Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Chapter 7: Enemies or Allies

   Josh stood in the front room of the old shack with his fists clenched in
rage as he stared at the three apprentices who knelt before him.  He took a
step closer to the three and growled "Eleric, stand up and walk with me."

   The young man rose from his knees and followed Josh as he walked towards
the front door.  "Master I..." Eleric Started to say.

   Josh silenced him with a single look as he opened the door.  Whatever
Eleric was about to say was drowned out by the fury of the storm raging
outside.  The wind pulled the door handle from Josh's hand and tore through
the room.  The other two apprentices kneeling on the floor, and the four
masters that circled them were untouched by the chaos that circled the
room, as the two figures walked out into the storm and the door slammed
shut behind them cutting off the force of the wind and rain.



   The two walked side by side into the heart of the storm, the wind and
rain being deflected around them.  As they walked the larger of the two
moved his fingers in a rhythmic fashion and with a flick of his wrist the
two vanished, leaving the storm to rage around the small cabin.

   ...

   David looked out the view screen and stared at the continent of
Australia as it rose over the horizon.  "Who were they Riu?  They were not
Morgalon's, they appeared to be human.  What the hell happened?  And how
the hell did they do it?" He asked as he continued to watch the planet
below.

   Riu walked up behind David and rested her hand on his shoulder.  "Sir, I
have no idea who they were, the Excalibur and Lt.  Dale are still reviewing
the tapes.  As for what happened and how it happened, that I can answer. 
Experience sir, the crew does not have experience in tactical situations.
Nor do you have complete knowledge or experience operating our equipment.
Time will fix that however..."

   "Time..." David interrupted as he turned to face Riu.  "Time is a luxury
we do not have.  I have one ship out of commission, one almost out of
commission, and my crew is so inexperienced they can not handle a single
away mission." David growled.

   "That is true sir.  Time is a luxury we do not have a lot of," Riu said
patiently as she turned away from David and sat at one of the consoles. 
"However we need to maximize the time we do have.  I finished the program
you requested while you were traveling to the surface and started it.  It's
been running for about three hours now and we have already started
receiving potential recruits."

   David took a deep breath and walked up to look at the console Riu was
manipulating.  "Any good candidates yet?"

   "Yes sir, the Excalibur rescued the crew of a Royal Air Force helicopter
that crashed in Afghanistan, I believe you call it a Chinook.  There were
thirty six passengers and crew on board.  I am running their records now."

   "Thirty six?" David asked "I thought the Excalibur was only able to
teleport thirty people at once?"

   "Yes sir, thirty at once is it's current limitation using the automated
systems, however I was able to program a script into the main program that
utilized the transporters on the Querithon's on board the Excalibur to
increase its capability.  While running this program the Excalibur can
transport fifty individuals at one time to the stasis chambers."

   "Very good.  Besides the thirty six people from the helicopter, how many
others have we been able to rescue?"

   "Sir, since I started the program, we have rescued almost two hundred
people.  Of that two hundred, one hundred and sixty three will be
trainable, the rest are family members who are too young or too old," Riu
replied as she brought the information on the passengers and crew of the
helicopter.

   "Two hundred?" David stated in shock.  "How did we find so many so
fast?"

   "Sir, there are over seven billion people on your planet, and on average
one hundred and fifty five thousand people die on your planet a day.  So
two hundred of them in three hours is not very many in comparison.  The
people we rescued were from the helicopter crash and two small engine
airplane crashes, one in Russia and one in Spain.  A mud slide in east
Africa and a tornado that took out an entire neighborhood in southern Texas
also provided people."

   "Understood, good work Captain.  So about the passengers and crew of the
helicopter?" David asked leaning over Rui's shoulder to look at the
display.

   "Yes sir, I took the information we were able to derive from the
equipment on the personnel and their DNA and was able to pull up their
records.  We have the Pilot; Flight Lieutenant Alan Carter, His Co-Pilot;
Flying Officer Neville Casey, and their flight Engineer; Sergeant Stuart
Childs..."

   "In our Space Force ranks that would be?"

   "Captain Alan Carter, Lieutenant Neville Casey and Staff Sergeant Stuart
Childs." Riu Replied.  "We also have two six man US Navy Seal team members,
six members of the Afghanistan Security forces, three civilian
interpreters, ten US Army Rangers, and four imbedded reporters and their
cameramen."

   David stood up and stared at the screen.  "Imbedded reporters.  What the
hell were civilian reporters doing on board an RAF Helicopter?"

   "I do not have that information sir you will have to ask them." Riu
replied.

   "Very well, can the training programs be piped into the stasis
chambers?"

   "No sir, that would not be possible, the metabolism of the people in the
chamber is slowed to such a degree that the nanites used in the training
would not be able to function properly."

   David stepped away form the console and passed across the room, once
again staring out into the spacescape.  "Ok, do we know the dialect that
the interpreters used?" He asked

   "Yes sir, why do you ask?"

   "I want you to make a program to teach me that dialect of Arabic
perfectly." David said as he turned to face Riu.  "We will use this group
as our first recruits and see how they react."

