Here’s the gripping continuation of Mia’s story, which she submitted for last month’s Dream Weaver Challenge:

            “Me?” I gasp in surprise. “You mean you don’t believe I am who I say I am?” I can’t believe it. I had done everything the way they had taught us about negotiating. Mason Sile mutters some more. A hacking cough interrupts their discussion. I raise my eyebrows at Lizzy as she meets my eyes, showing my confusion. Once more, the speakers come to life.

“Captain Augustine,” This time the voice is sickly sweet and cunning. “The Council would greatly appreciate it if you came down to meet us in person. You can bring whoever you like. Does tomorrow during the 27th hour work for you?” I am suspicious. This is obviously a trap, or else something similar, but it may be a risk I need to take. I make my decision.

“Mr. Mason Sile, I will meet you at the specified time.” I notice I’ve been holding my breath. I let it out, then look directly at Jake and make a small indication to cut the line. A hubbub begins as soon as the High Council can’t hear us. I have to yell to be heard over all the voices.

“Everyone quiet!” The bridge quiets to whispers. “Will the first officer, communications officer, deck chief, pilot, gunner, and security chief please follow me to the, er, conference room? If there’s a crew member missing next to you, take over their controls momentarily if need be. Right, follow me.” I lead the crew members to the conference room. It’s only meant for three to four people, so its a little squished. There is complete quiet. I survey the room. Ian (a short, strong boy with a quick mind, but not much patience) is gunner.  Casey, the security chief, is a pretty blonde who is even younger than me. Jake breaks the silence.“Soo, David. What did you call us here for? ‘Cause we’ve got stations to attend to.”

The words jump out of my mouth before I can think about them, “It’s captain.” I say. “Not David. I mean, um… yeah. Captain’s fine.”

“Whatever you say, cap.” I sigh inwardly. Sometimes you just can’t win with people. “Anyways. As many of you have probably realized, we’ve almost certainly fallen into some sort of trap. I’m not sure what kind of trap or why the Council wants to trick us, but we need a plan. I’m splitting us into two groups. One will stay back and work with the crew and the other will come with me to help negotiations. So, first group. Lizzy and Ian, you’re coming with me.” I look, and they nod confirmation. “Which leaves Rosie, Jean Luc, Jake, and Casey to watch the crew. I really believe I can trust you with this, okay?” Casey nods emphatically, and I can tell she and Rosie are going to do well. I glance at Jake out of the corner of my eye. Can I really trust him? I’ve got to, since Admiral Starblayze and Admiral Rigorious put him on the team. Finally, I speak my mind. “Jake?” He looks up, and in his eyes hold an emotion I can’t quite tell. Anger? Fear? Worry? I shake it off. “As communications officer, I need you to be constantly ready for anything. I have no clue when or how I’m going to get back up here, but I need you to be on the constant alert.”

Jake’s normally laughing face is now serious. “I hear you, captain.” His eyes meet mine for just a second, and then he looks away. I stand up and leave, indicating that they should leave as well. Back in the bridge, I glance at the time on Lizzie’s clock. It’s the 25th hour, so I’ll be getting ready to go down in little more than an hour. I cough and sit in the black captain’s chair. “For those of you who don’t know, Lizzy, Ian, and I are going to go to the Council.” Once more, talking erupts in the bridge, some of complaints, others of surprise. I wait for the noise to cease. I need every one of you to be on alert and waiting and ready. Best of luck.”

Time ticks slowly by, and finally, it is half way through the 26th hour. I walk to Jean Luc, and tell him to approach the planet and dock. We complete the landing, and I start to head out with Lizzie and Ian. We open the airlock and I step out into a flat concrete slab. Tall marble pillars stretch in front of it. On top of those, a marble ceiling of great dimension. Magnificent murals spread across the ceiling. Awed, we slowly walk forward toward the heavy-looking wooden door at the end of the pillars. A man with brown puffy hair in a crisp white and blue suit meets us.

“Ah, the Infinity Knights? The High Council is waiting for you in the main conference room. You can’t miss it.” We cast a quick look at each other before walking towards the doors again. They swing open of their own accord. Nervous, I glance around me, but head in anyway. At the end, is another large door with the words conference room in heavy letters.

“This has got to be it!” Lizzy undertones. Ian nods. I take a deep breath. The three of us push open the doors. Neat, pressed, tan chairs line a plain wood conference table, but no one is sitting at them. In fact, there’s no one here at all. Not a sound is uttered.

“Um, hello?” Ian calls into the silence. “Is anyone here?” There’s no response. “So, what now, captain?”

“Er, Lizzy, look for the controls which Mr. Sile used to contact us,” She beckons me over and selects I.K.S. Titan from the screen. Then, she leans back and lets me come forward.

“Hello? I.K.S. Titan?” Static is the only response.  The full danger of the situation enfolds me like a heavy winter jacket in the middle of summer. As captain. I need to show them I can do this. I need to come out strong and ready. But how? I shake my head. “Something is happening the way it shouldn’t. Everyone, be on your guard and follow me!”

