dark spots ash before his eyes. 

   The computer flashed briefly, then replied with a great deal of static in its audio response. 

  "Power failing. Radiation levels dangerous. Hydraulics and communications inoperable. The transponder was jettisoned, which will severely hamper any rescue attempt. Medical assistant program inoperable, but health monitor systems still operable. The operator’s life signs are failing. Internal bleeding in multiple organs and punctured lung. Twelve vertebrae ruptured, severe nerve damage at L5, compound fracture of left femur, elevated heart rate due to loss of blood. Life expectancy at current rate of internal bleeding: less than five minutes.” 

   Hafs saw more dark spots form in the corner of his eyes. Shadows moved around him. My mind must be playing tricks on me. I have to think my way out of this, because I can’t count on anybody else but me. I have to live ... long enough ... revenge ... ” 

   A dark shadow stepped out from the shadows. Legion looked at the nearly lifeless body inside the robotic form that lay at the bottom of the chasm. The broken man coughed blood as his life quickly slipped away. Legion waited patiently to see what he was going to do in his last breaths and was happy to see him cling to his hate rather than cling to the Light. Legion could hear the heart slow down until the last beats became sporadic. Then Legion struck. 

  At the moment of death, people could be manipulated very easily if they turned to hate instead of the Light. Legion came forward and confronted the man just as his life force left his body. 

  "What drives thee? What doth thou have to live for?” Legion spoke up as the life force floated in the dark. 

  "What? Who’s there?” Hafs asked. 

   "We are someone who canst help thou get the revenge thou dost desire,” Legion answered as they looked deep inside the man’s mind and pulled a hated vision of Pressler Anias. There was another, but Legion could not pull the fuzzy vision forward much less see who it was. Highly blessed by the Light, this one must be. Find out more, we must. 

   Hafs saw Pressler suddenly beside him here in the darkness beside this shadow that talked to him. 

   "This is the one. He has betrayed us all,” Pressler said as he pointed to Hafs. 

   "Something’s not right ...” Hafs said. “I don’t remember him saying that." 

   "Is this one not the cause of thine undoing?” Legion asked. “Help makest thou great again, we can. Trust us, you must.”

   "Yes, he reported me to ... someone. Why can’t I remember?” Hafs asked. “Matters not. Trust us, and change the world, we shall,” Legion said as they offered a shadowy hand to Hafs.

   Hafs reached his hand forward and plunged into darkness. He felt as if something was ripped from him as he became a shell of what he was. He could feel himself in two places. He was here at the bottom of the cave, but he could also feel himself in a deep dark cage. He knew he was a prisoner, but he was also free. The pain subsided as he looked at the broken body that floated up from the MARs unit. The body began to mend and heal. Broken bones that were protruding from his leg and torso pushed themselves back in and the skin quickly grew back. The massive bruises on the torso dissipated and the blood stopped owing from the mouth and nose. Hafs felt himself drawn back to his body. There was a blinding white ash followed by a dark stain that gripped his heart. Then there was nothing but blackness. 

    Kosh hurried to the private office that Commander Apollon now occupied. Hope this helps, Kosh thought nervously. He knew of several Field Commanders who had not survived the admiral’s wrath. And right now, Kosh needed something that he could use to salvage this failure. The loss of a MARs warrior was bad enough, but in total they had lost 32 and were still trying to fix the MARC that had been disabled by only 10 enemy MARs units. They were mostly scientists and farmers, but the G`Alad was predominantly made up of the Warrior Guild of the Human Colonies. They were bred to be Warriors. To be defeated by farmers and scientists was a shameful way to be remembered. Kosh stopped at the office door and placed his hand on identification pad. It read his palm print and signaled to Commander Apollon that Kosh was at the door. 

   "Enter,” Apollon replied as the chimes on the door sounded and the computer verified that Field Commander Kosh had arrived. 

   Kosh entered and snapped a salute to his superior officer. “Commander, we found the lost MARs warriors and one Balsarius MARs unit. There were no survivors, and we couldn’t find the Balsarius soldier. There was a lot of blood, but no bodies. We’re still searching, but we can’t find an exit down there anywhere. We identified nine other MARs units that escaped from connecting tunnels when the nuke went off. We mapped and cleared all those tunnels and found nothing.” 

   Apollon squinted at Kosh. “He couldn’t have just disappeared. Find him and we’ll nd others waiting to ambush us again.” 

   "We continue to search as we speak. We also identified big changes in the Balsarius wreckage. We’ll have our scientists analyze the wreckage, but it appears they improved the neuro interface. It looks like the MARs operator was encased in a stasis pod that fully integrated the operator with the MARs. Looks like they have a faster-than-thought capability in virtual reality.” 

   Apollon’s eyes perked up. “That’s significant. While you might survive, could you react fast enough to make any meaningful defense or attack?” 

   "Respectfully, no sir. That was in my initial report,” Kosh replied. “But their tactics were also greatly changed. It’s as though they have a real warrior making decisions now. Their attack was textbook-perfect.” 

   Apollon sighed, “Very well. Send the wreckage to Hyperborea for the scientists to study. Maybe they can reverse-engineer it and upgrade our units as well. We can’t afford to lose at this rate. You’ll join me as we report these findings to the admiral.” 

   "As you command,” Kosh said. “Should we finish our search first?” 

   "Our dear Admiral is not a very patient man,” Apollon said as he shook his head. “I don’t expect we’ll find anything else, anyway. Be ready to go within the hour.” 

   Shihan walked to the training center that the Guardians had created using the Anti-Grav Suits deep within the planetoid that had been turned into the space station they called Ark 1. It had been created to relocate millions of people from other human colonies. Now it served to protect the last human colony of Balsarius descent. Shihan walked into the training room and felt wave after wave of emotions hit him hard. Fear and despair were followed by hopelessness.     

