George could feel movement beneath him, a gentle swaying.  His eyes were shut, and his eyelids were so heavy he couldn’t force them open. 

Where was he?  Was he still in the pod, flying up from the surface of the planet Uth?  Was he on the Glosh ship?  Or was he somewhere else?

“George,” a soft voice said to him, gently.  It wasn’t the singing voice of Uth, but was a familiar voice that he had heard many times before.

It was his father’s voice.

“George,” it said again.

Slowly, with great effort, George forced his eyes to open.  He found himself looking up into the eyes of his father.  There were circles under those eyes, and he looked worried.

“Are you all right, George?” asked his father, his voice full of concern.

“Sure,” George croaked, his throat and lips so dry they felt like sandpaper.

“Here,” said his father.  “Drink this.”  A glass appeared in the air in front of him, held there by a mechanical arm poking out of the side of his bed.  Slowly it dribbled some liquid into his mouth.  As it flowed into him, it left a path of warmth and strength in its wake.

“Where am I?” said George after a moment.  “What happened?”

“You’re back on the spaceship,” said his father with a gentle smile.  “You came back from the surface of the planet Uth yesterday.  You gave me quite a fright, returning in the pod like you did, looking as if you were dead!”

“The stones!” cried out George suddenly, trying to sit up.  He barely moved an inch.  He felt so weak!

“There, now, take it easy,” said his father.  “The doctor here said it will take awhile for you to recover.  Apparently it’s quite an ordeal to go to the planet Uth!”

“It wasn’t that bad when I went there before!” said George thickly.  “I wasn’t weak like this.  What’s happening?”

A look of concern crossed his father’s face.  “I don’t know,” he said worriedly.  “I hope you didn’t catch my sickness.”  His father got up and moved slowly around the side of the bed.  As he did so, George saw in shock that he was wearing what looked like handcuffs, that tightly held his wrists together.

“What are you wearing those for?” asked George, a cold fear gripping deep inside his chest.

His father sighed heavily, and hung his head.  For a minute he didn’t speak.  Finally he said, “You were right, George.  We shouldn’t have gone to get the stones.  Now the Grak have them.”

With rising fear, George said, “You mean the Glosh have them, right?”

“No,” said his father, turning slowly to look at George.  There was a pained look in his eye.  “I mean the Grak.  There are no Glosh, and there is no war between them and the Grak.  You were right all along.  It was apparently all a trick, so they could use us to get two more Uth stones.”

“NO!!” cried George.  With all his strength, he tried to sit up.  However, he could only move a few inches off the bed.

Tears stung in George’s eyes.  This couldn’t be happening!  To be captured by the Grak, and held helpless on their ship!  Worst of all, he had gotten two of the pure, innocent Uth stones, and practically gift-wrapped them for the Grak as a present!  How could he have been so stupid?

“It can’t be!” George repeated over and over.  “It just can’t be.”

“I’m sorry, George.”  His father held out his hand longingly, wanting to touch his son, to give him some comfort and reassurance.  But the reality of his sickness was too much for him.  Slowly, he pulled back his hand.

“It’s all my fault,” said his father bitterly.  “After living with the Grak for a year, and learning of their ways, I should have known it was all an elaborate trap.  I was so desperate to believe the Glosh were real, and that we could really be rescued!  I convinced myself that the danger signs you saw weren’t really there.”

“No,” said George weakly.  “It’s not your fault.  You’ve been through so much, being their prisoner for a year.  You’ve done the best you could …”  George didn’t say the rest of what he was thinking—that perhaps, the Grak had affected his father’s mind in ways he would rather not know.  Obviously he couldn’t be blamed for that.  There was really only one person to blame, at least as far as getting the Uth stones was concerned.  And that person was himself.

The door opened suddenly.  The same old Glosh—or rather, Grak—entered the room.  “Glad to see you’re awake,” he said in a raspy voice.  He no longer made any pretense of trying to talk in a gentle manner.  “What do you think of my little weakness potion?”

George’s eyes bulged in sudden realization.

“YOU!” cried George’s father in a frenzied voice.  “You caused his weakness?  You told me it was a result of being on the planet Uth.”

The old Grak laughed merrily—a laugh without humor.  “And you still believed me?” he chortled.  “No, for someone like your son, a visit to the planet Uth would give him more strength, not less.”  He walked around the bed to look down into George’s eyes.  Saliva drooled out of his mouth, dripping on George’s shirt, where it stung like acid.