 

To be continued…

Hello troops,
Here’s the exciting continuation of Mia’s story, which won last month’s Dream Weaver Challenge.

Chapter Two

I feel as if I’ve stepped into another world. Electric lighting lines the ceiling, but the room is darkly lit. There is a enormous view port in the front of the bridge, allowing me to see most everything. Systems of higher tech than the ones we use for training are at each station. The crew hovers over them, trying out their controls. In the center sits the captain’s chair, black and larger than the rest of the small, red ones. A kind of nervous energy fills me, and I walk over to the chair. I sit down in it as if black tendrils might escape it, come out, and surround me. All of a sudden, I feel better. Admiral Starblayze, the highest of the high in the Training Academy, thinks I’m ready for this. Maybe, just maybe, I am.

A great rumbling fills the room as the engines turn on. Everyone seems prepared. The pilot glances at me, waiting for orders. I stand up and say, “Portal to the Koan star system.” Jean Luc taps the screen, and suddenly there is blue steam from the engines. The smoke changes to a blue, purple, and pink tunnel of something that looks like smoke. I cringe, unsure of what’s happening, then jump when someone lays a hand on my shoulder. It’s Rosie. At fourteen, she’s been on more missions than me. Two more, to be exact. “Don’t worry.” she says. “This is supposed to happen.” She shoots a quick grin at my dumbfounded look. Suddenly, the blue smoke stops. I look up. I beautiful sun lays before us. I shake my head in stunned disbelief.

“Captain Augustine?” Lizzy shakes me out of my daze. “Lun is straight ahead, Ruath is to our right, and Mura is farther back, but between them. Where do you want me to go?”

I take a deep breath. “Er… Lun. Let’s try to find out some information about the whole problem before we do anything.”

“Got it, Captain. I’ll tell the pilot.” Lizzy mutters something to Jean Luc, who changes our course. We will arrive soon. In the meantime, I need to think. What’s happening there? What will I find? The orb grows closer and closer as Jean Luc guides us towards it. Then I see a ship fly straight towards us.

“Jean!” I cry, pointing at the ship. Most of the crew jumps to their feet or ducks as the ship zooms toward us. Jean Luc tugs the yoke and we narrowly miss the ship. Jean Luc clenches his teeth. “Captain, I prefer to be called by my full first name, Jean Luc, if it’s not to much trouble.” He says it quite coolly, but I can tell he’s frustrated. Between the worried shouts of the crew and the stress of being pilot, he doesn’t want any complications, no matter how small. I give a quick nod in response. I head over to the engineers. A girl named Ellen and a boy named Felix are controlling repairs mechanically from their screens.

“How are things?” I ask.

“Fine, but we’re worried about the sensors. We’re trying as hard as we can, but every time we get it back up, it goes back down. I think we might have been hacked.” Ellen tells me.

“Alright, I’ll talk to the security chief.”

“Thanks.” Having been trained in this situation, I know what to do. I stand up and walk over to the security chief, whose name I think is Emma Ruthworth, but I wasn’t really listening, so I’m not positive. “Um, we’re going to need to put an up on security. The engineers are having trouble and they need your help. Can you set up some more defenses?”

“I’m on it.” she replies. I head over to Lizzie, one of the only crew members I know personally. She’s staring at the screen. I look at it, and she’s hovering over Lun, running a bio scan. She shakes her head in confusion as she notices me.

“Look,”  she murmurs. I take closer look at her screen, and I understand what’s wrong. The ship that had just passed us couldn’t be more than a few kilometers away, yet it wasn’t showing up on our sensors at all. The hacking of our sensors seems odd, too. I tell Lizzie about how we’ve been hacked.

“That’s curious, David. My bio scan isn’t coming up with anything, either. I wonder if they’re hacking us. Talk to Jake about it, he’s communications officer. See if he can contact the High Council.” She inclines her head to her right, where Jake is sitting. I am still mulling over her last comment. What’s the High Council? I don’t think that Admiral Rigorious mentioned it to us during training. I tell Lizzy this, and she replies  quickly, “Admiral told us when you were out for an, as he said it, ‘illness absence’. It’s basically made up of the higher and more powerful people in Koan. They make major decisions about what’s to come in the next few years.” I understand, finally. I turn to Jake, who’s staring into the Lun’s craters and facilities.

“Er, Jake?” I mumble. “Jake?” A little louder this time. “Jake! I, um, need you to, er, contact the, what’s it called, um, oh yeah! High Council. I need you to contact the High Council.” He looks at me with obvious disapproval. I can tell he’s thinking, Admiral Starblayze thinks you’re going to be good at captain? Please. He doesn’t move or respond. I look him in the eye, and slowly say, “Mr. Carlows, please call the High Council. Now, preferably.” He sighs and rolls his eyes, but does as I ask. I move closer to the pilot, as our main communication receiver is in front of that station. There’s a crackle, and a voice comes over the speakers.

