altered time:

destiny in the Stars

A Novel

by Gerry Carr

Here is my 'novel,' Altered Time- Destiny in the Stars. It should be enjoyed by Dreamers (M/L), Candies(M/M), and Stargazers (A/I) alike. This story is probably PG rated; I tried to keep it about like the TV series. (Naturally, the creators of Roswell deserve the credit for the Roswell concept and pre-existing characters and any mention of events that occurred during the TV series.) Hopefully without giving too much away, I'll say that this is not intended to be a sad story (I'm a sucker for happiness); however, parts of the story do refer back to painful, and sometimes devastating memories, which are largely responsible for Max and Michael, now living on Antar, trying to figure out just what went wrong then deciding to rebuild a bigger and better granilith that will take them back to Earth and alter the timeline, which they have determined was skewed by Future Max's coming back, changing what should rightly have been a different future for them. They hope to bring Liz and Maria back to Antar, too. But what happens winds up being a lot more spectacular than they had hoped for or expected! Look for Alex to help save the world. Lots of surprises in this one, too! Keep your eyes open! There are 34 chapters. Comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism are always welcome. Hope you like it! Please let me know what you think!            Gerry

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"Altered Time- Destiny in the Stars"  -by Gerry Carr-

Chapter I    "That Haunting Past"

It was one of those warm, blue and rose-colored afternoons, and Max looked out over the Antarean landscape from the upper window of the spacious and comfortable living chambers of his palace. He did not see the pleasant dwellings of the nearby city, nor were his eyes enjoying the view of the calm golden sea just beyond... his mind was a million light years away from this pleasant Antarean summer day. As he stared lost into the space beyond, a gentle touch caressed him from behind. Max turned, smiled, and embraced Liz. Their lips touched... lightly at first... then passionately. Max pulled Liz more tightly against him, enveloping her in his arms. He felt her left hand run up through his hair, caressing the back of his head; her right hand was against his chest, as though to feel the beat of his heart. Max's heart was full and happy. Time, it seemed, could not encroach on this moment. Then the image of Liz began to fade. Soon, like the morning's mist, it was gone. A tear coursed slowly down Max's cheek... He was alone again.

"What good is all this!"

Max didn't care that he was shouting, his voice betraying the pain and anguish he had been holding back for so long... much too long.

"It's all so freakin' wrong..."

As if just waking, Max realized that someone was knocking at his chamber door.

"Enter."

"Is everything alright, Max? I heard yelling!"

It was Michael, Max's best friend, confidant, and General of his armies. Michael and Max had been friends since childhood, had shared secrets, knew each other's hearts and souls like no one else on Antar ever could. They were far more than friends and closer than most brothers.

"Michael," said Max hesitatingly, "Do you remember when Liz told us about being visited by a future me. You remember that the future me told her that she had to turn me away, because our being together would keep me from marrying Tess and that my powers and Tess' would both be needed when it came time to save the Earth, and that the Earth was being destroyed in his future timeline because I had married Liz and not Tess... you remember what I'm talking about?"

"Yeah," Michael volunteered cautiously, wondering where this was all going.

"Well, you know, of course, that Tess and I never married; you know why. And after graduation, Liz and I eventually got married anyway."

"Yeah." replied Michael. He laughed, but it was hard to tell if it was an amused laugh or an "Okay-spill-it-what's-this-all-about kind of laugh.

"Well," Max started rather slowly, cautiously, judging the effect of his words, "I think I know you better than anybody, and you know me better than anybody on this planet."

"Yeah. That's a fact," said Michael.

Max continued, "I've been noticing that since, well, since Liz and Maria haven't been in our lives, you know, there’s just no ‘joy’ in our lives anymore. We saved Antar, but what about our own happiness? Am I making any sense to you?"

"Yeah. I think you're making a lot of sense, pal. You know I do."

"Well," said Max, "It just seems to me that instead of saving the world, everything just kind of went wrong after that. Earth isn't even there anymore! Maybe future Max was right and Tess' not being with me was the reason Earth got destroyed. Maybe it was something else; but when our enemies destroyed Earth, everything you and I lived for died that day or was already dead: Liz, Maria, Isabel... every freakin' body! Cripes! You almost didn't make it out alive yourself!"

"Don't remind me, Max! I'm not likely to forget that if I live to be a thousand! Sheez! I almost didn't live to be 19!" Both Michael and Max laughed, but it was a subdued laughter affected by a long sadness of heart.

"I know! Sometimes, though, I wonder if we did ourselves any favor by escaping."

"Common', Max, I know how you feel. I loved... love! ...Maria as much as you've always loved Liz, and we always will, we both know it, but Antar wouldn't be here now if we had died there!"

"Yeah, we saved Antar," agreed Max. "Michael, listen, I've been thinking.... You know the granilith, the machine my future self used to go back and warn Liz to stay away from me, not to marry me."

"Yeah..."

"Well, think about this... what if we built another one, went back to before Earth was destroyed, and saved Earth... or at least Liz and Maria and Isabel... Do you think it's possible, Michael?"

