Excerpt from Intergalactic Mind Games – Chapter 24

Hello everyone! hope you enjoy this excerpt from Chapter 24 of Intergalactic Mind Games:

Hearing more soldiers’ footsteps approaching, Goat stands, frozen in fear, then quickly backtracks and ducks into a storage room, narrowly escaping them.
Goat opens the door a crack to see several soldiers walking past the south hall and continuing up the corridor, wondering about his and Dibdyb’s whereabouts. He suddenly breaks down and cries; the life he once knew is no more. He is now a fugitive in a world he once held power.
Suddenly, Goat hears a voice. “You backstabbing sniffling swine.” It was Dibdyb. He was hiding in the same storage room as Goat.
“Dibdyb? What are you doing here?” Goat asks, surprised.
“I escaped my room through the ventilation system,” Dibdyb explains, walking toward Goat. “As I crawled through the ceiling ducts, I heard the soldiers talking. I heard them say you admitted everything to Reion and Voh about the space pod and our working arrangement.”
“I can explain,” Goat says nervously as he notices Dibdyb holding a flash immobilizer. A flash immobilizer looks like a stun gun. Prior to shooting three lasers from its muzzle, a bright light flashes, blinding the enemy before the lasers’ impact and killing the victim almost instantly.
Dibdyb stole the gun, along with an up-down lift remote, from one of the soldiers guarding him before he had escaped.
“Explain?” Dibdyb laughs. “This should be rich. Go ahead, Goat.
Explain to me how you stabbed me in the back?”
“Look at me, Dibdyb,” Goat pleads. “I lost everything, everything! I have nothing left.
You . . . you ruined me!” Goat says, pointing at Dibdyb with both hands still restrained by the control-band cuffs.
“Look in the mirror, Goat,” Dibdyb counters. “Your lust for power and riches ruined you.”
“No, no, no . . .” Goat repeatedly says, trying to distance himself from Dibdyb.
“You ruined your own life. Your greed and selfishness ruined you.” Dibdyb continues to torment Goat, walking slowly toward him.
“See, I know what I am, Goat, but you think you are this all-powerful figure who is above everyone and can do whatever he wants,” Dibdyb says. “You got sloppy, and now you got caught.”
Dibdyb aims the gun at Goat with his finger ready to pull the trigger.
Goat reacts by charging Dibdyb, and the two of them wrestle over the gun for a few seconds until a flash of light brightens the room.

Excerpt from Intergalactic Mind Games – Chapter 23

Hello everyone! hope you enjoy this excerpt from Chapter 23 of Intergalactic Mind Games:

A steel ladder with circular rungs descends from the spacecraft. Team Earth-7 and the emperor start racing toward the ladder, but the Banished Crew has other ideas.
Quile quickly charges at Emperor Pryme, but the emperor is swiftly pushed out of the way by Elmer, avoiding the oncoming threat.
Unfortunately for Elmer, he finds himself knocked to the ground by a rushing Quile instead.
As Quile looks down at Elmer, admiring his tackle, he turns around and is greeted by a booming punch from Darm’s enormous right fist.
Quile crashes to the ground as Ricony sneaks up behind Darm, and with his own leg, sweeps the big earthling’s legs, causing Darm to collapse with a loud thump.
Ricony quickly grabs a pouch that hangs around his waist. He reaches into the pouch, pulling out a handful of chopped up pink leaves, and in one fast motion, throws it into Anderson’s face.
Helpless, Emperor Pryme watches Anderson fall to the ground, immobilized. He looks up only to receive the same pink leaves hit his unguarded eyes, nose, and mouth at the hands of Mukey.
The pink leaves cause paralysis in those who inhale its hazardous toxins. Too much and they can paralyze an individual’s organs, causing death. However, a small amount will only cause momentary paralysis.
Screaming, Billy Bob runs toward Ricony and Mukey with both arms extended wide in a clothesline formation. Mukey ducks, but Ricony does not and is taken down to the soft jungle floor. Billy Bob turns around but only sees Ricony on the ground; there is no sign of Mukey. Suddenly, Mukey creeps up behind Billy Bob and gives him a low blow, dropping him to his knees in agony.
Mukey peers down and sees her empty pouch along with pieces of pink leaves scattered everywhere. As she bends down to sweep the leaves back into her pouch, Ace grabs her by the hair and slams her against a tree.
Suddenly, Ace feels a painful blow to the back of his head. He reaches back and feels blood trickling down the back of his head and neck. Ace falls to his knees and glances behind him. To his surprise, he sees Dean looming over him while holding a large rock covered in Ace’s blood.
Ace loses consciousness and falls before rolling down the short hill to the edge of the riverbank. He is in danger of falling into the river. If that happens, there is no telling where the current will take him.