“We haven’t forgotten what George here did the last time he had a stone in his hand,” he said quietly.  “Although he looked asleep when he came back in the pod, we couldn’t be sure.  So we immediately injected him with my weakness virus, and took the stones away from him.”

“You beast!” screamed George’s father, rushing at the Grak and pounding at it with his fists.  With one powerful move, as if his father’s arms were as weak as wet noodles, the Grak twisted him around and held him tightly. 

“Now, now,” he said in mock concern.  “Is that any way to treat the doctor who’s been treating you?”

“Treating me?” laughed George’s father hysterically.  “I’ll bet you’ve been treating me.  What drugs have you been using on me, eh?”

The Grak smiled, but didn’t answer.

Just then, another Grak came in the door, holding a small cage.  As horrified as George was at what had been taking place since he woke up, nothing could have prepared him for the shock of what was inside that cage.  It was Emberly!

“George!” she called out frantically, shaking the bars of her tiny cage with all her Flibbet strength.  George could see the terror in her eyes.  The Grak had destroyed her entire world, and killed her family.  And now to be captured by them, and held in a cage …

“Let her go!” cried George.  Summoning all his strength, he lurched up in bed, and swung around to face her captor.  The old Grak looked at him in surprise. 

George stood up.  He swayed unsteadily on his feet for a second.  He reached out a hand to Emberly—

And then he felt himself falling …

… falling …

… into blackness so deep it felt like he was in the center of the earth.

When George woke again, his eyes opened on the expanse of space.  He was lying on his side, and found himself looking out the window of his room at billions of stars.  The scene was peaceful and awe inspiring.  It was a stark contrast to the horror that was gripping George’s chest.

They were captured by the Grak!  His father, him, Emberly—all of them!  With all his heart, he wished he could go back to being a zoo specimen of the teddy bears.  That was heavenly compared to this.

How could he have been so stupid?  The minute he saw the Grak he should have known.  How could his father be expected to realize the trap they had laid for them, after the unthinkable year they had put him through?  But George should have known.  His mind hadn’t been poisoned by the Grak.  He should have run back to the teddy bears, and warned them of the danger—even if they did just throw him back into his zoo prison.

And the Uth stones.  Tears leapt to George’s eyes as he remembered the eagerness with which they had volunteered to come with him.  Their purity and power and goodness were overwhelming.  And he had delivered them to be used by the most ruthless of all creatures in the galaxy!  How could he have done it?  How?

The anger George felt welling up inside—anger against himself, not anyone else—was so tangible, he could taste it.  He yearned with all the energy of his mind that he could undo what he had done, that somehow, he alone could be punished for his stupidity, and that his father and Emberly and the Uth stones could go free.  Even if it meant he had to endure torment forever, and ever …

Unexpectedly, a strain of gentle music ran through his mind.  It came unbidden, from who knows where.  And with it came a thought, a distant memory, a voice.  “Do not condemn …” it said softly.  “Do not condemn …”

Who was it that he had been told not to condemn?  It was himself!  And if the Uth had known enough to tell him that—

George sat bolt upright in bed, surprised that he did not feel as weak as before.  The Uth had known!  They had known he was going back to be captured by the Grak!  Why else would the voice on the Uth planet have told him not to condemn himself?  It had known! 

And if it knew that, then …

George’s head spun.  It was too fantastic to believe.  But it must be true—it must! 

Of all the powers of the Uth stones that he had seen, there was one that he had never guessed, until that moment.  Why had it never occurred to him before?  The likelihood, the apparent reality of that power was now staring him solidly in the face. 

They could see the future!

Or at least, the ones on the planet Uth could.  The little stone he had previously returned from earth to the planet Uth in order to stop the Grak’s plan hadn’t known the future, George had to admit.  It had been just as surprised as he was when George and it were rescued from the black hole they tried to throw themselves into.

But the Uth on the planet knew.  They had told George not to condemn.   And they had told him something else!  They said to remember what the Ziphon had said … that a new sacrifice would soon need to be made … that things were not always what they seemed …

… and that in the end, all can be right!  That’s what the Uth voice had said!  That all could be right, if the right choices were made!

But the Ziphon hadn’t said that at all.  It had said nothing of the kind!  The Uth had added that on their own—because they KNEW!  They KNEW what was coming!

George stared unseeing at the stars sparkling gently outside his window.  The thin strain of music was still racing through his mind.  A gentle strength was rising through him, caressing his fears, easing his worries.  The strength of hope.

