The Adventures of the Idea Seekers: Sarillion's Struggle for Freedom, Ch. 1

8/14/2019 The Adventures of the Idea Seekers: Sarillion's Struggle for Freedom, Ch. 1

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ADVENTURESTHE

OF THEADVENTURES

THE

OF THE

Sarillions Struggle for FreedomBy Jorian Clarke

TM


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Copyright 2002-2005 by Jorian Clarke

THE ADVENTURES OF THE

IDEA SEEKERS: SARILLIONS

STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM

JORIAN CLARKE

COPYRIGHT 2002-2005


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The Adventures of the Idea Seekers:Sarillions Struggle for Freedom

Copyright 2002-2005 by Jorian Clarke i

Table of ContentsCHAPTER 1 SPEC AND TRA ANSWER THE CALL FOR HELP.................................... 1

CHAPTER 2 THE RESCUE OF PRINCESS KIMMA....................................................... 23

CHAPTER 3 THE CHASE FROM SARILLION................................................................ 44

CHAPTER 4 KIMMA LEARNS ABOUT THE DARKNESS............................................. 54

CHAPTER 5 IN THE SPACESHIP FOR THE TRIP TO BLAYCOR.............................. 66

CHAPTER 6 THE IDEA SEEKER COUNCIL MEETING ON RITHU.......................... 83

CHAPTER 7 THE GANG ON EARTH................................................................................. 95

CHAPTER 8 THE DETOUR................................................................................................ 107

CHAPTER 9 THE GANGS IDEA SEEKER TRAINING BEGINS................................ 118

CHAPTER 10 - THE DARKNESS BEGINS HIS HUNT..................................................... 129

CHAPTER 11 KIMMA DISCOVERS HER POWERS..................................................... 148

CHAPTER 12 THE COUNCIL FINALIZES THEIR PLAN............................................ 158

CHAPTER 13 THE TRIP TO VONTA FOR KIMMAS TRAINING............................. 168

CHAPTER 14 THE ADVANCE ON SARILLION............................................................ 182

CHAPTER 15 THE QUEST CONTINUES......................................................................... 200


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Copyright 2002-2005 by Jorian Clarke 1

Chapter 1Spec and Tra Answer the Call for Help

Ha, try that move, called out Tra as she rode her Hovercraft like a floating, jet-

propelled skateboard through the swamp forest obstacle course. Youll never catch me

and recover your notebook now bright boy. She banked hard to the left to avoid a sharp

spiked Teka plant and then dropped to a crouch as she went under a large knobby root of

a Banti tree. She was speeding along so fast even the birds didnt have time to fly away.

Her brother Spec was flying fast behind her trying to catch up.

He had learned after many years of rough and tumble hide-and-go-seek, that his

only hope to recapture his treasure was to out-think Tra, not out-run her. He pulled up

sharply to avoid a gas explosion from the swamp muck and continued up through the

forest branches until a clearing ahead allowed him to speed fast enough to almost catch

up to his sister below.

Tra paused and started circling an enormous boulder trying to get a fix on his

position. She jumped onto a large leaf pad of a Banti tree and bounced up and down on

it like a trampoline tossing Specs notebook nimbly from one hand to the other. She

knew if he could see her and the way she was tossing his electronic notebook around it

would drive him nuts and make him come out of hiding.


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Whats the matter Spec? challenged Tra in a loud voice to make sure Spec

would hear her. Guess you didnt really need your plan notes after all, huh?

At that Spec made his move and dove straight down from above and plucked the

notebook from the air in front of Tra. He also made a grab and got her Cloud fighting

Taser Pod from her armband before he sped off. A Taser Pod is like a flashlight and a

Cloud shrinking weapon all in one.

Well done brother, she applauded and somersaulted herself in the air using the

leafs bounce like a catapult. As she flew forward catching a tree branch with a

gymnastic high bar circle spin, she whistled for her Hovercraft. It sped up in time for her

to land upright on it and continue the chase through the swamp.

Spec allowed her to catch up to him so he could try to talk some sense into her.

