Trial by Ordeal

by Philip R Benge

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  Earlier in the day the Orion Defender had arrived at their village to find Appolon and Tryon ready, they had soon loaded their weapons aboard the starship, Cimon, and Argo had been with them. They had helped to load the supply of food given to him by the villagers into the large empty hold of the ship, empty apart from the powerful Heliot Phaser weapon sitting patiently inside the hold until it was called upon to fire at their enemies.

  Appolon and Tryon were similar in appearance although Appolon was the taller of the two blond natives of Orion, both were good looking and intelligent with the same serious blue eyes that could fill with laughter at any moment. Cimon and Argo were the opposite in looks being darker in colouring and both stocky, but both were as brave as their two friends were, and would go to the ends of the Orion for Tyler and his family. Clustered about the Defender were the other warriors of the village who would have demanded to come with Tyler to free his family, if they had been able to.

  “I wish that you could come, but the alien’s message stated that only another five people could enter the portal, it would allow no more until a full day had passed when it will reset and allow more through. The danger to one party is serious, I couldn`t allow two parties to enter a portal that has allowed none to leave its domain. Cimon and Argo are coming with us but it will admit no one else, I hope that we will all return home soon. It will be another of those long trips which I had hoped we were through with, but thank you for your kind offers of help, but we must leave now goodbye, please pray for our safe return.” Tyler said, as he looked out upon his brave friends.

  Cimon and Argo boarded the Defender, and Hera approached her husband, Tryon, and kissed him fair well.

  “Look after our friends brave Tryon, and more importantly comeback home to me.”

  “I will Hera, take care of your mother, Tyler; he said to his young son aged only five, and named after his friend.”

  Similar farewells had gone on with Appolon and his family and those of Cimon and Argo. None of wives had expressed their fears for the safety of their menfolk, for all would have insisted that their men accompanied Tyler on his search for his family, if their men hadn`t already volunteered to accompany him on this dangerous voyage into the unknown.

  Soon everyone was sitting or standing upon the bridge of the Defender, all wanted to hear more about the quest they were embarking on.

  “Why are we taking our bows and our spears when we have the Heliot Phasers to kill any who stand in our way Tyler?” Appolon asked just a little baffled by Tyler`s request.

  “Because the mystic who accompanied the aliens stated that she had seen us carrying them in a dream, and from your own experiences of the mystics here on Orion, you know that you cannot simply dismiss their advice. Anyway the teams that have so far entered the portal have probably all been equipped with the latest energy weapons, and so far none have returned home.”

  Ray who had been listening in to the conversation while he took the Orion Defender up into the atmosphere of the planet now joined in.

  “Maybe something within the portal drains the energy from such weapons, the men would then be entering into the portal essentially unarmed, and as none have as yet escaped the portal`s domain, maybe they are dying in there or at the very least being held captive.” Ray suggested.

  “You may well be correct; I will test our Phasers at the first possible opportunity that we get once we have entered through the portal. I certainly wouldn`t like to find out that a Phaser is drained at the point that I needed to use it, for that could really spell the difference between someone`s life or death.” Tyler replied.

  The Orion Defender soon left its home world far behind it, and entered into hyperspace to journey at full power towards the vortex that would transport them right across the galaxy, and hopefully to Tyler`s family.

  Caroline and the children had not found the vortex too bad, but then they had not been able to see through the walls of the starship, Tyler and his friends could see all too well.

  “Is the satellite ready for launching Tyler?” Ray Connors asked.

  Tyler was positioning a satellite at either end of the vortex in the hope that contact could then be made with Orion from Helionia. Earth had given the satellites to Orion for use when required, after Tyler had loaned them the starship Freedom for use in the war against the planet Aldebra. It was joining the newly launched Revenge and the Saviour, two starships made from the technology Earth acquired from the broken Heliot fleet that had crashed upon Orion.

  “Yes Ray, you can launch it as soon as we are in position. I had better warn the others that we are about to enter the vortex Ray, there is no knowing what effect it will have on the ship or its crew.” Tyler replied, and then spoke to those in engineering.

  “Listen to me, we are about to enter into the vortex, from up here it looks like an angry beast so be advised, grab a hold of something until I tell you that we are through.”

  Ray now launched the first of the two communication satellites from a position far enough away from the vortex to prevent it from being drawn into it.

  The vortex resembled a huge mouth hanging in space, for no more of the beast was visible, soon the crew of the Defender began to feel the effects of the strange space anomaly as Ray Connors manoeuvred their starship into its maw. The speed of the ship suddenly increased, and those standing felt a gigantic tug that threw Tyler forward a step, no more because that took him into the back of the co-pilots seat in which Tryon was sitting agog. Tryon was taking in the view, and what he saw astonished him, for he was mostly a terra firma sort of guy, but he wasn`t scared for he had absolute faith in Ray Connors ability to fly them through hell or high water, a Phrase he had heard Tyler use once.

