To detect the presence of the enemy, the guards turned on the ship's infrared location system. It didn't only show the presence of all the crew, but also which were transmuted. This was how they finally discovered Nicholas' presence.
"Terran, just you wait," said Colonel Fizard, recognizing the young man on the system. "The enemy is on the bridge of the command room. Go and get him, right now," he commanded his soldiers.
But before they got there, Nicholas had already teleported into the engine room, installing another grenade. Fizard was about to notify the search party when an officer informed him:
"Commander, the Earthman has messed with one of our systems. He turned off the ship's defense shields."
"That damn boy! Locate him, immediately. Pull all the shields back."
At that time, the first grenades began to explode, destabilizing the battlecruiser Star Dragon. Beside this, Nicholas' robot was destroying everything, firing its cannons to all the sides. Taking advantage of the distraction, Crom and Merko's team invaded the ship.
The chief officer who accompanied the commander, as soon as he saw the door opening, put his hand on his weapon, but Crom teleported, positioning himself behind him, surrendering him with the laser weapon.
The chief officer didn't react and Fizard, upon seeing the action, tried to approach Crom, but then realized that Tibor had a gun on his back. He rolled on his heels and reversed his position over the rival, punching him in the stomach. Tibor held the pain and placed both hands on the Colonel's chest, pushing him against the ship's wall, producing sparks at the impact. Half-stunned, Fizard reached to the holster to pull the pistol, when he was struck by a sharp blow to his nape. He fell to the ground, stunned.
Tibor placed his index and middle fingers on Fizard's neck. He saw that his heartbeat was normal. He checked his breathing and realized it was fine. In a few moments the Colonel started to rise, feeling stunned and helpless. He looked down at his wrists, already cuffed. Nicholas's friends wanted Fizard prisoner, so they could go ahead with the plan. Nicholas had said:
"Take the leader out of the scene and the others will fall together."
Merko materialized in the ship with the soldiers and subdued the other crew members. Then he entered the command room with his men:
"Be still and do not react or you'll be disintegrated," Merko said before Fizard began to argue. "Listen quietly to what I'm going to say: cooperate with us, because otherwise it'll be worse for you. Mirov doesn't deserve so much loyalty from the men I trained to serve the true King," Merko continued quietly, pointing a pistol at Fizard.
The colonel swallowed dry and stared at the exoskeleton the commander was using, saying:
"Commander Merko, you don't understand how far King Mirov's madness goes... He'll kill my entire family if I fail this mission. To get us to obey him, he threatened everyone with his robots. He imprisoned Counselor Kenan and Princess Isadora, preventing anyone from approaching. No one on planet Life is safe. Understand me: if I fail and return, I'll be a dead man, just like all the people I love. Please, Captain Merko, don't take me back. I prefer to die here, with dignity, without putting others' lives at risk."
Before Merko said anything, Nicholas entered the room, coming out of his disguise. Running, he approached his father and the defeated leader of the mission.
"We have to get everyone out of here, right now. I programmed the bombs so that in a few minutes, the whole ship would blow up. Fizard, give the order for all the crew to leave. We'll talk on the other ship," said Nicholas, with the robot positioned behind him. The iridium monster was his new bodyguard.
In a matter of seconds, everyone pressed their teleportation clocks and, following Drako's coordinates, arrived in Science spaceship in time to see the battlecruiser Star Dragon explode, the fire spreading across the skies, the debris covering everything with a cloud of smoke, thanks to the courage and intelligence of Nicholas.
Captain Zidrone was frightened on the command bridge of the ship Interceptor. Paralyzed, he watched from the hatch the great destruction of the sister ship. He had completely lost contact with Colonel Fizard while fighting the ships Star Hunter and Science. Soon after, he received a report that there was an intruder on their ship and then no one else responded to his calls.
He didn't know what to do, and for a few minutes he wondered if he should abort the mission or carry it on. But what the enemy didn't know was that Commander of the Interceptor also had a card up his sleeve: three combat ships were waiting, hidden, for his orders.
On Science's bridge, Merko continued his conversation with Colonel Fizard, who was looking at the space where his ship once was:
"Obviously your mission has to do with my arrest. I watched how the assassin robots headed for Star Hunter ship as soon as they identified it, because I was on the ship, and when I left, I was directly chased. But I want to find out every detail about this plan. But first, so that nobody else suffers and that this surrender takes place without major setbacks, I want you to do exactly what I'm going to say. First, command the other ship to stop the attack. My central computer's warning me that there are three more ships awaiting your orders to attack us."
