Most of the students clamber onto the large cruiser ship which was heading to the team’s celebration party at Vennesula. People had brought balloons and large speakers with them and around three hundred and fifty students were getting on board.

  Lathan walks with Zenden and Jaden.

  “Well how does it feel?” Zenden asked.

  “How does what feel?” Lathan asks back with some nonchalance.

  “How does it feel to be a National champion?”

  Lathan looks down at his winner’s medal gold etched with a man topless with a gifted torso holding up a Quasarball thrusting it in front of sculptured beams on sunlight coming from the right.

  “Must feel good Thorne.” Jaden said grinning wide.

  “It does. I mean it’s good to go out on a high.” Lathan said though not as impressed or as heartfelt as he should be.

  “What wrong now?” Jaden said with some frustration. “I mean come on Lathan; you were the victor in the closest final anyone has seen in years and remember this is high school level! Not even collegic or professional! You’ve brought the National cup back to Bridgeport and cause your heroic exploits tonight every girl,” as soon as he says that a group of girls look at Lathan and giggle as they walk past, “wants you tonight.”

  “Wants me?”

  “Yeah they always want a part of a powerful man and Lathan.” Jaden pauses. “You are a powerful man and the ladies of the new world will want a piece.” Jaden looks on at the group of girls who just walked past. Catching a glimpse at their long and shapely legs as the go into the large cruiser. “In fact let me seal with the deal with my eloquent dialogue. Let’s just make this sure.” Jaden said running off ahead and going to one of the girls putting his arm around her and whispering something in her ear.

  “My god does he ever stop?” Lathan jokes, but Zenden still replaying that whisper that Jaden just did to one of those girls relaying that image with the whisper he did with Marcella.

  “Now why are you silent?” Lathan asked and Zenden snaps out.

  “Nothing. Nothing.”

  “You know slowly, but surely you’re becoming just like me you know that Tenstraighter?”

  Again there is no response from Zenden and Lathan is about to ask him again about the unusual silence when Lathan can see where Zenden eyes were drifting to. Marcella had just walked past with her posse of friends. She gives Zenden a little look before going into the cruiser.

  Lathan places his hand on Zenden right shoulder and grips it hard. Zenden turns and looks at his friend who nods and smiles. Zenden smiles as well putting his arm around Lathan for a second. Both enter the cruiser and were some of the last to get on. Before the large metal doors shut in an instant and the boosters start to rev.

  It was a two hour trip to Vennesula, the largest planet in the galaxy. Most people talked about their futures and careers, about how would college be like or if they would be hooking up tonight with someone. The teachers sat near the front of the main hold talking about new students coming in and new pay rise disputes.

  Jaden in turn was sitting next to a whole bevy of beauties each of them a different race and a whole different attitude. In his heart Jaden preferred a girl from the New Peninsula a cluster of islands around the middle of New Europa and New America which people from the Latin tradition lived and prospered, with their tanned skin and long dark hair New Peninsula people were always considered the most attractive and the most exotic . Jaden was however open to whomever his predatory instinct saw fit.

  Lathan and Zenden sat next to each other and barely swapped a word. Zenden looking at Marcella who sat near the left hand side of him was giving him little conspicuous looks as well, while Lathan was also in deep thought kept on thinking about his second momentary excursion into that other world this time in the middle of the final.

  The planet of Vennesula was large with blue waters little several clouds seen covering even larger continents came into view through the window as they little displacement of heat from the greenhouse cover atmosphere passes with barely a feel.

  They were in thick cloud for a couple of seconds, then little or no clouds at all as anyone near a window could see the sunlight dimming over the Corsair Mountains.

  The Corsair Mountains which were once home to the old wilderness people who died out before the humans got to the galaxy lasted for miles on the largest and main continent on Vennesula Ven Marshan.

  The mountains with different peaks of various sizes and larger then any new earth sized gulfs laid below. It is said that to get from one part of the Corsair to the other by foot and by hand you would have to give up at least two years of your life just to travel such a distance. Many have tried and many have failed.

  The grasses across the fields of Ven Marshan spanned for miles also and were long in length, barely touched or tainted amongst such natural beauty. The air in Vennesula was a fresh as an human can feel as the smooth and delicate smell of the phosphoresce of the river of Mare Talin which ran around Ven Marshan for many hundred of miles and could take many years to get from one end to the other.

