Star Knights

[JonPop]

This is a work in progress. I will submit the chapters as I write them. JonPop



STAR KNIGHTS




PRELUDE


The sentry sat astride his horse, the night was black and still. Nibs' smaller moon had risen and the larger moon was just starting to crest the horizon. He was staring intently into the blackness, his head cocked, trying to make out the sound that was off in the distance.

His world suddenly ended as an arrow lodged in his back. He slipped from his horse without a sound.

The world of Nib had been a peaceful place, in the genteel age of chivalry and Knighthood.
Now it found it's self embroiled in a war not of it's making and under attack by hordes of roving bands of rogue Knights. Many of their own Knights had been wounded or killed and they have put out a plea for any planet that had Knights with fighting experience to come and stop the slaughter.
They will not allow modern weapons on their planet as they do not want to be thrust into accelerated growth.
They had always been a peaceful people and their only violence, was in the jousting games. Their own Knights had great skill in jousting, but not in killing.




Earlier that week:

The King had, for the third time, told the baron that he would not deal with Chung, the leader of the hordes.
The baron pleaded with his king to reconsider as the threats were becoming more real and there were rumors of rogue knights being assembled.

The federation was desperate for the kings huge stores of Gallium. The other planets where this mineral was found had been stripped eons ago. Nib was the last convenient source for the fuel needed to power the federation terra-forming machinery.
Human expansion was desperate for new worlds.
The federation was forbidden to interfere by direct action and if the kingdom was overthrown, their supply would be held hostage by Chung.

The federation was willing to go any lengths to keep the source of Gallium and approached the King with an offer to search through history to find help that wouldn't compromise the directives.

[JonPop]

Sir JonPop came out of hyper-sleep a day earlier, at his request, than the rest of the Moderator Knights,
he saw that Sir Remek was also awake.
They wanted to do some modification of the plans with the federation team, before the others were awakened. All of this had happened so fast, that he was still having a hard time coming to grips with the whole concept, that the Knights of BetterMan and the PE Gym had been thrust into.

He remained still, in the chamber, on the advice of the team doctor. He was being hydrated and fed through a strange,(to him) machine. His mind was clearing fast and he started thinking how this strange event had come about.


Three months earlier, they had met with King Arthur and some very strangely dressed men, in the hall of the round table.
King Arthur had a very odd request. He said, "BetterMan Knights of the round table and the distinguished Moderator Knights from the PEG Kingdom .
These men have come from a very distant place and so they tell me, a distant time as well.

They have come seeking our help to fight in a war not of their making, but one which is of upmost importance to the furtherance and expansion of humanity.
They have brought our two Kingdoms together as a select group because of our special skills and courage.

The BetterMan Knights that have been selected to fight in this crusade are:

Sir JonPop, Sir Sonic Celt, Sir Bret, Sir Stud, Sir Uberschwanz and Sir Marty.

The Moderator Knights from the kingdom of PEG are:

Captain, Sir Remek, Sir Iguana and Sir Stillwantmore.

The team has been purposely, kept small, as you will be for the most part, advisors and teachers.
I know that the concept of fighting a war on a far distant planet, one that you could not see on the clearest night, is something that you have been talking about amongst yourselves for the past several days.
All of you have been chosen for your special talents and as space is limited in the vessel that conveys you, they have specified the size of the team of Knights."


The rewards that they are offering are riches beyond belief and will assure the continuance of the Kingdoms of BetterMan and PEG for ages to come.

[JonPop]

The Knights were given 3 days to spend time with family or to make last arrangements.

As the day arrived to go to the waiting craft, that was to take them on an amazing adventure, the Knights assembled one last time at the round table. King Arthur spoke from the heart as he asked the Lord to bless and protect his comrades.

The Knights were in awe of the craft but were given little time to even think. They were given a short briefing by Doctor Sweety about suspended animation sleep and after being given an injection, were placed in their individual pods.

[JonPop]

The Knights, upon awakening, had all been asked to assemble in the cargo hold of the craft.
This was the only area large enough for them and the four federation team members to meet as a group.

Sir Uberschwanz was fascinated with the wall of the cargo hold, he would press his hand against the metal and it was soft and resilient to the touch. When he would remove his hand, the impression of his hand would remain for a few seconds.
He asked a man, nick named 'Hot Rod', the ships engineer, what strange metal this was.
He laughed and said, "Sir Uberschwanz, this is not metal, in the way that you understand metal. This is a living organism. The entire ship is grown, not manufactured. I can't explain the process any further, because there are no terms you would understand in the Old English that you speak.

The Captain of the craft, Captain Slanker, said, "May I have your attention please," and paused.

"Sir JonPop and Sir Remek have extensively gone over the rules that must be adhered to when you are set down upon the planet of Nib.
All of your armor and weapons have been transported with you and you will have mounts awaiting you at the site. You will be escorted to the King and be assigned quarters."

He continued, "King Robert the XXVII, is the sole ruler of the planet Nib. This is how it has always been and until recently, the line of Robert has never been challenged. The planet has enjoyed peace and prosperity for thousands of years under their guidance.