Michael was silent. Max expected him to say that he was dreaming, that the past can't or shouldn't be changed, or more likely, that he couldn't put himself into harm's way like that. After all, Max was the king of Antar, and his whole future and the future of Antar itself hung in the balance. Max couldn't just run off acting with reckless abandon on a whim! Michael was ever-faithful, but he was also blunt, and most of all, he was very protective of Max.

"Do it! ... Let's do it!" blurted Michael, revealing far more emotion than Max remembered ever seeing in Michael. This sudden and seemingly uncharacteristic lack of caution caught Max by surprise... caution with Max's life, that is. With his own life, Michael was known to be reckless and bold. He was a good soldier... an excellent soldier... and an excellent friend. Yes, above all, an excellent friend!

"Mikey! What's that on your cheek?"

"My eyes are just a little... you know, these Antarean summers. I'm still not quite used to them... freakin' rose-aromaed humidity makes my eyes water. And don't call me that! You know..."

"Yeah, you hate it!"

Both of them laughed. It was a refreshing laugh, a heart-cleansing laugh that seemed to wash away some of the depression both of them had been holding in.

"Uh, Max, tell me you're not thinking of going back and changing history and marrying Tess to save the Earth!" said Michael.

Michael ducked quickly as all six pillows came flying in his direction from Max's oversized Antarean sofa. "Bite your tongue off, Michael! I said save the Earth! Some things are worse than death!"

Both of them laughed again! It was a good day, a fine day! Max breathed in the freshness of the Antarean rose-aromaed light misty summer breeze coming through his open window, and his heart felt joy, something he had almost forgotten. Michael felt it, too. Michael turned and walked briskly to the door. "I'll see what I can find out about the granilith. Maybe the plans for it are here on Antar somewhere. I think I know where to start looking, too!

------------------- End of Chapter I

"Altered Time- Destiny in the Stars"  -by Gerry Carr-

Chapter II    "The Trip Ahead"

"Michael, you're a genius! I don't know how you found the plans and got a team together to work on this and got it all done in just 3 months!"

"I aim to please, Maxwell! I aim to please!"

"It's hard to believe that less than 3 months ago our whole world was so different. You know what I mean, it was like I had nothing to look forward to, no plans, no hopes... But hey! Look at it! Just look at it! So this ship is going to take us back to Earth, back in time, and then bring us back here and back to our time again?"

"You got it, Maxie! Hey, it better! I'd hate to go to Earth and not go back in time or something... We'd just run into an asteroid field of Earth debris! But trust me, these guys are the best engineers and scientists on all Antar! You know that motorbike I got that can break the sound barrier in 14 seconds and disappear and reappear a thousand miles away in less than a minute, Max?"

"Hunh! Do I know! It's the only one like it in Antar! I don't think those longhaired shebble herders in the Chanesio Division will ever forget it either! When you came out of hyperspace or whatever the shifuzzle it's called on that bike of yours the first time in that mountain pasture, the royal accounts department spent a considerable sum to recompense those shebble herders for all the hair their shebbles lost!"

"Yeah," snickered Michael. "Well, I've learned to control it a little better since then. Cripes! Who knew that the wind rush from reentry would blow all the hair off of a shebble! That was an awesome sight, though, Max, a whole field full of shebbles, all of them bald as a newborn baby's butt!" Michael and Max both were laughing. "But the shebble manure market in that area was flooded with an oversupply for weeks afterward," Michael added.

At this, Max and Michael both collapsed in hysterics.

"Yeah, well, that was quite some gift!" grinned Max, after regaining some of his composure. "They gave you that bike for your work in helping to restore Antar's university system of linked science laboratories, didn't they?"

"Yep! Well, Max, you just saw the guys that invented that bike and built it. I'd say these guys can do just about anything they put their minds to!"

"So how soon can we go, Mister Genius, Michael?"

"Any time, really, Max, your kingliness," replied Michael with a bit of friendly sarcasm and a touch of smugness. "All our affairs here are taken care of. We can get a good night's sleep, have a good breakfast, and hit the road, as they say!"

"Awright, Michael! I've got to tell you, this is kind of awesome! I feel like… like we’re going to Disney World or something. I can’t remember when I’ve been this excited about anything!" Michael smiled and nodded knowingly.

It was 5 AM, a half hour earlier than Max had planned to get up, but he was ready as he would ever be and didn't want to wait any longer. As he walked into the dining room of the royal residence he found Michael already there.

"Couldn't wait, either, huh?"

Michael didn't answer, just poured another quarter of a bottle of Tabasco sauce on his Antarean blue hen egg omelet. "Next to Maria, the best thing about Earth!" said Michael, holding up the bottle. "Thank God and McIlhenny..." Michael mumbled with a mouth full of blue hen egg omelet and Tabasco sauce.

"What's that?" asked Max.