The Uth had known.  With their knowledge of the future, they had reassured George that in the end, all could be right.  It wasn’t an absolute promise, but neither was it a guarantee of total failure.  There must still be a possibility that things could work out, depending on the choices that were made.  There must!

Suddenly there was a gentle tug on his finger.  Stupidly, George stared down at it.  What on earth was going on?

There it was again.  He was alone in a darkened room, looking at the stars.  What could be tugging at his finger?  There was nothing near it at all.  It just had the Protector’s ring on it ...

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The Protector’s ring!  His communication ring!  George had forgotten all about it!  Why hadn’t he thought of it before?  Since it had only limited range of a few million miles, that fact it was tightening on his finger must mean the Protector was near!

Quickly, George pried the ring off and stuck it gently into his ear.  Almost immediately, he heard the Protector’s voice.

“George?” it asked worriedly.  “Are you there?”

“Yes, I’m here,” George answered excitedly, relief flooding through him like a river at hearing the Protector’s voice.

“Thank heaven!” exclaimed the Protector.  “Are you all right?  They haven’t hurt you, have they?”

“I don’t think they have,” answered George.  “They did give me some kind of weakness drug when I came back from the planet Uth.  But it seems to be wearing off.”

“Well, let’s hope so,” said the Protector.  “You’re going to need all your strength for our escape.”

“Escape?” said George, his heart leaping.  Good old Protector—he had a plan.  “But how are we going to do it?  And where are you?“

“I’m right here, on the Grak ship,” said the Protector.  “I’ve been here since yesterday, when they captured me.”

The smile froze on George’s face.  “Captured you?” he repeated stupidly.

“Yes,” said the Protector, sadly.  “When I went back during the night to the teddy bear house through my transporter, I found the place empty.  I searched frantically until I found a note hidden in your shoe.  I assumed the teddy bears had not seen it--you remember how they never liked the smell of your shoes--and I was sure you had left it.  It said your father had rescued you, and that all of you, including Emberly, had gone with the Glosh—your rescuers—to the planet Uth.”

“Emberly!” cried George.  “She didn’t come with us!  She stayed behind, to tell you where we’d gone!”

“I know that now, but I didn’t then,” replied the Protector.  “The note was obviously left by the Grak, to trick me.  And I have to admit, it worked.  Since I didn’t have a precise location to use the transporter to go to you instantly, I had to steal another teddy bear ship and set course for the planet Uth.  I got there yesterday—and was promptly taken prisoner by the Grak.   Since then, they’ve gleefully told me all about how they took Emberly right after you and your father left the zoo, and how they left that note, and threatened the teddy bears with destruction if they so much as touched it.  They also gloated about how they came to Uth, and used you to go down and get two new stones.”

“Did you bring the transporter?” George asked eagerly.  “Can’t we use it to get out of here?”

“I wish we could,” said the Protector sadly.  “I did bring it with me on the teddy bear ship I stole.  But the instant I realized I was being captured by the Grak, I destroyed it.  Transporter technology is something they don’t have yet.  If they had captured it, they would have gained far more power than we want to give them.”

“You destroyed it?” echoed George in shock. 

“It has a self destruct button hidden on it,” said the Protector.  “I hit the button before the Grak could stop me.  Boy, were they angry!  Until then, they thought they’d gotten a fine prize!”

“Without the transporter, how are we going to get out of here?” said George desperately.

“I have a plan,” said the Protector softly.  “We should be able to leave as soon as I know where you and your father and Emberly are.  Do you know what rooms they’re in?”

“Not exactly,” said George sadly.  “My father’s room was across the open area, but I don’t know if he’s still there.  I don’t know where Emberly is at all.”

“Well, we’ve got to find them,” said the Protector.  “I’ve got a can of that obedience spray that the teddy bears used on us.  Once I know where everyone is, I’ll use the spray on my guard, and escape.  Then I’ll use it again to rescue you and the others.  We’ll go to the teddy bear ship I stole, which is still being held by the Grak in their hold.  If anyone tries to stop us, they’ll get a dose of the obedience spray!”

“That’s brilliant!” exclaimed George.  Then a sudden thought burst into his mind.  “Why don’t you just use it to capture the whole Grak ship?  Then we wouldn’t have to escape!”

“I thought of that,” replied the Protector.  “Unfortunately, however, I don’t know how much spray I’ve got left in this can.  Maybe I could take over the whole ship, but then again, maybe I’d run out of spray before I could do it.”