And he continued to say
"I want you to ask them to stand in the Jupiter's orbit and wait for you there. Enough fights on this planet. We'll imprison Mirov," he said determinedly, "and if you obey my orders, your family will be safe and, perhaps, I may obtain a pardon from Queen Isadora for your crimes. Join us in the rebellion that will drive out the usurping tyrant from the throne and protect the right of the true heiress. Let's restore peace on planet Life!"
Commander Fizard was nervous, thinking of his wife and children. He knew that any impulsive attitude could bring an end to all those he loved. Merko read his mind and soothed him, trying to convince him that he wanted to avoid the use of force at all costs. Certainly, Captain Merko inspired more confidence than the evil Mirov. He knew about his integrity, and everything he said was true.
"I'll do what you asked for. But I can't see a way to save my family. King Mirov threatened everyone with death if I failed. And if I show up there defeated, he won't wait for my explanation before fulfilling what he said."
"Do your part and trust me. You know I've never failed my missions. Choose the right side to fight. I trained you and the military of our planet to serve with courage and honor. By stepping back from our guidelines, Fizard, you had to live for many years hidden as a fugitive, away from your family. Hear me this time and do what's right. I promise that I will help you and I'll do everything I can for you to be forgiven for the mistakes of the past and the present. I never break my promises."
"Commander Merko, I think it's wisest to join you in saving the queen and restoring her to her rightful throne. Mirov promised that he'd give me command of all the military forces on planet Life and I know I made a mistake by accepting his offer. Then he threatened my family so that I submitted more surely to his orders. I don't want to serve him anymore. If you give me this opportunity, I'll serve Queen Isadora while I'm alive."
"Words of wisdom, Fizard," Merko said.
Merko placed his hand on his wound and groaned in pain. All the agitation of the last minutes made him tired and weak. However, he was strong and had to remain in charge of the battle. But he still didn't have a plan to invade planet Life and attack Mirov. They needed to have a good idea that wouldn't reap many lives. He would talk to his friends, in search for a solution.
Colonel Fizard summoned his forces back. He ordered them all to surrender and warned that Merko now commanded the new mission, which aim was a rebellion against the current government of the planet Life, in order to depose the tyrant Mirov. In a way, Zidrone and the other soldiers from the mission were pleased, for no one liked King Mirov. In addition, Merko was a hero and there was no one better to lead them against the forces of the Machiavellian king of planet Life.
Inside Science, everyone hugged and celebrated the colonel's decision that was the most sensible and wouldn't cause major damage to planet Earth. Zara, Drako, and Nicholas smiled happily and saluted Commander Merko's power of persuasion.
After the battle, a large sweep would have to be made on the surface of the region so that there were no traces of alien presence on Earth. To speed up the process of cleaning up the wreckage, the ships launched several matter devouring insect-robots that in a few hours did the job.
Nicholas ordered his robot to check the work:
"Fly to the location of the Star Dragon and the cruiser ships's explosion. Clean the entire area. Don't leave any trace of the combat we fought."
The robot immediately exited the ship's hangar and, with its powerful radar, scanned the entire surface. Upon seeing the debris from the explosion of the great battlecruiser Star Dragon, it opened a compartment in its iridium chest. It then released metallic artifacts that rolled over the surface of the planet, and turned into small spheres, which opened, revealing small silver snakes, created to absorb nano particles of metals and other residues resulting from the confrontation. Along with the insect-robots, the area was completely swept. After verifying the effectiveness of the process, the nano robots returned to their spherical shape and again penetrated the front chest of the iridium machine. The insect-robots returned to their ships.
Commander Sivoc and Captain Merko congratulated the excellent work of Nicholas and Drako. They honored them in a ceremony held inside the ship's bridge. The captain ordered everyone to report to the Star Hunter's command room for the big event.
"I'd like to congratulate Nicholas for his courage and wit as he helped us win this battle. Congratulations, Terran; you are now promoted to "honoris causa" captain of the rebel forces of planet Life" said Merko, who also placed a brave medal on Nicholas' suit, on the chest, on the right side.
Sivoc insisted on honoring his friend and systems officer, Drako:
"More than an officer, Drako is also a friend and, even though he doesn't belong to the forces of the planet Life anymore, he was ready to help us to overcome this difficult battle, which war is just beginning. Congratulations on your wisdom and ingenuity."