"Nothing. Just that I'm glad I had these cases of this stuff stashed away on the ship before we left! I would be freakin' in withdrawal now! We both would!" Both Max and Michael laughed for several minutes. Clearly, the atmosphere in the royal residence was a changed atmosphere, a happier more cheerful one all around. Even the maids, the cooks, and the other royal residence staff seemed more cheerful seeing Max happy again. It had been a long time.

Having finished breakfast, Max said goodbye to his staff, promising to return before they even missed him if their ship and everything worked the way it was hoped. But just in case, he left detailed secret instructions with his trusted Chief of Staff on what to do in the event of his failure to return to Antar. “I’ll put this in a safe place, Max. I’m sure I won’t ever need to read it,” replied his Chief of Staff, placing the neatly folded piece of paper into his breast pocket. Later, in his own chambers, he took the paper out and placed it on a shelf. Then he set the little Buddha statue on top of it.

Michael and Max walked together down the tree-shaded lane from the royal residence toward the nearest linked science lab, where their ship was waiting for them to board it for the flight. For a time, neither one spoke. As they passed a light blue and red-wine-colored pond on the right, Michael noticed a couple sitting under a shade tree kissing.

"You know, I've missed Maria a lot..." said Michael. "I can't wait to bring her back here and show her all the things on Antar! She'll freak!"

"Yeah," replied Max. "I'm looking forward to bringing Liz here, too. You know, Michael, Liz belongs here. She was such a great student of physics and science and space and all that. She just belongs here with me! Don't you agree?"

"I do." said Michael. "Maria, too. I mean, Maria wasn't all into physics and stuff or the honors science student like Liz, but she was, kind of, you know, a free spirit, a sort of explorer, looking to find her space. Well, now I can give it to her!"

Max chuckled, "yeah, but you're really going back because the Tabasco sauce is about all gone, aren't you?"

Michael grabbed Max in a playful bear hug, threatened to throw him into the blue-wine lake they were walking past. Both of them laughed as they acted like two high school truants skipping a day of school.

"That, too," added Michael wryly. "That, too. But I wouldn't trade Maria for all the Tabasco sauce on the planet Earth."

Max looked at Michael and smiled knowingly. He knew exactly what Michael meant, exactly what he was feeling. They walked on for a while, passing the far edge of the lake and the quaint little houses at the edge of town. They walked down the old cobbled Valdresina Street three blocks to Shebblefieldtree Lane. Four blocks down Shebblefieldtree Lane and they had arrived at the Jantoo-Bandy Science Lab, part of the Jantoo-Bandy University system. The door opened. Eight men in smocks stood inside.

"Come in," invited the elderly man who had opened the door. "Come in. We've been waiting for you."

"Thank you," replied Max politely as he and Michael stepped through the door to the inside.

It was beautiful. The ship stood in the middle of the huge hangar-like lab. It shone a bright gold with silver trimmings on the inside of the window's edges. It somewhat resembled a classic flying saucer in shape, but it sported multiple decks like a cruise ship. It had no landing assemblage. Instead, it relied on an anti-gravity lock system that held it solidly in place without any part of the ship actually touching the ground. The interior lights shone through the windows with a bright white light, accenting the silver interior trim of the huge fore window and the gold of the outer plating. The propulsion system emitted a soft purring hum. It seemed perfect in every way.

“It’s beautiful!” said Max. But it’s nothing at all like the original granilith.”

“New and improved, Max... not your father’s Oldsmobile.”

Max looked at Michael. “Michael, you watched way too many commercials on Earth. Didn’t your TV remote have a mute button?” Max and Michael both laughed, then they boarded without further delay.

"How long to reach Earth at the timeline we are returning to?" Max asked the chief scientist.

"We figure it to be seventeen days, three hours, twenty minutes, and three seconds, but that's a rough estimate," replied the chief.

"Yeah, right!" mumbled Michael to Max. "He means it could be three and a half seconds or maybe three and a quarter seconds..." Max and Michael smiled a knowing smile at each other. They knew that they could bet their lives on these guys... and they were! Once in the pilot and co-pilot seats, Max and Michael powered up the propulsion system to one third, enough for a gentle lift-off. One of the engineers pressed a button that opened the roof of the lab as though it were the astrodome (which it actually somewhat resembled), and they lifted their craft out of the hangar, up through the atmosphere of Antar, and off into the void of space. They were bound for Earth. Eight uneventful hours later, Max decided to get some sleep, and Michael took the pilot's seat. "This machine flies itself!" said Michael. I don't think it needs either of us." Max laughed his agreement and soon had gone off into dreamland.

