Flidoring The Early Wars by Roger W. Hayes

it makesss me feel sssick to sssee him get all the recognition for being ssso insssightful, witty, and sssensssitive. I wish that I wasss back on Grazzznosss where I reccceived ressspect for the manner in which I follow the ‘Way of Peaccce’. Sssome day Lyemad will sssee everything collapssse around him, and then he will be sssorry that he criticccizzzed my devotion to the Flidoring.”
    Just then, a meteorite shot through the atmosphere burning a deep red color, until it fizzled out just before reaching the horizon. Tessslan felt that the Creator was affirming his thoughts and wanted to give him a sign of approval. He knew that the fiery streaks were an everyday event in this crowded section of the galaxy, but still he could not ignore the timing and it gave him a feeling of validation.
    Within moments of Tessslan seeing the meteorite, Bellmus, Lyemad, Antamus, and a host of other Wicterians all arrived at the landing site. After some short farewells and no outward display of emotions, they loaded into the Volkran. Tessslan and Lyemad just glared at each other inside the ship as Bellmus shut the hatch. Just about the entire crew was relieved to be leaving the crushing gravity of Wicterus. The ship’s infirmary had experienced an almost steady flow of ailments ranging from sore feet and legs, to breathing difficulties and panic attacks. Bellmus was even entertaining the idea of turning off the artificial gravity for a while once the ship was back in orbit.
    Bellmus watched out the window as the daytime sky turned to the darkness of space and the eerie colors of the Nebula, and ordered, “Lay in a course for Platon and engage.”
    Platon, the closest planet to Tamsek, has a scorched surface. Temperatures range from sub-zero, on the dark side of the planet, to over 200-degrees in the sun. A thin atmosphere prevents the even distribution of heat and forces the Platonians and all other life forms, to live inside underground caves. Small openings in the roofs of the caves allow enough of the Tamsek light in to grow lovely green gardens on the shores of small fresh water lakes.
    Huglam had already made arrival arrangements with the Platonians before leaving Furzon. The plan was that Tessslan would fly the Volkran down into a large cave through an opening just large enough to accommodate the bulky ship, with only six feet clearance on either side. Once safely on the ground the Ambassadors would rush into an adjacent cave via a maze of tunnels, to escape the extreme Tamsek heat. The large hole that would permit them to land would also allow the cave’s floor temperature to be dangerously high. They would have to make a near mid-day landing in order for Tessslan to see the cave walls well enough to squeeze the Volkran into it. Tessslan used the bridge monitors linked to exterior cameras that used normal daylight to guide the ship. A shadowy cave would not have been an ideal situation for that monumental feat.
    Tessslan was extremely nervous as he maneuvered the Volkran down through the opening. Lyemad felt a small bead of sweat running down the back of his neck as he watched the front window pass just inches from the cave wall. Tessslan had practiced tight maneuvers many times in the simulator, but this was his first real test of his piloting abilities. At one very critical point as the ship was reaching the tightest part of the opening, Tessslan let out a loud, “oopsss.” In unison everyone on the bridge gasped until he let out a little chuckle and said, “I am just joking with you.”
    Lyemad was perhaps more shocked at the display of humor than he was at the thought of running into the cave wall. The rest of the bridge crew gave out sighs of relief and nervous laughs. The newest member of the crew, Antamus, stood frozen with fear throughout the entire trip. Tessslan’s joke was more than he could handle and without any warning, he started scurrying around the bridge making small ticking sounds. It took both Bellmus and