“Then you may not have enough spray even to rescue us!” said George sadly.

“That’s true,” agreed the Protector.  “But hopefully I will.  It’s worth a try.  We have nothing to lose.”

George went quickly over to the door, but as he expected, it was locked.  “How are we going to find the others?” he asked anxiously.  “My door is locked, so I can’t look for them.”

“I’m not sure,” answered the Protector thoughtfully.  Suddenly his voice tightened.  “My guard is opening the door.  I’ll talk to you later.”

The Protector’s voice had been so reassuring, George wanted desperately to hold on to it.  But there was nothing he could do.  He would just have to wait and try to be as patient as possible.

He took the ring out of his ear and crossed over to the window.  The stars glowed softly.  They were so peaceful that it seemed hardly possible for things to be so bad while traveling through their midst. 

George turned, and sat down on the bed to wait.  Each minute seemed like an eternity.  Had the Protector decided to use the spray now?  Was he trying to find Emberly and his father?  Or had he decided to wait, until a better opportunity?

Minutes passed.  There was no sound or movement outside the door that George could tell.  It looked like the Protector must have decided to wait.

George’s eyes began to droop.  It seemed ironic that he could be so excited, yet feel so sleepy at the same time.  Maybe it was an after effect of the weakness drug the Grak had given him.

Suddenly there was a gentle knock on the door.  George leapt up, and by the time he had reached it, the door was open.  On the other side was a swarthy looking man and his father!

The strange man held his finger to his lips for silence.  “I’ve used the spray on just two guards so far,” he whispered.  “We’ve been lucky.  But the can feels very light.  I don’t think there’s much left.”

“Are you the Protector?” George whispered in surprise.

“Yes, sorry I didn’t tell you,” replied the Protector.  “I changed my appearance as soon as I got back to earth.  Anyway there’s no time to talk more now.  Let’s go to the teddy bear ship and get out of here!”

“What about Emberly?” asked George worriedly.

“What about me?” came a sudden voice from the Protector’s pocket, a little louder than it should have been.  Emberly suddenly poked her head up out of the pocket.

“You got her!” said George happily. 

“Yes, your father knew where she was,” said the Protector.  “Now let’s be as quiet as possible.  Follow me.”  He went out the door and moved quickly to a nearby hall, then darted down it.  George and his father followed as quietly as they could.  Thankfully, there were no Grak in sight.

The Protector stopped at the end of the hall.  Cautiously, he poked his head around the corner.  “All clear,” he whispered, then took off down the hall to the right.

They had just reached a staircase when a Grak unexpectedly came out of a door at the foot of the stairs.  It’s black, unfriendly eyes opened wide at seeing the Protector, George and his father.  But before he could cry out or do anything, the Protector let him have a dose of the spray right in his face.

The Grak staggered back, clutching at the wall.  “You will not yell or say anything!” commanded the Protector.  They could see the Grak open his mouth, trying to speak, but nothing came out.

“You will sit down on the floor, close your eyes and go to sleep, not waking up for two hours,” said the Protector.

Instantly, the Grak sat down on the floor and was asleep.

“That stuff is amazing!” said George’s dad in wonder.

The Protector didn’t reply.  He was bounding up the steps two at a time, beckoning for the others to quickly follow him.  They were spiral stairs, which wound around in a circle.  At the top was a door.  The Protector waited for George and his father to catch up to him, then whispered, “I’m almost positive the teddy bear ship is on the other side of this door.  I remember from when I was captured.”

He then passed his hand over the wall, to activate the door opener.  The door popped open.  And three Grak were standing there facing them!  Their mouths stretched into smiles of cruelty and spite.

“Going somewhere?” said the one in the middle arrogantly.  "We heard every word you said to this stupid boy, about your plan to  escape.  We knew you would come here--"

Before they could say more, the Protector let them have it with the spray.  But after only spraying two of them, the can sputtered.  The spray was running out!

“Sit down and go to sleep!” commanded the Protector to the two Grak who had received the spray.  They instantly sat and were asleep.  But their comrade wasn’t!  He pulled a wicked looking object from his belt, which appeared to be a gun or blaster of some sort.

“Oh, no you don’t!” he cried.

Desperately, the Protector shook the can and tried to get more spray out of it.  Only a tiny cloud came out!

The remaining Grak smiled wickedly.  “Looks like your luck just ran out!” he said harshly, as he raised his blaster to point straight at the Protector’s chest!