Tra, enough practice now, we really must get going. All the plan entries are in

my electronic notebook and there is only one more thing I must do.

Okay, I agree, we can quit for now. After all we do have a rescue to do. But you

must admit this practice is good. You were on to me much faster than the last time I took

your plans. A few more attacks on your stuff and Ill have you flying like a Whydinfey

race rider! I too have one more thing to do before we leave. I must pick up some

Wannoo root for my kitty before we head out. And before he could reply, she darted off

to go deep into the dark swamp forest.

Tra, he called out. What about your Taser pod? Youll need it in the swamp to

protect yourself. He reached down to get it out of his belt and his hand found nothing.

That Tra, she was so quick she had taken her Cloud fighting Taser pod back without him

even noticing her touch.

Spec and Tra had lived their whole lives on the planet Machoo. They were like

other kids in their village, always interested in adventure and eagerly working to go up a

level as Idea Seekers the group working to fight the Darkness of Dumbness and his evil

Clouds of Chaos. This meant continued learning combined with doing---constantly


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looking for opportunities to fight the Clouds and break the spell of Cloud sickness on

planets in need throughout the Universe. And, as anyone who is skilled at being an Idea

Seeker knows, the fastest way to get better at something yourself is to help someone

else.

That is why on that Thursday morning when they got the call to go to the aid of

the Pleethars on the planet Sarillion, they were more than anxious to get going. But

before they left, Spec wanted to hear one more time about their own peoples success in

fighting the Darkness and his workers of evil, the Clouds of Chaos.

Tra, he called out to his twin 14-year-old sister in case she could still hear him.

Before we leave for Sarillion, I want to go talk to Grandfather.

He wanted to hear again about the struggle for clear thinking. He was sure that

if he just knew enough, he could come up with the right plan of action. So he went to find

his Grandfather to ask him to tell the story again about how their people, the DotComs of

the planet Machoo, gained their freedom. As a Master Idea Seeker, Lahzar had been in

the great battle between the DotCom tribe and Greedy Cloud, the oldest Cloud the

Darkness had and one of the most effective in hazing planets into darkness. He had

been working his tricks on the DotComs for years and many of them had come under his

control. And even though their planet wasnt Cloud darkened, Grandfather could see the

haze returning on some of the DotComs and knew the battle for freedom was not yet

complete.

When Greedy Cloud was at his strongest on Machoo, he had many of the people

leaving the old ways of sharing, taking only what they required for their immediate needs,

and finding happiness in being able to spend time with each other. He tried to introduce

the concept of hoarding things instead of giving them away. He also encouraged people

to focus just on working to accumulate things instead of finding a balance with how they

spent their time between work and play.


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As skilled farmers, the people on Machoo raised a crop of Plant Babies whose

special natures gave extra strength to Idea Seekers in their fight against the Darkness

and his Clouds. Plant Babies didnt look like the plants they came from anymore than an

apple seed looks like an apple tree or a coconut looks like a palm tree. Each of them

looked different, but what they all had in common was the ability to move, communicate

and help their owners do amazing things in the fight against the Darkness.

The most successful farmers had the pleasure of being able to give hundreds of

Plant Babies to others in need each year. Being able to give things away was a sign of a

great person. There was no money on Machoo. People gave things to other people

when they saw there was a need. In turn, they trusted that someone else would give

them what they needed if there was a time they needed help.

When farmers on Machoo exchanged Plant Babies with others not from their

planet, they hoped to get new ideas and new Plant Baby species that were different than

what they had on Machoo.

But recently, some farmers had become so clouded that they had started to

value holding and hoarding. This had slowed down their ability to trade with other

planets. Not only was this bad for the people, but it was also bad for their Plant Babies.

When in storage it was easier for Greedy Cloud to spread Cloud Sickness to the Plant

Babies until they went into a sort of paralysis and couldnt move, grow or help others. It

wasnt a permanent disability and could be easily broken when just one person paid

attention to them. But when no one cared, Plant Babies could become temporarily

inactive.

