MENTAL ESSENCE
PAGE 156
    "Ho long before things happen?" asked Depet.
    "Thirty-four minutes," replied Trent.
    "Is that enough time to get something to eat?" asked Essanit.
    "If you hurry.  Then head south.  Depet, you head north.  Obtain weapons where ever you can.  I will collapse the tunnels and breach the wall.  Encourage those around you to fight with whatever they can find, and good hunting," said Trent.
    Trent strolled to a position where he had the quickest route to the tunnels.  The repair crew left the first tunnel right on time.
    "Ship is on his way.  Contact in fifteen minutes," thought Pace as Ship left the asteroid.
    "Ready as possible.  I wonder what tomorrow will bring to these beings," thought Trent as he looked around at the Commons and Laba milling around with their lives knowing they could be dinner for the Celder at any moment. 
    "Monitor 4545b just cut the power supply to the ships on the space station," thought Pace.
    "We will begin sterilization in ten seconds," reported OM.
    "I am heading toward the tunnels," thought Trent.
    As Ship began the attack, Trent collapsed the first tunnel.  All but two shielding fuses failed.  The Commons and Laba around the fortress began running in all directions.  The monitors OM had designed to laser anything that moved dissented on the fortress.  Trent collapsed the next tunnel which had many Celder trying to make an exit.  The third tunnel also had many Celder try to make an exit, but Trent used his shielding to crush them against the sides as he made his way into the fortress.  When he was inside the fortress he stopped and let hundreds of Celder enter the tunnel before he collapsed it.
    "This is quite the sight!" thought Trent with thousands of laser and particle beams flashing in all directions.
    "How about the two compounds with functional shields?" asked Pace.
    "On my way there.  The Celders laser and particle beam weapons are firing in all direction.  They do not seem to have guidance.  On the other hand, our laser weapons do, OM, next time program the monitors to exclude me from the target menu," thought Trent as he was taking several laser hits.

    "Okay," thought OM.
    "There is a lot of dust and smoke.  Give me an aerial link.  All right, I have a bearing to the two operational shields," thought Trent.
    As Trent walked through the debris and weapons-fire he found destroyed buildings and Celder bodies everywhere. 
    "I am at the first complex.  There are Celder firing laser and particle beam weapons at me," thought Trent.
    Trent walked up to the edge of the shielding.  The Celder continued firing for a moment or two, then stopped.  He passed through the shielding and the Celder jumped him.  Trent grabbed them one by one and crushed their necks.  After a few of them where killed the others began using their weapons again.  Trent casually walked to the particle bean generators and tore off a large piece of the frame work.
    The Celder continued firing until the shielding collapsed.  Then the monitors had clear shots.  Ship was there in an instant and began demolishing the structures.  At the second location the scene was mush the same.
    "Radiation levels are at lethal levels.  If there are Celder under the rubble they will not live long," OM thought.
    "Can I come down now?" asked Pace.
    "Sure.  Ship, bring Pace and the cargo ship to the space port," ordered Trent.
    "Acknowledged," ship transmitted.
    "Brining Pace here will take an hour or so with the jelling process," OM stated.
    "That is okay.  There is no reason for her to be five light years out.  Will her shielding protect her against the radiation within the fortress area?" asked Trent.
    "Yes.  However, it will not protect her against hand held particle beam weapons," OM warned.
    "Are there indications of such weapons on the space station?" asked Trent.
    "No.  There are three rooms with shielding that precludes scanning," OM reported.
    "Take me up there," Trent ordered.
    "Look what we have here," Trent said as he tore the door off of the first room and found a Celder hiding with a particle beam rifle.

    Trent escorted the Celder to the incinerator.  The other two held laser and particle beam weapons, but on Celder.
    "Gel up Pace, Ship is on his way," thought Trent.
    "Dune," thought Pace.
    Trent used his shielding to return to the planet, and Ship left to retrieve Pace.  Upon reaching the fortress, he made a quick run around the outside to locate Essanit and Depet.  He found Essanit standing over a Celder.
    "It had killed two Commons and was lunging toward another," said Essanit with a knife in each hand.
    "Have you seen other Celder?" asked Trent.
    "Hard to say.  This is the only one for sure.  It feels real good do this.  I will find more and more.  All of them.  All of them," Essanit replied breathing so hard he could barely stand. 
    "Have you seen Depet?" asked Trent.
    "He went into the city to find you," Essanit answered.
    "The radiation is lethal in there.  Do what you can to keep everyone out," ordered Trent.
    Trent then rushed back inside the fortress and found Depet laying face down with a knife in his hand. 
    "None of this could have happened without you," Trent said as thick smoke momentarily hid Depet's body.
    "OM, I am going to expand my shielding around the Data Center to prevent some of the radiation damage until you can arrive," stated Trent.
    "What about me?" Pace asked.
    "When I am sure there are no unpleasant weapons around," Trent replied.
    Trent waked toward the Data Center scrutinizing each Celder body he passed.   Each one of them had a massive laser or particle beam wounds plus intense radiation damage.
    "We have arrived at the space station," OM announced. 
    "One thing we must do is check for underground structures.  I do not want one of them to have a possible means of surviving.  I am on top of the Data Center," said Trent.