  "Ladies, can you please dial it back for a minute?"

   Ana’ka looked surprised to see Shihan. “Oh, Shihan. Sorry about that, but we weren’t expecting you till later.” 

   "That’s okay. It’s just overwhelming when you all project at the same time."

   "That was just me,” MeNana replied with a blush.

  "Getting stronger, I see,” Shihan replied. “That’s good. Any other changes since you bonded with the Crystal Skulls?”

   Shea nodded excitedly. “I can manipulate some memories.”

  "I can push others to do what I want them to do,” Ana’ka added. “But I don’t like to do it. We can all talk to each other telepathically, but that’s about all we’ve noticed so far.” 

   "I’m late,” blurted out Josephine Itza, who promptly blushed at her outburst. 

   Shihan squinted at Josephine. She was the tallest of the Guardians and the most athletic. She had a beauty mark above her lips on the right side. The top layer of her long, curly, dark hair was sun-bleached a light brown. The large dimples in her round cheeks matched her cleft chin. 

  "What do you mean?” asked Shihan.

   "I mean I think I’m pregnant,” replied Josephine shyly.

   "Oh, don’t say that,” said Alana Akholay. She was short, barely taller than Ana’ka. She had an exotic look, with her brown, almond-shaped eyes and waist-long brown hair that owed behind her in the wind. She was even curvier than Ana’ka. If her figure didn’t make most women jealous, then her creamy, clear complexion would. “I thought that I just skipped mine because of all the work and stress. That could be it, right?” 

   All of them began to talk excitedly, as they had all experienced the same thing. Shihan sighed and shook his head and thought, I feel like I’m in a damn henhouse! After a couple of brief minutes, he tried to restore order. 

    "Okay, ladies, if you please? We’ll get the med-techs to check you out, but for now, get back to business. Pregnant or not, let’s focus. We need you to project emotions while you fight through the forms using the Anti-Grav Suits. Come here,” Shihan said as he walked over to the holo-desk and pulled up a map of the northern continent and the G`Alad settlement of Hyperborea. 

   "They’ve built up the forces on their southern border and overrun the temples at Bashar in Centrallia and the Mountain Fortress at Appalachia. They’ve attacked as far west as Plainston Fort. We were again forced to evacuate with heavy losses. They’re amassing for a final assault to take over the northern continent. We must draw the line here along the west coast or they’ll control the northern continent,” Shihan said to Guardians. 

   Ana’ka shrugged, “We’re only 13 women against MARs Warriors. We’re not even warriors. What can 13 pregnant women do against an army like this?” she asked as she pointed to the troops and artillery massing for the attack. 

   Shihan smiled, “You’re stronger than you know. This is what I want you to do ...”

New Video Commercials for Harmonic Wars!

Merry Christmas! Please enjoy this short video explaining the different dimensions in my SciFi series Harmonic Wars. For the record, humans live in the "Isle of Man" which is one of the "Contested Dimensions" where the battle is the strongest for control of the souls by the spiritual beings.

Harmonic Wars Dimensions Explained!

As always, Harmonic Wars is available on Amazon, Kindle, Nook and iBooks, but is $5 off the regular price only at 3LPublishing, and for a limited time you can get signed copies of the first edition while they last! (signed copies are available only at 3L Publishing)

Career Day at Dolph Briscoe Middle School

I had the honor to attend Career Day at Dolph Briscoe Middle school to talk about being a SciFi Author. It was great talking to the young adults about writing and publishing, and also about Harmonic Wars, in general, terms. We discussed being creative, the editing process, Traditional vs Independent Publishing and the perks of being an independent author. They all got really excited about the fact that I had to go to Comic Cons, and of course, I had plenty of pictures to share with them. We only had 25 minutes with each group, but I had them all very engaged with my opening remark: "How would you like to get paid to daydream?" Sounds cool, but then I showed them that it was not only about daydreaming, but that it was hard work that required a great deal of self-discipline. As an author, it is SO easy to get sidetracked, or to put things off. I am very lucky to have a wife who is understanding and supportive of the writing process. It is a job, and in order to be successful, you can't do it occasionally. You have to work the business every day. 

In this picture, you can see all the professionals who attended career day with me. I'm in the top row, right side in my maroon shirt. I have also recently been at several book clubs at public libraries here in the San Antonio area and have been able to talk to them about Harmonic Wars. My favorite part of being an author is the creative part of writing. But, I also really love the interaction with my growing number of fans, and am very appreciative of each and every one of you!

The other day, I was at a local restaurant and overheard some die hard SciFi fans talking about books they were reading in my genre. I simply turned around and handed them my business card and said, "If you really like SciFi you might be interested in my book." They became rather excited and it ended in 2 sales. I thought that was cool, but then sometimes I tend to be a goof anyway.  :-) Always good to connect with new potential fans.

We identified a problem with Amazon and had to open a trouble ticket to change the status from "Not Available" when we clearly proved they had the book in stock and were filling out orders. Then Amazon promptly sold out again the very next day. That's a good problem to have!  Be patient, books are on the way to Amazon as we speak.

Just in time for Christmas! I have a limited number of signed copies of the first edition that you can order only at www.3Lpublishing.com and those books are $5 off the regular price. Next print will be the second edition which will have some formatting changes and a slight change to the cover art. So if you have a diehard-SciFi fan, this would be the perfect Christmas gift. Hurry and get your signed copy today! 

Harmonic Wars: Guardians of the Crystal Skulls is also available on Kindle, Nook, and iBooks for those who prefer the e-books.