The people were also affected by Cloud sickness. In fact there were many

DotComs who had forgotten the warmth that comes from giving to another. Those who

were clouded stopped inviting friends over to have dinner and kept their Plant Babies and

other things all for themselves even when they no longer needed them. They started to

look the other way when someone needed something they had. They began to build


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important that it is ok to do whatever is necessary to get what you want. When you do

this, then you will be in the right group and youll be happy. It doesnt matter if getting

stuff means you hurt your friends and family along the way. Theyll thank you later and

want to be with you when you have lots of stuff.

Grandfather said these new behaviors were just the symptoms of Cloud

sickness, the dumbness state of mind where you live only for yourself and forget

everyone around you. The next stage of the sickness was numbness, where people

stopped feeling anything like joy, gratitude or happiness. Not only did they lose all

sensitivity to the feelings of others, but they also lost their own ability to feel.

The Darkness of Dumbness loved to keep people focused only on themselves so

he could do his job unchallenged. In his master plan, he would go through the Universe

and planet by planet, stop the sharing of ideas, drain the inner light of all species, end

kindness and creativity, and keep people from going out to help others. He wanted

everyone to do his bidding, and then he would be able to create universal darkness.

Spec asked with great interest, Grandfather, tell me again what you did to break

the spell so that we can use this wisdom in our fight to save the Pleethar people on

Sarillion.

My grandson, Lahzar smiled as he looked at Spec proudly. Do you never tire

of this story? I am sure by now you can tell it better than I can. And you have had similar

successes in your own adventures. You dont need to hear about mine.

What Grandfather said was true. Spec was a bright boy who had a way with

ideas. He loved to plan and think ahead, and was especially good at figuring out how to

use things in different ways to snap people out of their cloud sickness and the darkness it

brought. He was the kind of person who walked into a room and everyone wanted to

hear what he had to say but he didnt try to be the center of attention. He was good at

spying on the Clouds and especially good at shooting down their plans. Girls all over the


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Universe hoped that if they ever needed to be saved, that he would be the one to come

to their rescue.

On one of his recent adventures in another solar system, Spec had stopped a

crowd of Whydinfey kids on Zador from walking off a cliff to their death. They were

darkened by Sloth Cloud, the laziest of the seven Clouds of Chaos and an expert at

slowing peoples thinking and actions by making them feel lazy. Sloth Cloud told the

Whydinfey kids that after their hard day at school that they should take a shortcut home

across an area that they knew they werent supposed to go through. Everyone knew that

because there was a sign that said No Trespassing.

Zador was a planet that had unusual minerals that when mined and melted could

be turned into the most amazing metal. The people on Zador used this metal to make

very special spaceships. They had learned to replace the rock and minerals they dug out

of the ground with the casting leftovers and waste materials the garbage people picked

up. But occasionally the land that had this refill material would not be packed down well

enough especially if Sloth Cloud was around making workers lazy. Then the ground

would be unbalanced and would get steep drop offs where it was settling and shifting.

This is what had happened and it caused the road past one of these refill areas to be

blocked off with the No Trespassing sign. It wasnt safe to travel before being repaired.

The Darkness had told Sloth Cloud before he sent him to Zador, It is an

important part of my master plan to cloud Zador with sadness so that the Whydinfey

adults will stop building their special transportation spaceships, the Hovercrafts. If you

can get the inhabitants of Zador to stop working and do nothing, their special skill at

creating time shrinking, space-traveling Hovercrafts will not get passed on to the next

generation. This will keep the Idea Seekers from being able to easily travel the universe

and share ideas, which brings light to the planets I have already put in darkness.

I dont think were supposed to be here, said one of the girls to the rest of the

group. See the No Trespassing sign?


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It looks like a perfectly good road to me, replied one of the big boys. I bet

those adults just dont want it to be easy for us to get home. I want to watch the baseball

game on my View screen tonight and the longer it takes to get home the less time there

will be to see the game.

It was true that it looked like a regular road despite the No Trespassing sign.