------------------End of Chapter II

"Altered Time- Destiny in the Stars"  -by Gerry Carr-

Chapter III   "The Island of the Jah-ee"

Max was almost to the river. If he could make it there, he might be safe. The dense, deep forest of Nan-torel on Antar was not a friendly or pleasant place to be in the hottest part of the Antarean summer. In fact, it would have been downright dangerous even without Kivar and a few dozen of his mercenary soldiers close behind bent on putting an early end to Max's short life. He had been on the run for five days, hiding wherever he could in the deep forest, always staying one step ahead... just one step ahead. His body was covered with welts from encounters with the ever-present poison Guma plants that abounded in the Nan-torel. On three occasions, Max had had to fight off wild pawgors, a large, cat-like predator that hunted in the deep forest. At night, Max slept covered under deep piles of Ama leaves from the Ama trees. Not that he was worried about Kivar's mercenaries finding him at night, but this was the only means of protection from the bat-like rob-jeta that descend on any living thing in the night like flying piranhas. The rob-jeta can devour a shebble down to the bones in under three minutes, attacking the shebble as it sleeps. Fortunate for shebbles, shebbles ---and most people--- do not normally venture into the deep Nan-torel at night.

It was day now. And it was hot. If Max could get to the river, he might escape downstream before Kivar's mercenaries found him. Max hurried through the trees, jumping over logs, leaping nimbly over obstructions, occasionally looking back to see if he was still alone. That's when it happened. As he jumped over a large log, it rose off the ground several inches, enough to catch Max's foot. "Cripes!" thought Max as he sprawled forward and headed toward the ground. He had tripped over an inoffensive Wiffer, a large turtle-like animal that had decided to move just as he leapt over it.

It might have been a bruising fall, but Max never hit the ground. Somewhere in mid-fall, he felt something tighten around his body like a vise, and he saw the ground start going down... No, he was going up! There was no denying now that the vise-like object gripping his body was a talon, a bird's claw... one large enough to go all the way around Max's body. But no bird on Antar was so large! The only bird near this size was the jah-ee, also known as the lightning hawk, the last-sight vulture, or a dozen other names in various Antarean mythologies. But that's just what the jah-ee was: A myth! Max looked up. It was a huge bird, black for the most part, with a head like an eagle's. All the mythologies said that the jah-ee was black... but Max noticed that the feathers underneath the huge wings were a rainbow of colors, as beautiful as any parrot's plumage. Of course, this would not be common knowledge, as anyone who had ever seen the underside of a jah-ee's wings had likely just seen their last sight ever. Max remembered another fact about the jah-ee that most mythologies shared: its talons were hollow, and deadly poisonous... One scratch was fatal... always! No medicine, no herb, no cure known existed that could change that. As the jah-ee rose upward for the sky, Max reached up with his hand toward the treetops, and a large branch fell toward the bird, striking it on the left wing. The bird plummeted, with Max still firmly gripped in its right talon. As they hit the ground, the jah-ee lost its grip. Max got up to run, but he couldn't.

Pain… in my wing. "My wing? I'm losing it!" Max thought. "The poison from the talons has affected my mind." Max put his hand over one of the scratches made by the massive poison talon. A greenish light glowed briefly at the sight of the scratch. The scratch was still there.

Pain! Sadness! Liz!

Liz? Liz had flashed in his mind. What was that all about?

She's sitting at home with the children. She'll be devastated when I don't return. Sadness! She'll die. She won't leave the nest to eat or drink until I return to guard our children. Can't now... Wing... Pain... Broken...

Max sat down on a nearby log and shook his head to clear it of the poison's effects. He tried again to use his healing powers to heal his poisoned wounds, but it wasn't working. "I'm losing it! I'm really losing it," he thought out loud. Then Max slowly raised his head and reality began to dawn on him. He looked at the jah-ee. The jah-ee lay on its right side with its massive left wing outstretched. This one wing must have measured 30 feet in length, Max judged. And Max could see that either the tree branch or the fall had broken the wing near the middle.

Pain! Sadness!

"Yes, I understand now," said Max. These images and sensations in my mind... they're coming from you, aren't they? But how do I talk to you? Can you understand?"

The jah-ee did not respond in any way to Max's question.

"No. I guess you wouldn't understand my words, would you? You seem to communicate with images and emotions. Let me see..." Max closed his eyes and concentrated. He created a series of images and emotions in his mind: Liz... love... sadness... loss... danger... escape... enemies... friendship. That one was a little hard. How does one communicate the desire for friendship to a bird?

The jah-ee stood up on its feet and seemed to be searching Max's thoughts.

Help.

Max nodded. " Yes. I think." He approached the massive wing at the point where it was broken and placed both of his hands on it. The broken area began to glow with a greenish aura. After a few moments, Max removed his hands. The jah-ee stretched its wing out to its full length, then its other wing, too, testing the breeze under them. The jah-ee then folded both wings back against its sides.

Gratitude. Joy. Happiness. Urgency.

Urgency? Max placed an emotional image in his mind: Confusion!

Talons. Death. Scratches. Max. Death.

"Me? You’re telling me that I'm going to die?”

Talons. Death. Scratches. Max. Death. Waterfall.

Max again responded with "Confusion."

Fly. River. Waterfall. Scratch. No scratch. Urgency.

The poison was beginning to affect Max significantly now, and he was having trouble thinking, much less communicating. He tried to stand up but it was impossible. He could not move a single muscle. The world around him began to spin and then everything faded to black.