Excerpt from Intergalactic Mind Games – Chapter 22

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“What is it?” the duke queries.
“The space pod’s navigational system was tampered with, sire,” Onoma
responds in her robust voice.
“How so?” Duke Reion questions, walking toward the baffling space pod.
“It seems as though the space pod’s course changed soon after it took off,” Onoma answers, which shocks the duke.
“According to the coordinates, this space pod was supposed to go to planet J-Marring but was changed to planet Imdoxic,” Onoma explains.
“The only way that can happen is if someone changes the course from our internal navigational system,” Duke Reion acknowledges. “Someone would have had to go to the navigation room soon after the space pod left Syvopia to change the . . . oh no.” The duke stops speaking mid-sentence, and his face instantly turns from a look of curiosity to that of anger. “It was my great-uncle, wasn’t it?” he asks.
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Onoma answers with an uneasy sigh. “The space pod’s navigational system shows the course was altered by someone using your great-uncle’s identification code.

Excerpt from Intergalactic Mind Games – Chapter 21

Hello everyone! hope you enjoy this excerpt from Chapter 21 of Intergalactic Mind Games:

Meanwhile, in the distorted tranquility of the Corpse Jungle, the emperor finds himself perched on a hill overlooking the land. From afar, he observes smoke travelling skyward from the wilderness below. With piqued interest, he ventures to investigate.
Unbeknownst to him, the smoke is coming from the Compound of Light. The village has several fire pits used to prepare meals and keep warm during cold nights.
Emperor Pryme begins his descent down the hill toward the alluring smoke while a search party composed of Dean, Ricony, Mukey, and Quile ascend the very same hill, looking for the emperor.
As the search party continues to trek up the hill and Emperor Pryme trudges down, the two parties’ meeting is inevitable.
“Shhh,” Dean whispers, putting his finger toward his lips. He hears movement amongst the trees and signals his team to close in on where the sound seems to be coming from.
The emperor continues his march toward the intriguing smoke, completely oblivious to the ambush that awaits him.
Dean and Ricony detect a figure fast approaching but still a distance away. They quickly hide behind trees while Quile and Mukey hide behind some shrubs. The three T-Blues stare at Dean vigilantly, awaiting the signal to attack. The ruffling sounds become increasingly louder as the emperor approaches, only a few feet away from being captured.
Dean looks at his troops and begins counting down with his hand. Three . . . two . . . one . . . “Now!” Dean shouts.

Excerpt from Intergalactic Mind Games – Chapter 20

Hello everyone! hope you enjoy this excerpt from Chapter 20 of Intergalactic Mind Games:

Anderson contacts the duke. “We’re still searching for your father.”
“Keep your eyes open, and I’m sure you’ll find him,” Duke Reion responds after being awoken from the call. “Father may find shelter in caves during nightfall but during the day, I’m suspecting he’ll be trying to secure his meals. I’ve never known my father to be afraid of anything. He will be in the open, which will make him easy to spot. Keep me informed.”
As Duke Reion ends the call, placing the gadget-com on his orange nightstand, he hears the squeak of his pentagon-shaped grey bedroom door opening. He looks up curiously to see Empress Voh standing at his door.
“How much of that did you hear?” Duke Reion queries, sitting up in his big circular bed, wearing green pyjamas, and covered up to the waist in sheets. His bedroom has light grey walls with white trim along the top and bottom. Pictures of his childhood with his deceased mother decorate his walls, and the bedroom is furnished with orange furniture. A large bay window surrounded with beautiful white moulding occupies an entire wall, and his floors are carpeted with a woollen cream-coloured rug.
“All of it,” the empress replies. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard
voices coming from your room as I was walking by. What’s going on?”