Sloth Cloud had taken away the rest of the sign that described the reason for not

trespassing. What the kids didnt know is that a few blocks past the missing sign the road

dropped off steeply where the ground had shifted. Where there used to be a road, now

there was a drop off of about 50 feet straight down. The ground was loose under the

road by this cave in and would slide away when any weight was put on it. A fall from that

height could hurt even a full-grown Whydinfey. But at this point the group of kids were

already deeply under the influence of Sloth Cloud and no one was thinking clearly.

To save the Whydinfeys, Spec needed to wake the kids up from the Cloud

sickness haze and get them thinking again.

Ha, he said. I have a plan. Ill toss these stink bombs in front of the kids and

since they are hydrogen mixed with sulfide they will give off an evil smell like rotten

Zoonie bird eggs. This should make them wake up.

He swooped over the crowd on his Hovercraft and started pelting the road in

front of them with these stink bombs. The kids just kept walking, pushing forward in the

haze like they were zombies. As the stink bombs hit the ground some split open while

others squished apart as the kids stepped on them. What followed was the worst odor

you could imagine filling the air. It smelled like a combination of rotten eggs, three day

old wet socks and a really full dirty baby diaper.

Whew, called out Jether, Jr., one of the smallest Whydinfeys and therefore

closer to the bad smell coming from the ground. What are we doing here? he asked as

he held his nose and rubbed his eyes that were watering like your eyes do when you cut

into an onion.


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Must keep going, feel so tired. Cant turn back now, chanted one of the girls

who was repeating what Sloth Cloud was saying into her ear.

A few more kids in the crowd were affected by the smell and they stopped

walking so they could rub their eyes. They were coming out of the Sloth Cloud Sickness

and began talking together about turning around and going home the regular way. Those

who turned around were going to be safe, but many of the kids were still dazed and kept

moving forward to the drop off.

Nuts, groaned Spec. I thought for sure that would work. What can I do now? I

have to try to remember my Plan B. Spec always had a back up plan in case his first

plan didnt work out like he expected.

Spec shook his head and swooped over the crowd on his Hovercraft. He was

finding it hard to think. He didnt know Sloth Cloud was focusing his hypnotic powers for

laziness on him now. Sloth Cloud had figured out that it was Spec who was spoiling his

plan to hurt the Whydinfey kids and he didnt want to have to come up with another plan

because that would be too much like work.

Just then Specs Persistence Plant Baby named PreTee appeared on the

hillside.

Ya, didly, da, ya de da. And he cannon balled on to the bag holding the

remaining stink bombs. Spec, over there, the bamboo.

A foul smell wave came out of the bag and knocked PreTee Plant Baby out cold

as it washed over the crowd. It was so strong it made everyone stop for a minute and

hold their noses. Spec shook the final Cloud Sickness lazy cobwebs from his brain and

sprung into action. The smell that had stopped the crowd gave him just enough time to

get ahead of the first kids who were about to step off the cliff. He bent back some

bamboo over the edge and let go of it as the first Whydinfey boy stepped on it. It

snapped back upright and sent the boy flying into the crowd knocking six others down.


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Between the bad smell and so much excitement the whole group woke up from the

trance of dumbness they were in.

Yikes, said Jether, Jr. as he looked over the cliff edge and saw the deep drop

off. Sloth Cloud almost had us fooled. We would have been hurt for sure if we had kept

walking.

You have never seen a happier group of Whydinfey kids than that group.

Especially when they all looked over the edge of the cliff and saw what would have

happened to them next. They turned around and ran back home going the regular way

and told their parents about what had happened. Then the adults chased Sloth Cloud off

the planet that very day and the Darknesss plan to takeover and darken Zador failed.

The manufacturing of the Hovercrafts had slowed way down under the haze of Sloth

Cloud Sickness, but it quickly geared back into full time production within three days.

This meant there wouldnt be a shortage for the Idea Seekers around the Universe who

needed Hovercrafts in the fight against the Darkness and his Clouds.

The Darkness of Dumbness was still angry about losing the planet Zador to the

Idea Seekers, especially when Sloth Cloud was so close to having everyone doing

nothing.