  Many valleys in Vennesula had many chasms, but had bridges built by the unnamed alien race that lived here before, the bridges were sculptured in Vennesulan hardwood which was ten times thicker and stronger then any wood on New Earth. The edges and holds of the bridge were sculptured with intricate edges and curves with little insignias around it foretelling ancient prose from the race that had left some millennia ago.

  The sun was seen at its largest from Vennesula being one of the closer planets to the main sun so when it was hot in Vennesula any could feel it and feel it good.

  There were seven continents on Vennesula each of them five times larger then any of the continents on New Earth, Speciour and Andula. Other then Ven Marshan there was Mian Martus, Venitle Various, Ven Arious, Venta Vilus, Mian Maerecona and Ven Tiana the smallest continent on the planet.

  Most of the continents were sparse of any building whatsoever, some old cathedrals built from hardwood stayed, but no buildings built with any metals of any kind were around. Everything here felt like it was downgraded not an ounce apart from large docking bays for any ships were any reminiscent signs of technology. The bays were right near the parting valley of the Corsair Mountains which separated the rocky hills and the grasslands.

  In further scope past the other side of the mountains were a few gravestones dotted around. Gravestones with different headstones, some where circular others moon shaped and most had a gothic feel to them sculptured with respect to show anyone that came near them that there was a story about this certain grave and that had to be treated with respect.

  Battles were fought here and were spoken upon with legend and grandeur. Bloody battles that grievances were dealt with swords of chemical steel and shields as hard the wooden trees which were across these grassy lands.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Every so often you could see a statue of some of the warriors of the alien races that lived or pillaged here, powerful and strident some with three or four arms with torsos as large as a fully grown Encronian. Under the statues were scriptures of an old alien language that not even the Andulans could decipher. This planet was as much as open mausoleum as it was a place to holiday and take in the nature of it all.

  As the cruiser ship landed on the docking bay and all the students busted out as soon as the doors open. The party with large speakers set up across the fields and nightlights put up also, pretty much starts up straight away and most people just start dancing.

  Jaden filled with a girl in each arm looks around for even more pray, his view being one new girl every two hours. Start to juggle. See what you can get.

  Lathan was being interviewed at any other free moment by most students particularly the large female quotient of the student body.

  “So what was it like Lathan?” asked an enthused girl from Asian descent wearing wild colours and long pigtails.

  “Sorry?”

  “What was it like you know? Being all powerful.”

  “I’m sure I wasn’t powerful per say.”

  “No I mean having the ball in your hand during the quasar shot. Catching knowing you had all those seconds left?”

  “I never really thought of the time I guess when I was up there. I think I was in the zone or something.”

  “Lathan,” asks another girl with long blonde hair and the shortest of skirts. She has delectable dimples on her cheeks as she smiles, “How could you be single all year? I mean it must take some girl to catch you.” She said with flirtatious eyes.

  “I’ve…” Lathan said nervously as the girl strokes his arm gently, “I’ve been looking, but I’ve got a lot on….”

  “I bet you have.” She said with sensuous ease. As she passes her hand across his forearm another girl stops her, she pushes that girl back and a mass brawl ensues. Lathan leaves them be as the teachers come in and separate.

  Lathan walks down a hill, the sky becoming darker by every five minutes was like a palette with light stretching to dark with the middle the culmination of the colours meshed. Lathan needs this time to think, the opposite sex was not the only thing on his mind.

  He sees Zenden sitting near the middle of the hill. Lathan sees his friend sitting alone. He walks up and sits next to him nudging him as he rests.

  “What’s going on?” Lathan asked.

  Zenden said nothing. He keeps looking out.

  “Look if you’re not going to speak, then I’m just going to talk and I can talk like the wind buddy.”

  Zenden laughs. “The wind cannot talk genius.”

  “Oh yeah it can. It says if you can hear it,” Lathan adopts a somewhat deeper voice “Zenden, Zenden, why is that stick up your butt? Is that the reason you cannot talk?”

  Zenden laughs again.

  “Come on Ze, what’s wrong? You haven’t spoken to Marcella yet?”