Drako also presented himself to receive his honors and Sivoc hugged him, after giving him the medal.
Zara came close to Nicholas and hugged him, then tenderly kissed him on the lips. Telepathically, she told him, in secret:
"You know how much I love you and how proud I am of you!"
"Everything you feel for me is reciprocal. I did it thinking about saving you and our dear daughter."
She smiled at him, after hearing his words. Immediately afterwards, Nicholas and Zara went back to their rooms to relax a little. They and Merko were the only crew members of the ship with Earthly human forms. Everyone else kept their extraterrestrial forms.
The commanders of the ships, who were now rebels, stood near Jupiter as ordered by Fizard, waiting to receive the new instructions. Zidrone also gave the order for his ship to go to the meeting place:
"Attention, chief officer! Prepare the Interceptor to depart and be on its way."
"Yes, sir. All is ready."
"Order the engineers to check the reactor systems, because the journey will be long."
"Understood, loud and clear, Mr. Commander."
Captain Zidrone passed the following message to the central computer:
"Logbook, eight, seven, three, five. The ships on the command of Colonel Fizard prepared to return to the planet Life. Mission: to restore Queen Isadora to her rightful throne. Waiting for the orders."
All the ships were waiting for the trip to planet Life. Soon, they would enter the opening of the wormhole near the Callisto moon, which would allow passage to the Andromeda galaxy. However, the greatest battle was yet to come; it was time to organize a rebellion against Mirov's forces and nothing seemed to be easy.
The ships Star Hunter and Science lined up with the other four ships and all headed for the space-time bridge for the trip to their planet.
Zara stared through the hatch of her bedroom, remembering the time she traveled the universe carrying out her scientific missions. But she felt something even more special awaited her on Earth: her daughter Helen, who was more important than any other kind of adventure she could possibly have.
In the command ship, everyone was beginning to worry, for it wouldn't be long before King Mirov would get in touch for news. How would they explain the failure of the mission and how would they attack the loyal forces of the tyrant king?
After seeing Zara lie down and rest for a while, Nicholas went to the command bridge. He watched everyone that was sat at the meeting table. He was thinking of some strategy that could help them save the planet. Merko and the others thought it was best to invade the place and start a battle against Mirov's forces.
While everyone was talking, Nicholas decided to give his opinion on the subject:
"Although I am very young and don't have much experience as you do in battles, I would like to express my idea."
"I think you're still too young to plan battle strategies," Merko interrupted, contracting his jaws.
"Let's see what he has to say," Sivoc said curiously. "I've always heard that we can learn a lot from young people. Don't forget, Captain, that it was Nicholas' idea that allowed us to ally with Fizard and prevent further bloodshed."
"Then, since you allow me to set forth my ideas, I will. How about we pretend we were captured by Fizard's forces and entered the planet as prisoners? It would be a trap for former counselor Mirov. He'll believe that we were arrested because it was the purpose of his mission. Once inside his headquarters, we could catch the usurper king by surprise and those who are faithful to him. It would be a real "Trojan Horse" operation."
Everyone looked at him and Sivoc asked:
"What is it? Trojan Horse?"
"We study history to learn from the past, Commander. And this is one of the best-known war stories of the terrestrial past. Many years ago, two civilizations were at war: Greeks against Trojans. For several years, the war went on without either side succeeding. It was then that the Greeks had this brilliant strategy that we know as "Trojan Horse". They forged their surrender to the Trojans and gave a symbolic gift to their enemies, a gigantic wooden horse. The city of Troy, which for the duration of the war remained with its walls closed, keeping the Greeks outside, was opened for the entrance of the horse. What the Trojans didn't know was that the Greeks had hidden several soldiers inside the gift. During the night, the intruders came out of their hiding places and opened the doors so that their allies could enter and finally defeat Troy. It was a great fraud, the only way to win the war. Similarly, the Star Hunter and Science ships will be our Trojan Horses of the future."
"Very interesting this experience that we can acquire with history. I liked the idea. Besides, it would be a way to avoid direct confrontation and the loss of many lives," Sivoc said in surprise.
Merko pressed his lips, and with admiration said:
"I'm proud of you, my son. Do it, Fizard! Tell the command of planet Life that you are coming back and that you take the prisoners with their ships. They will believe, since in this mission robots of great military power were used."
"Yes, sir Commander. I'll do exactly as order."