Spec spoiled my plan that time, he growled. But never again! If I spot him

putting his nose in my business once more, he will wish that he had never been born.

The Darkness vowed he would catch Spec soon and stop him from meddling in his plans

for universal dumbness.

As a special thank you, the Whydinfeys had given Spec and Tra hovercrafts that

allowed them to travel space by bending time so they could leave and arrive millions of

light years away without using actual travel time to get there. It was a very helpful way to

travel since they needed to cross vast stretches of space to get to planets that needed

them and they often didnt have much notice or time to prepare to get there. In addition

to time-bending speed, their two hovercrafts could be combined to expand into a space


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very good against fighting the feeling mad sickness of Angry Cloud. Different planets

grow different kinds of Plant Babies. On the planet Machoo, some of the popular ones

grown are Confidence, Persistence, Charity and Patience. Plant Babies are helpful as a

visible reminder to think in a certain way. They help you find the qualities you need that

are always available inside yourself but maybe undiscovered yet or underused. When an

Idea Seeker takes care of their Plant Babies well and uses their help often, soon they will

find the qualities the Plant Baby shared will become a natural part of their lives. They can

find the quality inside themselves easily and go on to do more things without needing

help from their Plant Baby. Then it is fun and makes you feel good to give your Plant

Baby to someone else you know who needs the help it can bring while you look for your

next Plant Baby to help you in your new challenges.

Before Spec could continue, a blur of color and shape streaked into the room.

Spec! No time to plan. Must be off to Sarillion. Princess Kimma needs our

help, Tra called out breathlessly.

Even though she was Specs twin sister they were very different in the way they

did things. They both were athletic and skilled in everything from kickboxing to the

ancient sport of Waba fighting. But their problem solving approach was very different.

Spec liked to think things through and make a plan; Tra didnt make plans. Tra just did

what felt right at the time. She was as fast and as agile as a gazelle, and thats the

speed she liked to work at. Sometimes she almost moved faster than Spec could think,

and that was pretty fast! More doing, less thinking was the way she preferred to go into

adventures, rescues and just about everything else in her life as well.

Neda Patience, one of Tras Plant Babies, had her work cut out for her in trying to

get Tra to use her inner patience. Neda had just recently decided that she might need a

few more of her brother and sister Patience Plant Babies to help her get Tra to stop

jumping into things before thinking. That job was turning out to be bigger than just one

Patience Plant Baby could handle! When it came to doing rescues, Tras motto was


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bigger, better, faster, more. Much of the time rushing in to save others without a well

formed plan, worked out okay for her. But her approach could also lead to disaster and it

certainly didnt lead to good teamwork with others. Neda was grateful that her brother Mo

Patience Plant Baby was almost always near by with Spec whenever one of Tras last

minute plan changes happened and Nedas advice was ignored. Spec and his Patience

Plant Baby, Mo, always seemed to be able to set everything right again when disasters

happened. The only thing good about those crisis times, was Tra always felt very bad

afterward and then trained more with her Plant Baby Neda to learn to communicate better

with others.

While she needed to improve her teamwork skills, she certainly didnt need any

practice on her athletic skills. From the time they were in school, Tra had dominated any

sport that required having speed and coordination. Everyone wanted her on their team

because she could almost always out-run, out-throw, or out-jump anyone, even the boys,

except for Spec sometimes. While that made her popular on the playing field, it also

sometimes made her unpopular on the dating field, especially with boys who didnt want

to be second to a girl. Having a boy twin who was one of her best friends, was the only

thing that kept her from being totally frustrated with boys. But Tra never got down in spirit

for too long, because there were a lot of civilizations on darkening planets that needed

their help. And self-pity was part of having Cloud sickness, not part of reflecting light as

an Idea Seeker. Being an Idea Seeker meant you were always ready to help others not

just think only of yourself.

Tra was also known for her heart of gold when it came to animals, especially lost,

mistreated or abandoned ones. She would insist on fairness, compassion and justice

even when it wasnt easy to do.