  The journey through the vortex was thankfully very short, and soon they were out of it, and after dropping off the second of the two satellites they headed towards the planet of Helionia, they would see it in just ten hours.

  Day 152 Helionia Calendar

  Caroline and her children were now standing on Helionia with the entrance to the portal only feet away from them, and she could not believe what the alien woman was telling her.

  “You are taking my babies through the portal! Are you insane? You told my husband that it was considered suicide to enter into that place, but you plan to take my children into that place anyway?” Caroline said very quietly so as not to alarm her children, who had moved away from her to look at the black entrance set in the foothills of the mountains before them.

  Caroline was talking to Patina who could understand her through the receiver that she wore in her ear, the translation coming from the android. As for Patina, her face showed no expression what so ever, it was as if she was speaking to her maid about her duties.

  “My mistress only knows that the people of Helionia need Tyler Burrows to come to the aid of this world, to find Marot Pallas for us, nothing else can be allowed to interfere with this.” The android said, and if androids are able to look uncomfortable then this one certainly did.

  “Why do my children have to go through the portal though, why not just let me enter it?” Caroline begged of the android. Caroline couldn`t believe what was happening to her family, it all seemed so impossible.

  “The mystic stated that Marot Pallas would die if only you entered, and not your children as well.” The android replied.

  “Your mystic told you, you are insane woman?” Caroline now screamed, turning her attention from the android and back to Patina, and drawing the attention of her children.

  “The mystic holds great powers, when she advises something, then you either do as she says or you live to regret it.” The android said, translating Patina`s words.

  “If anything happens to me or my babies then Tyler will kill you, and anyone who gets in his way, and that includes your mystic. He will then take great pleasure in leaving your Marot Pallas to rot inside the portal, and to hell with your people and its future.” Caroline said angrily.

 
Caroline would have gladly taken Patina apart if they had been alone, but with the android and two security guards from the starship there she couldn`t afford it, for the unsuccessful attempt would only have upset her children.

  “My mistress will accompany you into the dark domain, so you see it cannot be suicidal, for she has no intention of dying, now please be quiet and go through the portal. If you do not the security men from the starship will be forced to stun you, and then I will have to carry you through the portal, is that how you want your children to see you enter?” The android said, looking even more distressed.

  “Your mistress is insane, she doesn`t realise that what she is doing is very wrong, but you must realise the truth of my words, even if you are only an android.”

  Unfortunately for Caroline neither the android or Patina budged from their view, and knowing that she had no alternative other than to do as Patina ordered, Caroline reluctantly agreed to their demands.

  “Ok I will take my children in, but you do not know just who you are dealing with, Tyler has been chosen by the gods, and they will not desert him now.” Caroline said with a last show of defiance before taking her two youngest children`s hands and asking Apollo to cling to her tunic as she went through the portal.

  Perseus, seeing his mother so angry, and so afraid for his and his brother and sister`s lives began to cry, which made Callisto burst into tears and even poor Apollo, who tried hard not to cry, felt his tears rolling down his young face as he held on so tight to his mummy`s tunic.

  Earlier on Patina had also been close to tears as the old mystic had informed her of her latest vision.

  “Why must I enter through the portal, surely it will be enough for just the Orionists to enter into the dark domain?” Patina argued unsuccessfully.

  “Patina my vision clearly showed that you too must enter through the portal with the young family, you must do it to ensure that you and your husband both survive the outcome. The spirits sent a vision to me that clearly shows you and your husband both exiting the dark domain of the portal. With you were the primitives, so take heart my child, all will be well in the end. To do anything else will mean that your husband will die within the dark domain, you must go through, for the spirits have spoken.” Magi declared solemnly.

  Therefore, Patina had agreed to enter, but she had insisted that her android must also go through the portal as well, to protect her from the dangers that may lay behind the dark forbidding entrance.

  Caroline found herself standing within a large cavern lit by some sort of bioluminescence, which allowed her to see well enough, with her were her children who were clinging to her in fear, also Patina Pallas and her android. The lighting lit up different parts of everyone’s faces, making them look like scenes out of pictures of the spirit land that Caroline had seen in some of her village`s houses. However, the eerie form of lighting did not surprise Caroline too much, as she had seen examples of it before back on Orion when she had been younger, and during the time when she and Tyler had battled to save her people from the Heliots. Caroline walked around the walls of the cavern with her children, but without finding another exit apart from the one at the far end of the cavern. This would take them all further into the dark domain, and whatever mysteries that it held for them. The one that they had entered by had mysteriously disappeared, and all there was behind them now was solid rock.

  “We must wait here my darlings for your father, he won`t be too long, until then we will play some games to pass the time more quickly.” Caroline said forcing a smile onto her face so that the children were encouraged to forget their fears for a moment at least and join in the games.