“This is Mason Sile of the High Council of Koan. Who is this, and what are you doing?” I stand up tall and feel a rush of adrenaline. At least that is lucky, because I’m going to need it if I’m going to get this conversation anywhere. I take one more deep breath, and begin. “Greetings. I’m David Augustine, mission captain of the I.K.S. Titan. I request to know two things. However, to answer what I’m doing, you- I mean, Ruath’s government has asked me and my crew to look into any issues regarding either a possible rebellion or issues in the transportation of slaves. As for my requests, they are the following. Firstly, I ask three things from each of the three planets in this trade. May I meet and discuss with a crafts worker from Mura, see a Lun facility, and speak to an official from Ruath? If you could do this, I would be greatly obliged. Secondly, I must ask if you yourself have heard any of these rumors. That is all.”

I have said my piece. The next part of this lies completely on the High Council’s choice. Both the I.K.S. Titan and the the High Council lays in silence for a few moments. Lizzie gives me an encouraging grin. I hear Mason Sile conversing with the other council members in whispered tones. Finally, his voice comes back on, and this time its edged with hostility and suspicion. “Who are you really, Mr. David Augustine, boy captain?”

It is with great pleasure that we unveil the first official installment of Dream Flight Adventure fan fiction!

Major props go out to our good friend Mia—a brilliant young student, and quite the literary prodigy, if I do say so myself—for writing a fantastic novella and winning the April Dream Weaver Challenge!

Everyone with me, one, two three:  Hip Hip Hooray!

Mia really went above and beyond the call of duty on this one, and I’m delighted to share her fantastic work here for the world to see.  We have the first three chapters of her epic tale, and hopefully we can twist her arm into writing more.

With the dawn of a new month the Dream Weaver Challenge has been reset again, refreshed with a new batch of topics for you to creatively weave into epic adventures like Mia’s.

And now, without further ado, Chapter One:

My legs tremble as I walk into the debriefing room. Admiral Starblayze stands at the head of the room. The other crew members and I turn to him and salute sharply, hands at our sides. Only a few minutes ago, I had been pulled out of training and instructed to go to Admiral Starblayze’s office. Many of the other cadets looked at me with surprise, and others with jealousy. Only my closest friend, Nicholas Tern, looked at me with admiration and approval. We all knew that a pullout could mean only one thing: a place in the crew of the I.K.S. Titan. Since I am a relatively young cadet of only eleven, being chosen to be in the crew at all is huge honor. I know what is about to happen next, as do the cadets around me. The first and perhaps most longed for part of the mission is about to begin. I feel the tension in the air rising. Admiral Starblayze clears his throat and begins to read off the stations.

“David Augustine, Captain.” I look around me, waiting for another, older, more experienced cadet who bore a similar name to stand up and take his suit. No one is. Lizzy McConnell (a spirited girl who I recognize from training) is standing at attention next to me. She shifts her weight the tiniest bit and flicks me in the shoulder with her brown hair. “Go!” she hisses under her breath, trying not to giggle at my ignorance. I come forward, take my uniform, and go into the adjacent room to change. I finish and stand beside him at the farthest position from the airlock. As captain, I will enter last. My breath quickens. As captain, I think. There must have been a mistake. There must be a different David who got mixed up with me. I can’t do this! I’ve never even run a mission before. I don’t know what to do! I glance at Admiral Starblayze for reassurance, but he’s already moved on.

“Rosie Keylen, first officer. Kyle Royle, second officer. Jean Luc Baudion, Pilot. Layla…” I know he is still talking, but I can’t help but wonder what our mission is. We won’t know until everyone knows their station. They (as in the admirals) won’t brief us on our mission until we know what our position is. They say it is so we have time to think about how our station will correspond with the mission. I can hear Admiral Starblayze ending. Lizzy is shifting from foot to foot nervously. She hasn’t been called yet. “Kirsten Stylo, communications officer. Eliza McConnell, deck chief.” Lizzy nearly squeals with excitement as she takes her uniform and scurries off to change. I feel important in my suit, and realization of what I’m about to do finally kicks in. Missions aren’t easy and and are often dangerous. As captain, if anything happens to my crew, well, it won’t end well. Lizzy and Kirsten have finally exited the changing room and are in line. We stand straight and turn to face Admiral Starblayze. He clears his throat then begins to speak.

“Many of you have heard of the star system Koan. Your mission takes place at one of its planets, Ruath. It is, and has been, a mining slavery foundation. The slaves get transported to Lun to where they mine the resources. From there, the resources, normally precious stones and gems, are taken to the small settlements in Mura. The craft workers in Mura are famed for their prestigious sculptures and makings. The things they make are shipped back to the higher ranking officials in Ruath. There is a flaw in this system, however. It is completely automated. The robots used to transport the slaves have no way to understand human feelings There have been rumors of rebellion and restlessness. It must be stopped! Your orders are to prevent the rebellion, but I trust you to do what you think is best. Good luck.” The crew members nearest to the airlock begin to file in slowly. As they do, Admiral Starblayze pulls me aside. “I know what you are thinking and how nervous you are. But I trust you to make the best decision for your crew. You are one of our best cadets. Have you ever heard the saying ‘better sooner than later’?” I nod quickly. “That applies today.” I follow my crew into the airlock, and step onto the bridge of the I.K.S. Titan.

Stay tuned for the gripping continuation…