Admiral Bethon had called a meeting in the council room. All his top officers were present including many of those who attended the emergency conference the previous day in a military capacity.

"Sorry to interrupt you, Admiral," Lieutenant Cratus said standing the doorway.

"What is it Lieutenant?" Bethon asked. "This is an important meeting you're interrupting."

"I found two of the Sora's crew attempting to break into the deep space communications hub just now."

"Why does that not surprise me? Throw them in detention and shut them down. I'll have to deal with them later."

"Straight away, sir."

Cratus returned to Hal and Greyla who were standing outside in the hallway, bound by restraining energy fields. "Follow me."

Greyla had been testing the strength of the energy field to no avail. "I heard what he said," she remarked. "What did he mean, shut us down?"

"You'll be placed in hibernation."

"Why not just kill us and get it over with," Hal said shuffling along behind them.

"You'll have a proper trial and sentencing," Cratus said. "Probably just a few years of detention. I doubt you will get the death sentence."

“We don't have a few years. We're facing a death sentence as we speak, Lieutenant" Hal said.

"What do you mean?" Cratus asked.

"The demon," Greyla said. "We can't help in the fight if we're locked up."

"The war council will handle the situation," Cratus said.

"Why does that not reassure me?" Hal asked. "Widhbo tells me you had no plan until he came up with it."

"Let it go, Hal. You're not helping our case by aggravating the Lieutenant, " Greyla said. "Perhaps I could work out my sentence as an empath."

"Perhaps. That will be up to the admiral," Cratus said. He led them deeper amidships to a door labeled ‘Debriefing Room’.

“What were the two of you doing in the vaults?"Cratus asked.

"Planning to shut them down and take over the ship. What else?" Hal replied.

Cratus stopped and whirled around to look at him. "Telling the bare truth usually lightens the sentence. We may find you to be an exception."

"The Admiral isn't a big fan of mine anyway," Hal remarked. "I don't expect any mercy from him.".

The warning bell, which was getting all too familiar, sounded again. They were jarred off their feet as something impacted the shields. The power flickered and the ship went to emergency backup with only dim lights in the corridor. The speaker system came on with a message, "All officers report to the bridge. Level one alert!"

Cratus left them alone in the corridor to report for duty. A minute later the restraining fields flickered and and died. Hal grabbed Greyla's arm and pulled her after him as he took off. They ran until they came to a stairwell and went down to a lower level.

"Hal, what are we doing? It's only a matter of time until they catch us," Greyla said.

"They seem a little preoccupied at the moment."

"It looks like we've been attacked again,” Greyla agreed.

“Yeah. I can't tell if we warped again or not. I have to wonder why they never return fire, “ Hal mused. Another impact struck, jarring them again. "We need to disappear, Greyla. Do you know how to fragment, like Etaine?"

"I don't. Hal, this is crazy! Our programs could collapse at any moment," Greyla said. "I guess they preserve power to the grid in this area of the ship or we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Let's see if we can find some out of the way place until I can teach you some techniques. It's how we survived on the Sora. This can't be worse than that." Hal tested the next door they came to and found it opened into what appeared to be a large storage room. They slipped inside unnoticed.

"Now what?" Greyla asked.

"Now you learn to fragment."

"I've got a better idea. Why don't I wait here while you slip around and find out what's going on?" Greyla said. "I will explore this situation in my own way."

"You're a survivor, Greyla. Don't forget that. Here's a copy of my worm program if you should need it. I'll be back as soon as I can.” Hal opened the door, fragmented and went back into the corridor, sliding along the wall to the ceiling.

Greyla closed the door and tried stretching her mind to see if the devourer was any closer. She could feel him, but he was still far out in space. This problem was closer. She could sense another sort of enemy. It didn't have the darkness or evil presence she expected. She sensed panic and confusion, but it was hard to distinguish if the emotions she felt were from the crew of the Moz Lidule or another entity. She probed further and detected an alien presence apart from the Moz Lidule. She sensed pain and suffering. It wasn't the devourer.