When Max awoke, he found himself again in the claw of the jah-ee, and the jah-ee was flying high above the golden sea... on its way to feed him to its babies he guessed. Oh well, nothing he could do about it now. Max was totally unable to move so much as a little finger. This poison was powerful. Two little scratches! That's all he had received from the jah-ee's talons. And he was totally paralyzed. Max relaxed his mind and determined that at least he would die without fear. He was unable to speak or move and could not form a coherent image in his brain. Max could only watch as they flew across the golden sea and later across an island... then another island... and two more. Finally, the jah-ee began to descend toward a far away island on the horizon. As they approached the shore, Max saw the beach, then trees, then a large plain. At the far end of the plain, the jah-ee alit upon the branch of a very large tree. And a very large tree it was, too! In fact, Max noticed that all around them there was a forest of these trees... massive trees that reached hundreds of feet into the sky above.

"I'm in the claw of a giant bird on the limb of a giant tree at least 300 feet above the ground! Totally paralyzed and about to be eaten." Max tried to laugh... but he couldn't even do that. His giddy mind saw humor in the ridiculous situation he was in. The jah-ee moved toward a large hole in the tree near the branch it had landed on. Then it went inside, carrying Max in its claw. Leaping into the void inside the tree, the jah-ee folded its wings and dived straight down. "Awwww-riiiight! thought Max, giddily! Roller coaster!" But it seemed like it took a bit long to drop to the bottom, even if they were 300 feet up. They continued to plummet for what must have been close to a whole minute. Suddenly, the inside of the tree shaft disappeared and the ground opened up below into a giant cavern. As the jah-ee dropped into the cavern, it spread its wings out to their full majestic span and settled into a graceful glide above a small sea. Max could not see the ends of the cavern. There was a whole world here... a whole different world. They were underneath the island of the jah-ee. As the jah-ee swooped gracefully across the underground sea and arrived at the far side, it flew toward a large cliff. On the edge, near the top of the cliff, was its nest. A nest as big as a house! And its mate was there with three baby jah-ees hungrily bobbing their heads up and down.

"Supper time, children! Come and get me!" Max tried to say, laughing giddily. But he could only think it. He couldn't even form a coherent picture in his head now. The jah-ee did not stop at its nest, though. It flew right over it and on about another thousand yards to the edge of a high underground cataract. Perching deftly, as though it weighed no more than a feather, on a ledge of the cliff by the waterfall, the jah-ee released Max from its claw and nudged him toward the edge. Max felt the water splashing on his face. Soon, he felt it on the rest of his body, too. At first, this seemed insignificant, until he realized that moments before, he had been unable to feel anything. The water was counteracting the jah-ee's poison!

Max may have lain under the edge of the underground waterfall for two hours, or it could have been three. It was impossible for him to tell time here under the ground. He felt great well being here! The water of the falls had been miraculous! Max felt like his old self again. There was no pain left, no stiffness, nothing. Even the welts that the poison Guma plants had made on his body had healed. The jah-ee stood nearby. His mate and babies were in the nest a thousand yards back. "Funny," thought Max. "I'm far underground in some kind of cavern, but there is light." He realized that the walls of the cave were giving off luminescence, providing a soft light throughout the cavern.

For the next 30 days, Max remained in the cavern with the jah-ee. He learned to communicate with it and with its mate quite effectively with mental images and emotions that often were clear enough to be considered almost as sentences. And the jah-ee shared with Max their knowledge of the islands and landmasses of Antar and many secrets of this underground world never before seen by any Antarean.

"Max... Max! You were dreaming again." It was Michael.

"Oh... yeah! I guess so," Max replied. I was dreaming about my first encounter with the jah-ee back when we were fighting Kivar's mercenaries in the battle for Antar.

---------------End of Chapter III

"Altered Time- Destiny in the Stars"  -by Gerry Carr-

Chapter IV   "Travelers in Time"

Max and Michael headed to the galley to get a bite of breakfast. Michael had actually been quite accurate when he had said that their ship could fly itself. It was programmed to arrive at the place and time desired, with or without their assistance. As pilots, Max and Michael were only needed for emergencies or changes in plans or some unforeseen glitch that might arise.

In the galley, Michael and Max settled into comfortable high-backed leather-styled dining chairs at the table and placed their breakfast requests with the onboard diner droid. This "droid" was not meant to look like an Antarean or a human. In fact, it was really utilitarian, somewhat resembling a flat console with a recessed top used to transfer meals from the place where they were prepared to the table. The droid rolled quietly over to the table, and Max and Michael both told it what they would have for breakfast. The droid was capable of taking verbal commands, preparing the meals, returning with them to the table, and placing each order in front of the person who ordered it.

"I'll have an Antarean blue-hen egg omelet, toasted pashita bread, a cup of Earth-style coffee, and a bottle of Tabasco sauce," Michael told the droid.