   "Yes sir.  The program will take a few hours to upload and compile, do
you still wish us to monitor and transport others to the ship in the
meantime?"

   "Yes, as long as we can keep it up, the more lives we can save the more
possible recruits we will have and we all know we can use all the help we
can get right now."

   ...

   Eleric and Josh appeared on a cliff face along a remote stretch of road
along the Australian coast.  The storm was not as strong here as it was at
the cabin but the wind still howled ferociously along the cliffs.  The two
stood at the edge of the cliffs looking out towards the water for some time
before Josh spoke.  "Eleric, you need to think before you act.  You and
your sister are still young in your magic and Yuri is barely an apprentice.
Her father trusted me with her care and it is a responsibility I take very
seriously.  What were you thinking taking them there?"

   "Master, I was not thinking, I only wanted to prove myself to you and
Zoe.  You both treat me as if I had not earned my journeyman's robes, as if
I was still an apprentice..."

   "Act like an apprentice and I shall treat you like one." Josh
interrupted.  "Yes you have earned your Journeyman's robes but that does
not give you the right to go to a dangerous location with two apprentices
and investigate things on your own.  I am a master in the arts and even I
hesitated before going alone..."

   Josh's words were interrupted by a loud screeching sound and a crash of
metal against metal.  Josh and Eleric turned towards the noise and saw a
compact car crashed into the guardrail.  The occupants appeared to be
unconscious and the vehicle was balanced precariously over the edge.  The
two mages did not hesitate, immediately the two appeared next to the car
floating over the cliff.  Josh opened the driver's door as Eleric attempted
to get the passenger door open.  The two men were still partway inside the
vehicle when it slipped a little further off the cliff and then plummeted
towards the ocean.  With a flash of bright light the two mages and all the
people in the car vanished, seconds before it hit the water and sank from
sight.

   ...

   Elise looked up suddenly from the floor, all motion stopped.  Yuri
looked at her friend with concern.  "Elise, why have you stopped if Zoe
sees us not scrubbing the floors..." She said before being interrupted by
as a panicked Zoe burst into the meditation room.

   Elise looked towards her mentor with tears in her eyes "Zoe, he's gone."

   Zoe knelt next to the crying teen, "I know, Elise, I felt it too.  I
have already contacted the others, and they are on their way.  We will find
them, I promise you we will find them."

   ...

   David sat in his quarters on the Excalibur looking at the electronic pad
in front of him, going over the list of names of the people the Excalibur
has rescued in the past day and a half.  There were too many, he could not
believe how many people the ship had gathered and were now sitting in
stasis.  As he sat there staring at the pad a chime sounded indicating
someone wished entrance into his quarters.  David put the pad down and
approached the door.  With a wave of his hand over the sensor he activated
the door's manual controls.

   He smiled as the door opened to reveal Lt.  Jimenez, Dr.  Jones, and
Capt.  Walker AKA Spaz.  "Please tell me you have good news." David said as
he walked back into the room indicating that the three should follow him.

   "Sir that depends on what you consider good news." Spaz said as the
three entered David's Quarters.

   David took a seat on the lounge chair in the living are of his quarters
as the other three took places on the nearby couch.  "What does that mean?"

   Spaz leaned forward and cupped his hands in front of his face.  "Well
sir, we found some possible recruits but with being limited in what we
could tell them we were not able to get any firm yes or no.  I do have a
few friends who are on the disabled list that Dr.  Jones says we can get
back into shape.  Lt.  Jimenez has a few friends and family who would jump
at a chance to leave the rut they are stuck in..." Spaz started.

   "My cousin Julio and his wife Maria would be my first choice.  Julio is
trying his best to make ends meet for his family, but without a high school
diploma it as pretty hard.  Julio is a good guy.  He dropped out of school
when Maria got pregnant with their daughter Isabel.  He avoided the gangs
and stayed clear of the law, which is hard in the neighborhood we grew up
in, but the gangs are starting to put pressure on him and I am not sure how
much longer he will hold out." Lt.  Jimenez said as she stared at David
with pleading eyes.

   David stood up and walked over to his desk.  "We have a lot of
conscripts.  A lot more than I thought we would have." He said as he picked
up the pad and walked back to the trio.  "I am not sure where to start with
them.  At first I was going to talk with a Chinook crew from the Royal Air
Force and U.S.  Military, but then so many kept coming in, I got lost in
the sheer number of names."

   Dr.  Jones looked up at David with concern.  "How many people are we
talking about?"

   David handed the pad to Dr.  Jones "Over five thousands."

   Lt.  Jimenez stared at David, her jaw dropping in surprise.  "Five
thousand, how in the hell did we get five thousand people in a day and a
half?" She asked looking over Dr, Jones's shoulder at the pad he held.

   "According to Capt.  Emtoo over one hundred and fifty five thousand
people a day die on the earth, so having five thousand plus that match our
criteria is not a surprise." David said as he turned to look out the
window. "So how do we indoctrinate, train, and place five thousand people,
especially since that much or more could be in stasis tomorrow?"