***

Hal decided to retrace their steps. The officers had all been called to the bridge. It was the perfect time to slip into the council room unnoticed. He was certain they would return and he wanted to know more about the war council proceedings. He slid through the open door and found a flat area on the ceiling that would give him a good view of the room. He had learned from Etaine how to maintain vision by spreading out over a smooth surface. The warning siren sounded. Hal gripped the ceiling and encoded his program to the ceiling grid before the power was diverted to warp drive. When the power returned, Hal checked his position and waited.

Just as he had hoped, the room slowly began to fill as the officers returned. It was a far different site than he was expecting. The first three came in on all fours and were of a canine species with silver fur, elongated heads and sharp features. They talked among themselves in a guttural tones and clustered to the side of the room. The next group of Magitons were human, Lieutenant Cratus being the only one he recognized.

The next to enter were a homogenous group of long legged creatures with lean bodies and elongated necks. They had blunt snouts and wore vicious expressions. They were followed by a large bipedal beast covered in bronze hair with long arms and stubby clawed fingers. He wore an adaptation of the Moz Lidule's blue uniforms.

The bronze creature took the podium and switched on a universal translator system before speaking. "Admiral Bethon will be joining us shortly. Be prepared to present if called upon." Hal recognized Colonel Munaci's voice.

The door opened again admitting a reptilian figure which passed directly below Hal’s hiding spot. Even with his limited vision, Hal could see huge muscles rippling in the powerful legs as he walked by. The upper limbs had razor like appendages protruding at the elbow and strong hands with long digits that ended in menacing claws. There were protective scales that ran the full length of its back and dorsal surfaces, coming to sharp points. The scales continued to cover a large head which supported massive jaws.

When the creature approached the speaker’s podium and turned, the mouth could be seen to have carnivorous teeth with two lower tusks protruding outward from the mandible. Instead of a uniform he wore a blue sash across his torso decorated with medals.

“Update the council, Munaci," the reptilian creature said. Hal recognized the voice. It was Admiral Bethon.

"We've been in contact with the BakoNaat command," Munaci said. "They are blaming the Moz Lidule for the loss of their ship. We countered that it was in our territory without a Tor Sector permit and therefore guilty of trespassing. We accused them of looting the disabled vessel and added the charge of pirating. The BakoNaat of course denied all such activity. There was no point in telling them the truth. We didn't believe the demon story at first ourselves and as yet have no evidence to prove what happened.”

"What did you tell them happened to their ship?" Bethon asked.

"We left them to draw their own conclusions. Apparently their ship was deactivated so rapidly it didn't have a chance to put out a distress signal to the mother ship. All their vessels are all equipped with the emergency transponders and locators. They suspect we have taken their ship over and disabled its communication systems."

"So now we have to deal with the BakoNaat in addition to this devourer," Bethon grumbled.

One of the silver furred canines spoke from their corner gathering. "I want to propose the Garwolvens go on a little scouting mission. Let us define the threat and find how many ships they have brought here. We can lead them straight into the jaws of the devourer, warp out and let them discover the truth the hard way."

A general consensus was heard around the room. Hal was so caught up in the interchange, he lost his concentration and had forgotten to reset his grip after coming out of warp drive. He materialized causing him to drop from the ceiling and land in the middle of the council room, directly in front of Admiral Bethon. He found himself face to face with the lizard monster from hell which had torn Tajlon apart.

“Unbelievable," Bethon exploded, fully baring his tusks. "Lieutenant Cratus! Explain this.”

"Sorry, sir. I was about to lock them up when we were attacked. The power fluctuations allowed them to escape. I planned to locate them and take them to detention later. This male is the one I told you about."

Bethon approached Hal and lifted him to his feet using a single clawed digit, and holding him at arms length. "It was considerate of you to come to me. In a time of war I can accelerate the judicial process. State your name and tell us what have you to say in your defense."

"Halston Medantos, chief engineer and programmer of the Sora. I came here to see what your brilliant plans are, Admiral. To start with I have to wonder why you tuck your tail and run every time there's a conflict. I would think a ship like yours should be able to hold its ground."

"I asked for your defense, not a criticism of my military tactics,” Bethon replied.

"I have no defense. I am guilty as charged. I planned to disable the magiton vaults and take over your ship."

"Only a fool would attempt to sabotage this ship or think you had a chance of evading capture," Bethon said.