Now, the rule is being challenged by a rebel named Chung. He seeks to gain control of the Gallium deposits that have been the source of income for King Roberts and his people.
The King has always been paid a fair price for the mineral, from the Federation, but with the impending scarcity, Chung sees this as a way to gain control and charge any price that he wants. He knows that the Federation is desperate for Gallium and would pay any price.
He has assembled a band of mercenary Knights that were trained by one of the King's own top Knights that had been lured away with the promise of great riches and power.
He is now in the midst of a revolt and only the strength of the castle and the strong city walls, has so far, thwarted Chungs efforts."

[JonPop]

The hyper sleep had been a blessing for the Knights. The three month journey would have played havoc with their minds. As it was, the last two days of deceleration were very upsetting.
Because of the spin of the craft, to maintain gravity, the only thing visible through the small windows, were streaks of light that seemed to envelope the blackness.
The Knights did what they could to make them selves comfortable and stay out of the way of the federation team. They spent the time getting to know each other.

Captain Remek and the two Knights from the Kingdom of REM, were acquainted with Sir Sonic because of the Jousting games, that had been held in the Kingdom of REM.
Sir Stillwantmore, had lost a close match to Sir Sonic, in the final match for the championship.

The BetterMan knights were surprised to learn that Sir Iguana had been chosen for this mission because of his language skills.
He had the ability to hear a language, converse with the speaker and become fluent in the language, in a matter of hours.

Sir Stud and Sir Marty spent most of their time playing chess and talking about women. Sir Stud said, "I hope to heck they got some pretty women on this place. I'm so horny I can't stop drooling over Doctor Sweety. Hell man, I'd throw her down on a bunk and do her in a heartbeat."
Sir Marty laughed at this and said, "Studly, you are the horniest man alive. I'm sure that if there're any women that you can push over backwards, that ya'll will find them in the first hour."

[JonPop]

Sir Uberschwanz spent as much time as the crew would allow, in the nerve center of the craft.
He had pretty much glued himself to the side of Science Officer Kingpole, asking endless questions.

He was fascinated with the fact that there were no visible means to control the craft.
A command was spoken and it was carried out.
The flat surfaces, when touched, would bring up an image in front of the face that you could put your hand through.
Finally Science Officer Kingpole, tired of the endless questions that he couldn't explain, in any terms that Sir Uberschwanz could understand, had asked him to return to the cargo hold. He said to inform the other Knights that they would be landing within the hour and to dress themselves in their armor.

Sir Bret and Sir Stillwantmore begun removing the funny, white packing that the armor and weapons had been transported in and passed them out.

Doctor Sweety stuck her head in the hold and said, "We will be on the planet Nib is just a few minutes... Oh, I see that you are putting on your armor. An envoy from King Robert is waiting and you will want to look your finest." Sir Stud said, "Hey Doc, ya'll always look your best, Wanna play Doctor?"

[remek]

Originally Posted by JonPop

He asked a man, nick named 'Hot Rod', the ships engineer, what strange metal this was.
He laughed and said, "Sir Uberschwanz, this is not metal, in the way that you understand metal. This is a living organism. The entire ship is grown, not manufactured. I can't explain the process any further, because there are no terms you would understand in the Old English that you speak.

Why do I have a feeling you may not be too far off from the future hear, JP?

[remek]

Originally Posted by JonPop

Doctor Sweety stuck her head in the hold and said, "We will be on the planet Nib is just a few minutes... Oh, I see that you are putting on your armor. An envoy from King Robert is waiting and you will want to look your finest." Sir Stud said, "Hey Doc, ya'll always look your best, Wanna play Doctor?"

Doctor Sweety, eh? You're not to far off here either (do I sense a little bit of telepathy, JP? ). Although, I'm not sure if she'll agree with where this is going.

[JonPop]

Dang, I'm good. Ain't I?

[JonPop]

Captain Slanker entered the hold and said, "Gentlemen, we are now on the planet Nib, what you observe will be both similar to your planet of Earth and in many ways different. You are all very experienced and Brave Knights and you will be expected to maintain dignity and honor at all times.

Sir JonPop and Captain Remek have briefed you on the rules that must be adhered to during your stay as guests of King Robert. Your primary function on this mission will be; recruit, assemble and train a fighting force of Knights to defeat the threat of Chung. In other words, you must teach these people that abhore killing, to kill.

The planet Nib had no need of an army, for thousands of years, as there had been virtually no crime.

This world was a showplace for tourists from many worlds and far away galaxies to come and be entertained in the ancient ways of Knighthood and games.
Many worlds had brought their own Knights to participate but none were professional and belonged to groups that saw this as an exciting chance to play "Knight" for a day.

The best of luck to you, Sir Knights. After you depart the craft, there will be no more contact from our team and you will be on your own with just your skills and knowledge to accomplish this mission."

Doctor Sweety, couldn't resist and said, "Good luck, Sir Stud," and gave him a big hug the best she could, through his armor.

The whole side of the craft whoosed open and a gently sloping ramp awaited.