Max ordered two Aluzian golden eggs, scrambled, with grits and Earth-style coffee. "I'll share Michael's bottle of Tabasco if he can spare some," he added.

A small red light on the droid blinked, and the droid intoned, "Unrecognized. Please specify. Grits."

"Aw, cripes!" Max laughed. "That's it, buddy! No tip for you!" Michael and Max both laughed. "Uh... southern food, kinda like... I don't know, mushy, white, little bits of corn or something..."

"Southern Chanesio Division?" queried the droid. "No such Chanesio food has been programmed into my memory."

"Not Chanesio... New Mexico, Texas, Georgia. Forget it, I'll have a taco with my eggs."

The red light blinked.

"Don't tell me! You aren't programmed to know what a taco is!" said Max.

"Southern food?" queried the droid.

"Real southern!" said Max. Max and Michael both laughed. "Muy, muy southern! ...Forget it, I'm sure it's not in your memory banks. "I thought these guys that made this thing were geniuses, Michael?"

Michael shrugged and chuckled. "I guess I might have forgot to tell them some things. Looks like we'll just have to make our own tacos. I don't think we've got anything like grits onboard, though. Sorry Maxie!"

"Just bring me two Aluzian golden eggs, scrambled, and whatever Michael's having with his blue-hen omelet."

"Thank you," replied the droid, courteously, as it turned and rolled smoothly and quietly toward the food preparation area.

Max and Michael settled back in their high-backed chairs.

"Michael, the timeline that we are going back to in Earth time... it's one week before my future self appeared to Liz, right?"

"Yeah. That's what was programmed into the ship's data banks."

"So... we haven't planned out how we are going to change what happened on Earth really. We just stated what our goals are."

"Yeah, to bring Maria, Liz and Isabel back to Antar with us so they will be safe and so they'll be with us."

"Yeah, but hopefully, to save Earth from destruction, too, if we can," added Max.

"And if we can't, to bring Maria, Liz and Isabel back to Antar," insisted Michael.

Michael's assessment of their goals wasn't intended to exclude the possibility of saving Earth. Michael was single-minded in setting his goals and determining the goals' positions on a list of priorities. He saw goals as just that, a highly prioritized list. It was the mark of a good General. Max looked at the goals in a broader sense, not really different than Michael's prioritized list, but perhaps with a broader starting perspective. In the final perspective, the two friends were really of like mind on this, as they were on most things.

Michael had grown since they had left Earth. Oh, he was the same size as he always had been since he had reached the age of fifteen. That hadn't changed an ounce or an inch. But in confidence, emotional makeup, and leadership, he was almost totally a new Michael now. He was a true and confident leader in every sense. Though he still had not reached his twenty-fifth birthday, he was already a general, an accomplished and decorated one, in the Antarean forces. And not just any general, but the number 1 general of all Max's armies. He had come a long, long way from the boy who had been raised by a no-account drunk in a trailer in the woods of Roswell, New Mexico; the boy who had grown up being beat, abused, cursed at, and emotionally trampled; the boy who had built an emotional wall around himself in order to just survive; the boy with a good heart who had fallen in love with Maria and loved her more than life itself but always seemed to find the wrong way to say it or show it. No, Michael was confident now, successful, and a true leader in every sense. But he was still Michael, too. And he and Max were still capable of acting like a couple of truants who had just ditched school. The king and his general! A couple of highly decorated, highly experienced cut-ups! They could be that, too! Oh, yes! That they could!

"So, Michael, what do you think?" asked Max. "Have you given it any thought?

"Yeah."

Michael was not one for excess words, but the truth is, he really had given quite a bit of thought to how they might save the Earth from Kivar. Michael was a thinker and a planner, and a top-rate general, he just didn't talk about it much. ...unless he was prodded.

"And?" Max queried.

"Well... we will have the advantage of surprise, " Michael offered. "Kivar will not be expecting us to know about his plans. I figure we can end his plot by compromising it at two critical junctures: when he set us up with that FBI guy, what was his name? 'Dumb Ass,' or something… and then when he used the excitron device to wipe out the army. I don’t think Kivar realized that the excitron device was going to set off a chain reaction in Earth's core and result in eruptions, tidal waves, and natural disasters that would blow Earth apart. I mean, not that he cared, you understand. Except for losing a lot of his army and a few dozen "skins" that were faithful to him."

"Have you thought about how we might compromise his plans at these junctures?"

Michael just gave Max that what-do-you-think look.

"Sorry, Michael! I shouldn't even have asked!"

"Kivar betrayed us to the FBI, which took us out of action without his having to deal with us. So we can use that to our advantage. We know that he set us up to be discovered by the FBI guys, so we can set him up first. We know where he's going to be and where they're going to be. It shouldn't be that hard. That's step one. Step two is for us to find and destroy the excitron device before he or any of his people can use it. Advantage, us, here, too, because we know when he is going to use it, what it is, and what it will do. We don't know where he had it hid, but at least we will know what to look for this time."

"You make it sound easy."

"Don't count on it, Max. But it will give us a fighting chance."