On their recent adventure to Zador, while Spec was saving the Whydinfey kids

from dropping off the cliff, Tra was dealing with another issue. Grandfather had sent her

to safely close up an abandoned mine shaft that if left open could lead to more accidents.


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At one time it had been an emergency exit from the mine, but a cave in of the walls had

turned the tunnel into a deep dead end hole. The walls were so steep there was no safe

way to climb out if anyone fell in. Tra cupped her hands by her mouth and shouted down

the hole,

Hello. It echoed back hello, hello, hello.

Anyone there? she yelled down. It echoed back there, there, there... She was

about to leave to get some materials to close up the hole when she heard the most pitiful

little cry. She took her Taser Pod and shone it down into the darkness. Two gold eyes

glowed back and whatever it was moved and a shower of rocks went tumbling down to

the hole bottom.

Meow, a little voice wailed and Tra stretched out over the hole opening

balancing herself by holding on to her hovercraft. She needed to be able to see a little

farther in. Now in the light beam of her Taser Pod, she could see someone mean and

thoughtless had dropped a Zadorian kitten in the deep hole. It still had the rope tied

around one if its legs. The rope was caught on a rock ledge crack which was the only

thing keeping the kitten from falling all of the way down. The poor little thing was filthy

dirty, crying and hungry; she could see it was shivering with fear. Seeing Tra it got

scared and tried to struggle against the rope to get out of the light but if it did get loose

from the rope it would surely fall to its death.

Worried that it would break loose and hurt itself, Tra called out,

Here little kitty, kitty, dont be afraid, as she used the speed dial on her V-phone

to call her brother.

Spec, Im at the hole and I have to help get a baby animal out. I may lose phone

contact because I have to go in to the mine shaft to rescue it. Im going in to get it now!

Without thinking and before Spec could suggest a plan, Tra started her move to rescue

the little kitten.


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Wait, said Spec. What if the pressure of your weight as you climb down

causes a rock slide? Lets talk about the best way to get the kitten out.

But from the falling rock noise and then the dead silence from the V-phone he

knew Tra was already in the hole for better or for worse.

Oh man, he said to Mo his Patience Plant Baby. Shes done it again. What did

we just talk about last week in regards to patience and planning?

Tra had swung out over the hole hanging on to her Hovercraft like it was a

monkey bar. She started swinging her legs forward and back to get some momentum.

She was going to do a forward swing back flip to get herself to a ledge on the far side of

the hole opposite of the kitten and then use the force from her landing to bounce from

there to a 10 foot ledge that was under the large rock outcropping where the kittens rope

was caught. If her speed and the angle of her swing was just right, she could grab the

kittens rope loose from the rock and scoop it up before she dropped down to the ledge

underneath.

The kitten was watching her swing with its eyes wide open in disbelief. How

could anybody do that without falling all the way down? Tra did her back flip, landed on

the ledge and pushed off just as the rock broke into many pieces from her weight and

went tumbling down to the bottom of the hole. She grabbed the robe with her left hand

jerking it free and scooped up the kitten with her right hand before she landing safely

balancing on the thin rock ledge below.

There, there little one, youre safe with me now, she said to the frightened little

kitten. But Zadorian kittens arent stupid. It was glad for the company, but it looked at

Tra and then looked at the smooth rock walls and blinked its big eyes in disbelief as to

how both of them now were going to climb out. Tra whistled for her hovercraft, but the

hole opening was too small and it couldnt get down. It clanged against the edge, turned

and tried again tilting itself sideways, but even then it couldnt fit into the angle of the hole

opening.


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from trees to see them choke. Its not only kids, there are adults who get tired of their

pets when they grow out of the cute baby stage and need lots of exercise and training.

So they just abandon them in parking lots or throw them out of car windows on the

freeway because no one in the household wanted to be bothered taking care of them.

That just makes my blood boil! declared Tra to the Animal Keeper as she paced

back and forth across the room. What right does anyone have to hurt another living

thing? People caught doing that should get put away in jail and they should have to take

training lessons here to become sensitive to animals. What can we do about it?

