The Interplanetary Visit

Voices in the Wind

"So, I did. But it was worth it, considering that I'll heal." Saterina said, smiling. She had obviously regained some strength.

The Jupitian Prince's lips pursed as he continued to struggle to keep the fireball above him growing.

"Fireballs won't do any good." Saterina said, almost laughing.

"Oh yeah?" Ken replied and sent the fireball towards Saterina.

Saterina slanted her eyes and glared at the oncoming fireball.

Immediately, the fireball disintegrated and fell all over the floor.

Some sparks fell on the Plutonian alloy dust on the floor. The dust started to burn with psychical flames in a circle around them.

"You... ought... to... use fire-resistant materials." Ken said refocusing his psychic energy back to the pyro blasts and psychic wave.

"I guess you're right. I..... guess I wasn't counting on the plutonium dust meeting...... Jupitian fire." Saterina replied, smiling.

The fire began to spread quickly. It formed a circle unable to burn near the powerful psychic battle. However, the fire began to spread in the direction of the pod.

The Jupitian warships watched slowly and with great joy as the stealth ability started to drain off the Martian IDS warships' power.

Unlike the Jupitian Warships, they ran on fuels and not on any other electromagnetic waves that were present everywhere. Stealth ability had obviously drained most of their energy. In a frenzy, the Jupitian warships went into action. Their shield could easily hold off laser and ray attacks from the IDS warships. Thus, there was practically no need to waste any more energy on projective invisibility on the laser blasts, besides it was the shield that allowed the Jupitian side to have no casualties. Stealth mode and continuous movement would be enough to reduce the possibility of getting hit. One by one the IDS warships were destroyed as the IDS space force fled, pursued by the powerful Jupitian warships.

The PEIDB and SEB continued to render the pathetic force of Earth IDS warships useless. The warships were entirely out of control.

There was no way they could destroy another thing, except for their wild missiles and laser blasts. PEIDB pods continued to destroy the IDS warships. A few SEB pods joined in, spraying the highly corrosive liquid. In no time at all, the battlefield at the peak of the Andes was turning IDS free. Even so, a few SEB pods were leaving the Bermuda polygon as they depleted their fuel sources and had to return to base.

On Saturn, the tower began to intensify in its green glow as it charged up, oblivious to the losing IDS battles against the combined forces of the legitimate Saturnian, Martian and Plutonian forces. The Jupitian ray was not able to block the frequency transmission from Earth.

Another rumble came from the Andes. It came from the bowels of the Earth. Before the eyes of the SEB and the PEIDB air force, the mountain shifted its weight. Certain parts of the mountain began to slowly collapse into itself. The opening at the peak of the Andes broke off, crumbling in and sealing off whatever ways to escape.

Saterina smiled, her senses told her that all means of escape were gone.

"So, my Prince, guess you would have known that we're sealed down here. Your pod must have been destroyed along with the sequence. Nevertheless, I have you with me as my friend to the Netherworld... Guess that since we die on Earth, we shall go to the Netherworld based on Earth's beliefs," Saterina said, smiling.

"You're right... I shall go... to Heaven and you... Hell! ... At least... I went... to church!" the Jupitian replied, struggling with the growing power by Saterina as he weakened. The surrounding grew hotter as the fire continued to burn. The fire was already on the pod shield, which was covered with the falling ceiling and burning slowly. It would eat through the shield if the pod's artificial intelligence failed to return.

"Why don't you join your pod's progress?" Saterina said, knowing full well that the pod had the ability to project the Jupitian's consciousness into the virtual reality and should he do that again, he would be where his pod was, like the last time. Only this time, he would be destroyed by the replicated sequence that had divided into two—into the main stream and the exit terminal port.

Most of the replicated sequence went up to the transmitter on the peak of the Andes that was undisturbed.

Yet, at this moment, Jupiter had temporally shut down the planetary shield to allow the damaged Jupitian warships to return while the "healthy" ones went after the IDS warships.

The final code of the attack sequence went through to transmitter at the top of the Andes. It was undamaged by the collapsing rocks as it was made of Plutonian alloy and not below the mountain.

Immediately, the transmitter vibrated and transmitted into the air. It was not sent in the ultra-fluctuating frequency but in ultra-super-fluctuating-frequency. As it got to the transmission disrupter shield, part of the transmission was filtered, but the rest, which was enough to spell the end of Jupiter without the shield, traveled through the Ozone layer and towards Saturn where most of the weapons were still untouched and already charging with the initial segment of the attack sequence.

Hundreds of pods were dispatched from Jupiter towards the other planets like a fountain spurting water. Jupiter had obviously won against the interplanetary IDS warships and there was no need to hold the majority fleet back at its air space for defense. Jupiter was sending aid to wipe out whatever remained of the IDS forces on every planet and aid the respective ruling government or monarchy against the remnants of the intergalactic IDS invasion. The shield was still inactivated. It appears that Jupiter had no idea of the impending danger it faced.

The defense commander of Jupiter must have assumed that with the destruction of the IDS warship, there was no immediate danger.

He had, without a doubt, forgotten about the Jupitian Prince's warning— "Keep the shield up at all costs! Until I tell you that IDS is disabled."

Meanwhile, the pod dragon sped towards the input hole. It was getting nearer, but so was the sequence. Craning its neck, the pod dragons blew red flames at the replicated sequence, slowing down the latter ever so slightly. Craning its head forward, the dragon crashed through the input hole and with whatever was left of the tail, slammed the input hole shut.

Ken began to fall on his knees as he weakened. The roof creaked, threatening to fall altogether. An enormous chunk of the roof, bearing the weight of the mountain that collapsed from the launch site, was now crashing through the levels down at him.

It seemed inevitable that the whole chunk would collapse on him.

And the Jupitian was too weak to leap a distance that far to avoid the entire falling mountain top that had collapsed within itself.

Ken helplessly sensed as he got nearer to getting crushed.

Suddenly, a beeping sound came from the pod. The shield was recharged as the fire extinguished. A small beam of laser fired from the pod towards Saterina. Saterina leaped aside, dodging the laser but momentarily stopping in her psychic battle.

Seizing the opportunity, the pod pushed Ken away to the side of the platform.

The entire top of the mountain hit the reinforced ceiling above, buying them some time.

Swiftly, the pod split open and scooped the collapsed Ken into it as it sealed itself up again. Ken collapsed into the pod floor, utterly exhausted. Saterina turned to the pod, and fired her laser weapon at the pod. Countering, the pod beamed a concentrated laser back to meet the oncoming laser.

Gritting her teeth, she said, "Foolish pod. If the Jupitian prince could not hold up against me, do you think you can? I am powered by the psychic essence of Earth, itself!"