The droid had returned now and was placing their orders on the table. Michael picked up the Tabasco sauce and poured some onto his Antarean blue-hen omelet. Just to be sure, he poured a little onto his plate as well, then handed the bottle to Max, who mixed a little in with his scrambled Aluzian golden eggs. Both of them washed this down with synthesized coffee, which actually wasn't too bad. Before leaving the table, Michael took a little swig from the Tabasco bottle… then put the cap back on. Max looked at him and just grinned. "One for the road," said Michael.

Back in the control room, Max and Michael stood looking out into space through the large fore window. It really was beautiful out here in its own way, stars streaking by in the distance, an occasional comet, here and there a planet. One could watch this and enjoy it, especially with some music.

"Music! That's what we need!" said Max.

"Got it covered, Maxwell," replied Michael. "Had 'em put in the best system available. It'll play any of the three types of Antarean crystal rings, and... ta da! CD's!"

Max laughed. "No joke? CD's! You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all, my king, sir!" Michael added with some friendly sarcasm in his voice. "Not at all! You remember about six months before Earth blew up, Maria signed a deal to cut a CD for this major recording label. Well, I just happen to have right here her CD. And I'm dying to listen to it again! Haven't heard her voice since we returned to Antar.

"Put it on, Michael! I don't believe this! Earth is destroyed and you save two things: Tabasco sauce and Maria's CD. Incredible!"

"Well, I had already placed them on the ship well before the end came. Of course, I'd have brought Maria if I could have found her," said Michael forlornly.

"I know, pal. And I'd have brought Liz… if... And Isabel, too. Put the CD on. Let's hear it!"

Michael and Max stared out at the passing stars as they listened to Maria sing eight songs that she had written and four that Alex had written. The CD had been dedicated as her tribute to Alex.

Not so long ago

That a heart could not remember...

Like a spark in drying timber...

Or a rose no longer grow

In the garden of a soul...

I always find you in my heart

Through shadows holding us apart...

You're the river that can never cease to flow...

Max and Michael listened to the CD twice all the way through and quietly watched the stars and planets zip by in their celestial brilliance.

"Max," said Michael after the second playing, "If you don't need me for awhile, I think I'll go to my room and be alone."

"Sure, Michael. No sweat. I'll be here."

Michael retired to his private room. For a time, he lay on the bed thinking of Maria. He didn't realize that he had embraced his pillow tightly against his chest. Soon, he had dozed off.

-------------------End of Chapter IV

"Altered Time- Destiny in the Stars"  -by Gerry Carr-

Chapter V    "Betrayal"

Maria's body felt warm, and soft, as Michael embraced her passionately against his heart. She held him, too, embracing him with both arms around his neck, each hand interlocking with the opposite arm. Her blonde hair was soft, and Michael liked the feel of it against his face. And he adored Maria's big brown eyes, the way she would look into his eyes with that look that could always just melt him away. Their lips touched... it was the touch that Michael hoped would never end. And for a very long span of time, it didn't. Somehow, Michael felt that if he could hold Maria there long enough, she would understand, she would feel what he felt coming from his heart. God knows, Michael hadn't been able to express it with words! By some wondrous and fortunate miracle, Maria happened to be one of the very few people who really could, and did, feel what was coming from Michael's heart, though. She was able to see through the walls Michael had built around himself. She was able to leap the hurdles that Michael had long ago placed there to keep anyone from getting this close. Michael would tear the wall down now, get rid of the hurdles, if he could... But that was the rub. He had tried, and it just wasn't that easy. Michael wasn't raised with the love and affection that Max and Isabel had received from their adoptive parents growing up. It was hard for him to deal with such emotions. But one thing he was sure of: one way or another, he would, even if it killed him. Somewhere in his heart and soul, he needed it; and he knew, too, that Maria was the one. Of this, he was absolutely certain. He could feel Maria's heart beating against his and its pace quicken as their lips touched. He felt... feelings he had never felt before Maria had come into his life but now needed as much as life itself. The world would cease to exist for Michael when Maria was kissing him. He was merely floating somewhere in a vacuum. At these times, the universe was made just for him and Maria. Nothing else existed or mattered.

An explosion. Michael barely heard it. Then another, closer this time. Michael's instincts came back to him. "What was that?"

"Awful close is what it was!" replied Maria. "Maybe we better check it out."

As Michael and Maria ran outside, the ground heaved, chunks of pavement from the road thrust up into the air. A great roar was coming from the distance.

"I've gotta get Max!" said Michael. "I've got a bad feeling about this! Stay inside, Maria, and stay away from the walls!"

"Screw that! I'm going with you!" replied Maria.

Michael looked at Maria for a very brief moment and smiled, "On second thought, why don't you come with me!"

"Good idea! I think I'll take your advice!" replied Maria. They were already running toward the Crashdown Cafe, where Max had last been seen with Liz. The earth around them was gyrating, like a hula dancer, at the same time making strange growling and rumbling sounds. Michael ran into the Crashdown with Maria right behind. Max and Liz were running toward the front door from the back of the Crashdown, trying to avoid the chairs and tables sliding across the floor around them.