While they were talking, suddenly Tras V-phone rang.

Tra, we have received an Idea Seeker call for help. Grandfather needs us right

away. Waving a big good-by, Tra jumped on her hovercraft and sped off.

It wasnt until they were light years away from Zador that Tra felt something move

and realized that she still had the kitten in her pocket!

Spec, I promise, as soon as I can, I will return to Zador and bring the kitten back

to the Animal Care Center. Tra said, looking as serious as she could to try to convince

her brother. But she couldnt help laughing as the kitten jumped to the table and finished

eating Specs sandwich in one big gulp.

Hmmn, Spec said as the kitten finished by licking his front paws and let out a

loud belch. I hope we will be back to Zador soon.

That was a few months ago and Kiku, as she named her kitten, was now a full-

grown Zadorian kitty. He was six feet tall when he stood on his back legs, with teeth as

sharp as daggers. He had razor sharp claws and the tip of his tail had a sharp spike he

could open and close when he was angry. He was extremely loyal to Tra, and if he ever

thought anyone was going to hurt her he would leap to action to defend her. But if

anyone was too close to Tra, he rarely had to do anything more than show his claws and

open his mouth to make them back slowly and carefully away. The roar of a full-grown

Zadorian cat is louder than a lion here on Earth. And the spike on his tail when whipped


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Kiku was also good at finding Plant Babies to help Tra no matter what planet they

were on. That and his dedication to Tra were the reasons that Spec finally agreed to let

Kiku stay on the spaceship and go on their adventures with them.

From that day on Spec stopped asking when Kiku was going back to the Animal

Care Center on Zador and instead started asking Tra when she was going to take him to

obedience training.

Anybody who protects my sister is ok with me, even if it does mean 40 pounds

of Scoo fish a day for Kikus mealtime. But I really wish you would teach Kiku not to

sleep on my bed.

You can imagine how hard it is to get a 400-pound Zadorian kitty with razor sharp

claws, big teeth and a spiked tail off your bed when he wants to be there. Even though

he didnt like it, Spec was almost used to sleeping in one of the guest rooms when Kiku

decided to camp out on his bed.

Tra was very successful in using her athletic skills on their rescue missions. She

could maneuver the spaceship in tight spaces; balance herself in places where even the

most nimble Machooian mountain goats would have trouble; jump over deep dark

chasms that most people would be afraid to cross using a bridge; and usually out

maneuver the Clouds with her fancy dare devil Hovercraft flying. She was also good at

disguises, being able to change her voice and her hair and clothes to look like someone

totally different. Her nimble ways and ability to move and disguise herself, made her

perfect at getting into Cloud territory like no one else could. Grandfather Lahzar couldnt

help but smile at her impatience to get going, he loved both of the twins for the different

approaches and skills they had.

Spec, this time I agree with Tra, said Grandfather Lahzar. You have no time

for this story now; you must make haste to help the Pleethars on the planet Sarillion.

Just this morning I received a message from good King Daveau. He said the planet was

darkening faster than they could combat it. Our Master Idea Seekers at work on Sarillion


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are helping to fight Angry Cloud, but they are outnumbered and are fighting a difficult

battle. Angry Cloud is sneaky in his practice and he has many people clouded to be his

slaves and do his bidding. His lies are beginning to appear as true now to many people.

Princess Kimma is unaware of all that is going on with the people of her planet and her

parents fear for her life. She is their only hope and if she falls prey to Angry Cloud, then

all Pleethars are lost and Sarillion will become a darkened planet. You must go and

transport her to safety. She will be going for Idea Seeker training on Vonta but she

doesnt know that yet. She thinks she is just going to a Princess manners training school

for two months on the planet Blaycor. Her parents havent told her yet what is going on

because they dont want her to worry about them and not leave the planet. She must not

loose focus and be kept from her Idea Seeker studies. When she is ready, she will be

able to fight successfully against the Darkness

Then Grandfather Lahzar turned on the star chart on his View screen. There is

a shortcut to Sarillion from here, but along the way you will find a minefield of space junk

that has been left behind by people from a planet called Earth who have been clouded by

Sloth Cloud. Instead of recycling they have just been sending their garbage out to space.