Excerpt from Intergalactic Mind Games – Chapter 19

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After a long hike through the condemned jungle, they come to a clearing surrounded by hundreds of tall trees. Soon they hear many different voices. As they trek a bit further past the trees into the clearing, they are astonished at what they see.
Several huts made of logs are scattered around the clearing. Fire pits, hollowed tree trunks full of water, and racks made of wood used for storing food and drying clothes sit in the middle of the camp. Aliens of all shapes and sizes stroll about in raggedy clothes while Team Earth-7 stands in amazement at the village that sits in front of them. This is the home of the Banished Crew.
“Wow,” Darm gasps, “I did not expect this.”
“We must go now,” Ricony says. “Please feel free to roam within the village.”
“Where ya goin’? We just got here,” Billy Bob says.
“We were out hunting for food when we found you,” Mukey responds.
“We’ll be back; it’s going to get dark soon. Hopefully, we will return with something for supper.”
Ricony, Mukey, and Quile venture back out into the unsuspecting jungle as Team Earth-7 hears a familiar voice.

Excerpt from Intergalactic Mind Games – Chapter 18

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The emperor wanders the jungle, not knowing where he is going.
Suddenly, he hears a branch breaking behind him. Emperor Pryme  quickly spins around, ready to defend himself only to find it is a reht, Syvopia’s version of a rodent. Rehts resemble hairless hamsters with long tails like those of rats. They are one foot tall and are pale tan in colour.
As Emperor Pryme exhales in relief, he turns around to continue his trek. He is suddenly shocked to see two figures standing before him. It is none other than members of Team Charnnac-5, Bundo Roro and Mowe Kiku.
“Well, look who’s out of his cozy palace for a stroll in the jungle,” Mowe says sarcastically.
Bundo and Mowe begin to surround Emperor Pryme. “You might be the judge, jury, and executioner in the palace, but out here, it’s us!” Bundo threatens.
“Where are your precious soldiers now, Pryme?” Mowe mockingly asks.
“I do not need to hide behind anyone to deal with the likes of you,”
Emperor Pryme retorts, leering at the two Charnnacials circling him.
“We’ll see about that!” Bundo roars before charging at the emperor.
Emperor Pryme avoids the collision by moving out of the way, resulting in Bundo pulverizing Mowe, who was standing behind the emperor, with force.
Mowe soars through the air and smacks into a tree, demolishing it to the ground, knocking him senseless. Bundo turns to Emperor Pryme, and the two share a menacing stare.
Bundo swings wildly with a right punch, which the emperor reverses. He grabs Bundo’s arm, twists it, and tightly hooks it under his left arm. Emperor Pryme then swings his right arm down on the elbow with intense velocity, causing Bundo’s elbow joint to dislocate.
As Bundo crumbles to the ground in agony, Mowe awakens and hops
onto the emperor’s back.
The emperor tosses Mowe over his shoulder and onto the spongy, moist ground. He then strikes Mowe with a thunderous knee to the side of the head, knocking him unconscious. Emperor Pryme surveys the aftermath as Bundo rolls around in anguish and Mowe lies motionless. Emperor Pryme adjusts his attire before walking away, unfazed by the altercation.

Excerpt from Intergalactic Mind Games – Chapter 17

Hello everyone! hope you enjoy this excerpt from Chapter 17 of Intergalactic Mind Games:

“The first thing I wanna do when we get back home is cook up a hearty breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, pancakes, and a nice tall glass of milk to wash it all down!” Billy Bob says, rubbing his belly. “No fruit?” Isabella asks. “You have to have some fruit to balance it out.”
“Now, now, I only have so much room on my there plate, and I don’t wanna overeat, so gonna have to pass on the fruit,” Billy Bob jokes. “That sounds yummy!” Elmer responds as he twirls his curly hair, pondering what he will do when he returns home. “First thing I’m gonna do is jump on Bertha and take her for a ride!”
“Which Bertha? Our horse or our tractor?” Billy Bob asks.
“Both!” Elmer responds as he drapes himself over Billy Bob’s shoulder, and they both have a good chuckle.
“What about you, Anderson? What’s the first thing you’re going to do?” Darm asks.
“See my son,” Anderson answers. “I miss him a lot.”
“I’m going straight to the bar,” Darm announces.
“I should write a book about all this,” Isabella suggests.
“Really? You think anyone’s going to believe this?” Ace asks.
“Probably not, but wow, what a story!” Isabella affirms.
“Maybe you’ll get a movie deal out of it,” Ace quips, and they all laugh.
Ace quickly goes from a look of amusement to a somber, tragic expression.
“It’s not going to be the same without Dean,” Ace says. “He was like a brother to me.”
“We wrestled together, worked out together—we did everything together.”
Isabella comforts Ace while the rest of Team Earth-7 silently mourn the loss of their banished teammate.
“I didn’t know him well, but he seemed like a good guy—someone who would have had our backs and fought with us side by side,” Anderson says.
“He’s tough. Just because he’s out there in the Corpse Jungle doesn’t mean he’s dead,” Darm reasons.
“That’s true; he still might be out there, tryin’ to find another way home,” Billy Bob adds.
“I hope so,” Ace responds. “All we can do now is focus on winning these Intergalactic Team Games and going home.”

Excerpt from Intergalactic Mind Games – Chapter 16

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Isabella is taken to the middle of the battlefield. “Forgive me, my dear, as your challenge will be dangerous, reckless, and potentially deadly,”
Emperor Pryme warns. “It is nothing personal; it is just business,” the emperor says, smirking before announcing the challenge. “You must slay an ice beast of Frozentor, a Polar Sarma!”
A frozen crate is promptly rolled out onto the battlefield by several Soldiers of Royalty, a few feet away from Isabella. The crate door opens, releasing what looks like a polar bear made of ice. Frozentor is Syvopia’s south polar landmass. It is mostly covered by an ice sheet and populated by many ice creatures.
As Isabella shrieks in fear, Anderson and Ace return to their cell.
Ace shakes off his headache and charges the cell door, demanding to be released. Chaos ensues as Team Earth-7 tries to pull Ace off the cell door as two Soldiers of Royalty stand guard, ready to attack. Suddenly, Elmer clutches his chest. He collapses to the ground, groaning in agony, as Team Earth-7 runs to his side. “Help! He needs help!” Billy Bob yells in a panic.

Excerpt from Intergalactic Mind Games – Chapter 15

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In the middle of the battlefield is a square platform, and on each side of the platform is a pod no bigger than a photo booth.
Emperor Pryme rises to his feet and declares, “Team Earth-7 and Team
Charnnac-5 will battle as duos during this challenge. One member of each team will enter the pod and remain there while the other member battles their foe on the platform. When I see fit, I will open the pod, allowing each team member to switch places. This will continue until we have a winner. Good luck to you all. Let the battle begin!”
Both teams approach the square platform. Anderson turns to Ace to discuss strategy but finds his partner already entering the pod. This leaves Anderson on the platform alone to start the battle. Bundo and Mowe argue over who will start, but Mowe eventually abandons the argument, waves his hands in disgust, and enters the pod, allowing Bundo to start. “Are you finally going to fight me, or is someone else going to fight the battle for you yet again?” Bundo taunts Anderson.
Anderson relives the events of the day Bundo crushed his ribs. He remembers the pain he suffered and the anguish it caused the team, especially Darm, who had to step in and fight Bundo. With a smirk on his face, Anderson starts throwing several wild punches at Bundo. Bundo raises his arms up to block and absorb the punches before retaliating with punches of his own that stagger Anderson, causing him to drop down to one knee.
Ace shakes his head disappointingly at Anderson as Bundo stands over
his kneeling foe, moments away from victory. However, unbeknownst to anyone, Anderson is dramatizing defeat and waiting on his opponent to stand closer before he can pounce.
Bundo slowly creeps closer to his faking adversary, and as he gets close enough, SMASH! Anderson nails him with a thunderous uppercut, knocking the hairless wrecking ball to the ground.