"What in the name of Earth and Antar is happening out there?" shouted Max at Michael, as they all ran out the door. The rumbling was subsiding now. So was the heaving of the Earth. Things were returning to normal except for the huge chunks of pavement standing upright against each other. And a number of buildings had suffered extensive damage. People were pouring out into the streets to see what had happened.

"I don't know," said Michael. "Maybe an earthquake. I just thought... you know, that Kivar might have done something. But..." Neither one spoke for several moments; they just surveyed the scene around them.

"I think that's something we need to check out," said Max at end. "Come on. First, we’ve gotta check on the spaceship. Then we're calling on Kivar."

"You know where he is?" asked Liz.

"Not exactly, but I think I know who might."

The four of them arrived at the desert hideout of their new spaceship. They had acquired this ship by "confiscating" it from some "skins" who were faithful to Kivar. In any case, these particular "skins" weren't likely to be needing it anymore. They were dust now. Kivar isn't particularly forgiving of those who lose his spaceships. The ship was still there and undamaged.

Back in town, the four met Sheriff Valenti. To be totally accurate, Valenti was the ex-sheriff; but Max, Michael, Liz, Maria, and Isabel still viewed him as the sheriff. And in a real sense, he was. Whenever anything significant happened, it was Valenti who stepped in and solved it or fixed it or set things back right. The guy who had replaced him as sheriff was a nice enough guy, but as the sheriff, he was a joke. He wouldn't have been able to see an alien if it waved at him in his face. Michael knew that for a fact! He had done it! Valenti had long ago learned the secret Max, Michael, and Isabel had never shared with anyone but Liz, and later Maria... and Alex. To Sheriff Valenti's credit, his honor was more important than outing a trio of teenaged aliens so that the special ops guys could dissect them to find out what made them tick! Sheriff Valenti became the protector and a sort of father or big brother figure to the three Antareans and their friends. It was this fact that had led to his dismissal as sheriff. Although he had solved an attempted murder and rescued the victim from her kidnapper, he was unable to reveal certain facts that would have compromised Max, Michael, and especially Isabel. Facts like how he knew where to find the victim. He could not reveal that Isabel's visions had helped him locate her in an underground coffin prison and saved her life. For withholding information, which his superiors never did learn the whole truth of, they fired him.

"Whoa! Where are you guys going in such a hurry?" asked Valenti. "I'd like to ask you if you know anything about this..." he gestured in the direction of the slabs of street pavement standing upright in the air. "But I'm hoping it was all just a really bad earthquake."

"We don't really know ourselves," replied Max. "But we are going to find out right now." We're on our way over to Ben Johnson's house."

"Ben Johnson's? There's something strange about that place," Valenti commented. "Weird stuff goes on over there, I've heard. What would you guys be having to do with Ben Johnson?"

"Uh huh! That's the place," said Michael. "Johnson's... Johnson's a "skin."

"A what? What's a 'skin?'" asked Valenti.

"Britney... without her makeup crew," Liz whipered privately to Maria.

"What was that?" asked Valenti, who had overheard the whispered comment. Liz just smiled that impish little smile she had and shook her head slowly. Maria quietly snickered and also said nothing.

Michael spoke for them all, "'Skins' are aliens from Antar who are living on Earth but who were not born here and cannot survive on Earth except by growing a biological skin that they are... well, put into. We call them 'skins' because of this and because they are always peeling and losing bits of skin everywhere. They use a lot of hand cream and makeup and stuff to try to hide their peeling or prevent it. Most of the 'skins' here on Earth are loyal to Kivar, but a few are not."

"And Ben Johnson's one of these... 'skins?' How long have you known this?" asked Valenti.

"A while," offered Max. We didn't want him to know that we knew, because we've been watching him. I think he can lead us to Kivar."

"I'll go with you," said Valenti.

The five piled into Valenti's vehicle. Ten minutes later, they were standing at Ben Johnson's door. Max knocked. The door opened, and Ben Johnson stood in it. His face was dour, but otherwise devoid of most expression. "He looked at (or was it through?) the five companions without changing his expression at all.

"Come," he said after a moment... nothing more, just "Come." Ben turned and walked slowly and deliberately back into the house. Max, Michael, Liz, Maria, and Sheriff Valenti followed.

Maria shuddered. "He gives me the creeps," she whispered to Liz.

"Yeah," Liz agreed. "Me, too."

Ben walked slowly through the living room and into a back room of the house. The five companions followed. When the last of them had passed through the door of the back room, the door closed. They looked back, alarmed; that prickly feeling of impending disaster was coursing through each of them and growing stronger by the second. And not without good cause! From behind a floor-length curtain that had covered the west wall of the room, seven special ops agents stepped out with guns all pointed directly at the five companions. From the other side of the room, a smaller figure who had been sitting in a chair behind a dresser stood up and stepped into the light.