"I admit, it was a long shot. I talked Greyla into coming along and would ask you to go light on her.”

"Hmm. The empath could be useful and she's far more stable than Etaine. What about you?" Bethon looked at Hal, mockery in his voice. There was no hint of warmth in the orange reptilian eyes. "Apparently, you think you could run this ship."

"I could figure it out and would certainly be of use in fighting this war."

"You know nothing of our laws or diplomacy. Intergalactic relations have been strained lately and your previous advice to exterminate the enemy is not helpful."

"I know how to deal with combat situations well enough from my time in the service of the Royal Navy on Beldora, but I wasn't referring to a bunch of mangy pirates. The devourer is the real threat, don't you think."

Bethon loosed Hal from his hold. "We are well aware of the disproportionate nature of the threat. However, the recent blasts to our shields, one of which nearly penetrated to the hull, was the BakoNaat pirates. They are the more urgent problem and if not dealt with properly could spark another sector war."

"If you feed the BakoNaat ships to that demon, he will only grow stronger. You need to starve him, not feed him,” Hal said. He adjusted his clothing paying special attention to the hole in Bethon had put in his vest.

"What do you suggest?" Bethon asked.

"I like Widhbo's idea. Lure him to the black hole in the center of the galaxy and in your great wisdom, throw him in."

"And how do you propose to lure this demon.?"

Hal grasped for an answer to satisfy Bethon and went with the first thing which came to mind. "Find something the demon hates. He'd follow it anywhere."

"And do you know anything he might hate?"

"I do. And since you can read my mind, so do you," Hal said, stalling for time for formulate a more plausible proposal.

Bethon laughed with amusement. "You overestimate my abilities. I could read Tajlon's because his mind was digitalized prior to his upload and far more evolved. Yours is like a bog. It could take decades to decipher. I haven’t time."

"What will you offer me in exchange for the information?" Hal asked. He stood his ground firmly and stared back into Bethon's cold, sinister eyes.

"Is that all you have to offer?" Bethon queried, fishing for everything he could squeeze out of Hal.

"From a tactical standpoint, you should make the BakoNaat think you vaporized their ship. Let them think you have developed a new weapon," Hal said.

"Interesting. What else?"

"I could maximize your power core production and stabilize the grid," Hal said. The engineer in his head was finally kicking in. "There's no need to shut down every time you warp or send more power to your shields. You could improve efficiency and prevent things like prisoners escaping when restraining shields fail."

The room was more focused and even the Garwolvens had started listening.

"Enough. I find you guilty as charged and your sentence is death," Bethon said, his jaw clenched in irritation. "I will however, suspend your sentence and give you a chance to prove your loyalty and worth. If you succeed, I will pardon you in full."

"That's a win for me. What about Greyla?"

"Deliver the empath to me and I will bargain independently with her. Each of you must stand on your own merit."

"Alright, but she can't be harmed," Hal insisted.

"I swear by the blessed ancients, I will not harm Greyla," Bethon said. A hint of eagerness was in his voice. "Now, what does the devourer hate?"

"Nova, Tajlon’s pet leopard," Hal lied. "Jejliard blamed Nova for influencing Tajlon and turning his son against him. In truth, Nova saw the effects of the demon in Jejliard before anyone else did."

"A leopard? Are you playing me for a fool?" Bethon practically snarled at Hal. "Why would anyone want a primitive beast who was nothing more than a pet?"

"Not just any leopard. Nova had his animal instincts, but you recall he was also enhanced with a processor chip as a cub."

"And where is this Nova?" Bethon demanded.

"He died on the Sora or more accurately, the demon possessed him and used him to kill off the crew. Greyla was one of his victims. Widhbo has Nova’s original files I believe,” Hal gave Bethon a crooked grin. “Of course, considering the politics on board your ship, Nova belongs to Tajlon, who now belongs to Lord Anakron. I suggest you speak to Lord Anakron before using Tajlon’s favorite kitty in the battle arena.”

Bethon laughed. “You should know that you are almost making a favorable impression for the moment. I like your candor. Bring me the empath."

"You should change your costume first," Hal chided. "Ladies can be put off by appearances such as yours."