I wouldnt send you that way if the timing for the result wasnt so critical. You must use

your best Idea Seeker Cloud Hunter skills to blast through this floating junk. You have to

make sure that it doesnt put a hole in your ship or knock out your power system. This

isnt the best way to get you to Sarillion, but it is the fastest way. Based on my last

message from Master Idea Seeker Newah on Sarillion, you cant afford to lose any of the

precious time you have left to get the Princess to safety. Make your spaceship ready and

listen for your rescue directions to get her into hiding on Vonta. She must work to build

her Idea Seeker skills and then return to Sarillion to use them to save her people.

He had hardly finished speaking before Tra started blowing kisses to her

Grandfather as she was streaking away to the spaceship.


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Spec, she called out as she zipped across the room, I have the hovercrafts

converted to spaceship mode and the route to Sarillion programmed in. I will go start the

engines and run the departure procedure. Goodbye Grandfather, I know we will see you

soon when we come home to Machoo. Come on, were off. Spec, lets go make a

difference!

Heaving a sigh of frustration at Tras interruption, yet ready to be of help to

Princess Kimma, Spec went over to hug Grandfather Lahzar for the two of them.

Grandfather, I swear that someday she will leave before she even knows where

she is going. I doubt she has packed Sarillion food rations, identified the best routes out

of Sarillion for an undercover rescue, and doesnt even have blasters ready for the space

junk. Spec shook his head in frustration and let out a big sigh.

Be patient with your sister, Spec, smiled Grandfather, her energy and daring

will sometimes be the best plan that could be made. Now here, before you go I have a

special ocarina for you. It looks like an ordinary instrument, but with its different tones

and by the way you play it, you can wake people up from Cloud sickness and change the

shape of matter. Use it wisely though, because the Darkness of Dumbness can also

hear it and he will follow its sound to try and locate you. Your success has made you a

special target with him and he would gladly give up his work on darkening a whole planet

if it meant he could cloud you. Remember to not get lost in the problem but listen for the

solution and your heart will tell you what to do next.

Tucking his new treasure into his shirt, Spec gave one last look around, winked

to his Grandfather and he was gone.

With both twins out of the room, Lahzar finally let the worry show on his face that

he felt so strongly in his heart.

If only I could go with them, he said out loud. They are so very young and

shouldnt have to carry such big responsibilities.


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He wasnt sure if he was more worried about this mission for the twins or what

they would find when they returned home. A small haze of lies had appeared just a week

ago over Machoo and this couldnt mean anything good. He knew that part of the reason

Spec and Tra had been chosen to go on this rescue was their own planet was not as safe

as it used to be. And the Council of Master Idea Seekers couldnt afford to lose any

promising students. With the recent success of the twins, the Darkness of Dumbness

was even more determined to hunt them down. He had put an extra bounty on their

capture and he was sending more ammunition to Greedy Cloud who was already on

Machoo to be used against them.

Every Master Idea Seeker knew that the time of showdown was nearing. The

Idea Seeker Council had called a special meeting on the planet Rithu and it wasnt a

moment too soon. They needed to make plans and figure out how to stretch their

resources to transfer more support to Sarillion. Grandfather Lahzar was looking forward

to the meeting. His travel to Rithu would also give him an opportunity to gather some

other Plant Babies that he could give to the twins for help with their training. Advancing

their skills was the best way to keep them safe and happy.

Favoring the old way of Idea Seeker transport that all Master Idea Seekers know,

better than the best hovercraft or spaceship no matter how advanced the Whydinfeys

built them, Lahzar swept his cape arm in front of him and was gone.

The Adventures of the Idea Seekers: Sarillion's Struggle for Freedom, Ch. 1

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Transcript of The Adventures of the Idea Seekers: Sarillion's Struggle for Freedom, Ch. 1