   "Sir, if I remember right, the Lanvy could only hold a crew of ten
thousand, so in a day we have half of what we need to crew the Lanvy alone.
Should we not stop the program before we have more people than we can
employ?" Spaz said.

   David turned towards the trio once more.  "I though about that, but
unfortunately of that five thousand over fifteen hundred are not capable of
being crew at this time, they are either too young or too old." "Sir, how
did we get that many children and elders?  I thought the program was
supposed to filter them out?" Lt.  Jimenez asked.

   Dr.  Jones looked up from the pad.  "The program was supposed to grab
anyone that the people were trying to save or who was about to die with
them, we did not want to have to explain to parents why we saved them but
allowed their children to die."

   "Or why we let the people they were trying to save die." Spaz added. 
"Sir I think we are looking at this all wrong.  We are trying to micro
manage this.  We do not have to assign everyone a job, all we need to do is
determine what needs to be done, and what jobs we need to do them,
prioritize those jobs and assign someone to oversee that area.  A section
commander, let the section commander fill his or her command billets and
let those officers fill their requirements."

   David nodded his head.  "That makes sense."

   "But what if the people pushed into these jobs don't want to do them? 
It's human nature for people to work less if they do not like the work they
are being forced to do." Lt.  Jimenez said.

   Dr.  Jones set the pad down and stood from the couch.  "That's true. 
People do not do as well in jobs they do not like or are forced to do, but
if they know that once the emergency work is done they may be offered a job
they would like to have, they will do better work."

   "Especially if they are told the best workers will be offered the
transfers first." Spaz added.  David smiled, "Ok, so I think we can do
this. Capt.  Emtoo." Spaz said looking up into the ceiling of the room. 
Cap.  Emtoo's voice filled the room.  "Yes sir?"

   "Continue the rescue program, but set a limit, as soon as we come within
forty percent of the total crew capacity of all three ships stop the
program.  I would like to ensure that a majority of our crew are recruited
and not conscripted." David replied

   "Yes sir."

   David turned towards the three officers.  "Lt.  Jimenez, please return
to earth and see about recruiting your cousin and anyone else from your
contacts that you feel will make a good addition to the crew.  Dr.  Jones,
please research the injuries that you and Spaz have discussed, I would like
to get these officers up here and working as soon as possible.  Spaz, let's
start working on this plan of yours."

   The three came to attention.  "Yes sir!"

   Lt.  Jimenez and Dr.  Jones started towards the door, "Wait a second..."
David Said

   The two stopped and turned to face David.  "Lt.  Jimenez, as of right
now you are the only officer in the Space Force as Spaz has be transferred
to the Navy, so as of this moment you are promoted to the rank of Colonial
and given command of the Excalibur's fighters.  When you get back with your
recruits look at the conscripts for possible pilots and maintainers, both
officers and enlisted, and then start your senior command training
tonight." Col Jimenez smiled at David.  "Yes sir." She stated as she and
Dr. Jones headed out of the room.

   Spaz and David returned to David's desk and began going over the list of
names and prior occupations of the individuals conscripted from the Earth.

   ...

   Josh sat in a lotus position in a calm grassy field; behind him was a
small cottage and the sound of waves breaking against a shore could be
heard in the distance.  He knew this was not real, his meditations had
already confirmed it.  His body was in some sort of trancelike state, but
he was not sure what was causing it.  Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he
smiled.

   ...

   Josh found himself lying in some sort of coffin like chamber with a
glass ceiling.  There were a few lights illuminating him and the sound of
alarms could be heard behind him.  He was naked and his body was reacting
as if it was in shock; his feet were cold and his heart rate was irregular.
Before he could react, the chamber he was in slid backwards and the top
slid forward.  With a hiss fresh air filled the chamber and a small
mechanical creature reminiscent of a stingray floated above him.  Josh was
still unable to move his arms or legs and his chest felt like it was about
to explode in his chest.  The small creature stuck several needles into his
arm and the pain in his chest stopped.  After a few seconds Josh was able
to breath and found use of his limbs once more.  And the stingray like
device beeped and then growled and hissed at him before it floated out of
his view.

   Josh started to sit up in the chamber when several metal straps extended
from the sides of the chamber pinning him back to the bed.  He struggled
for a few seconds before closing his eyes and regaining his focus.  He
reached out for the energies that normally filled the area around him and
was shocked to find that there was nothing there.  He opened his eyes and
stared up at the strange wall that seemed to continue on forever.

   His magic was not working; he could not tap into the energies of the
earth.  He could feel his own personal energies but nothing else.  His
thoughts were interrupted as he felt the chamber he was in move backwards
and then down.  He traveled for a few seconds before the chamber came to a
stop and the face of a blond haired man looked over the top of the chamber
at him.  The man was wearing a white lab coat over a military style
uniform. "Hello Mr.  Rayne, My name is Dr.  Jones.  You, my friend, are one
interesting conundrum."