  “Nope.”

  “Yeah well you know what Jaden says most girls bide their time. You have to wait for 292 bus for a girl to truly make up her mind and as you know,”

  “The 292 takes forever.” Zenden interrupts. “I know the saying.”

  “You should be happy. I mean how long have you waited for this moment Ze? You sat there and took all that long stuff with her and those other guys. You were and are her friend even when she ignores you. I mean right now with her ready to confirm you should be over each of the three moons of Speciour.” Lathan said nudging his best friend.

  “I know, I know I should. I just got this feeling of an anticlimax.”

  “Anticlimax?”

  “Yeah you know? Like we may talk about her meeting some other guy or she just wants to be friends. I just got this feeling that it’s going to be something bad.”

  “You always think its something bad Zenden.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Zenden said with insult firmly in his mind.

  “You’re so negative. You don’t have to be.”

  “Look you saw what,”

  “I know.” Lathan interrupts. “I was there. You have to understand Zenden not every girl is like that. Not every girl will humiliate you like that.”

  Zenden stays silent.

  “All you can do is hope for the best.” Lathan adds placing his hand on Zenden’s large left shoulder.

  “I cannot believe I am older then you.” Zenden said laughing. “Yet most times you give me advice.”

  “I cannot help it that I have a particular skill in that area my friend.” Lathan then gives a look of surprise and laughs. Zenden laughs also. “My god, I do sound like Sparrious.”

  “The guy is polluting your mind.”

  They both laugh.

  “What’s up with you?” Zenden asks.

  “What’s up with me?” Lathan replies of a question surprised now that the roles of internal discontent and supplier of wise words had now changed.

  “You were pretty silent one the cruiser. Something playing up on you?”

  “No nothing just thinking.”

  “You were thinking about the fact your dad didn’t show up again?”

  Lathan was not thinking about that until now that is. Disappointment grew within him and started to show on his face. “He never shows.” He said with some agitation attached to that comment. “I should be happy. We won right? Its just,”

  “Lathan. You know your dad and his funny ways.”

  “I never thought he would show.”

  “You did tell him?”

  “Yeah well everyone in the community knew about the game. The local papers foretold about it and it was one all the local news stations. So you know it was his choice.”

  “Ah finally I get to disperse some words of advice myself.”

  “Don’t seem so smug about it. I’m hurting here.”

  “I know Lathan. I know. You got to trust in your instincts. I mean maybe he’s being funny with you because you’re going off to college and you’re going to moving out. Some sort of resentment there. He might be missing you already.”

  “Yeah well he’s got a pretty bad way of showing it.” Lathan said with a high degree of frustration crossing his arms with the petulance of a child.

  “Ah Lathan Thorne, the guy shows his age or less of it finally. My friend you may act like you’re older, but remember you’re still a kid. You’re still growing. You don’t have to show your manhood as of yet.” Zenden jokes nudging his friend who looks at him and laughs.

  “Hey don’t talk to me, cause you’re only eighteen Zenden. What were you doing when I was born?”

  “Sucking my thumb with style!”

  They both laugh again, bellowing even more loudly.

  “Touché Tenstraighter. Touché.”

  They both calm and look out at the descending sun passing the high peaks of the Ven Marshan valley.

  “That is a beautiful sight.” Zenden sighs basking in the beauty of Vennesulan sunset.

  Lathan looks to his left. “That is a beautiful sight.”

  Zenden can see from the corner of his eyes that Lathan was not looking the right way. “Hey Thorne you’re not looking,” Zenden turns to see what Lathan was looking at. Marcella Miller walks down the hill by herself.

  Zenden’s heart starts to race.

  “Remember what I said Tenstraighter. Just hope for the best.” Lathan said tapping Zenden’s back before getting up and walking towards Marcella. “Hi.” He said as he walks past.

  “Hi.” She replies nervously.

  Lathan who gets a couple of yards back again like in the school hallway gives Zenden a thumbs up and whispers you just be cool.

  Zenden nods and looks up direct at Marcella who looks even more nervous, looking down at her feet like they were some fantastic prize or something worth avoiding the gaze of Zenden. She gets up to him and said “Hi Zenden. I’m…. I’m sorry for before.”