Chapter One: Arrival on Lillitopia

On a space station the size of a small moon, a group of freshman cadets were ready to go on their first training mission. A blonde cadet named Mace Megalos had a flash drive, and entered one of the shuttle cruisers, and plugged it into the navigation computer in the control console. One of the blonde female cadets saw what he was doing, and approached him.

"What are you doing, Mace?" she asked.

Mace quickly glanced over at Sapphire Serpico. She was the only cadet he had a crush on. Her short skirt revealed muscular legs that went straight down to her mid calf boots; her short sleeved uniform accentuated her lean yet athletic figure. Her long blonde hair contrasted well with her blue eyes.

"Hello?" Sapphire asked, waving her hand in front of Mace's face and snapping him back to reality.

"Hi, Sapphire! I'm sabotaging Penn Prospero's shuttle cruiser, so Penn and Felicity get stranded on Lillitopia!"

"The prison planet? That's brilliant!" said Sapphire. "They win at everything, this will teach them a lesson! I won't feel too bad for them, they'll be like giants there, because the Lillitopians are a centimeter tall. I wouldn't mind ruling over Lillitopia myself!"

"This computer virus will also disable their beacon, so they can't summon help!" said Mace.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Sapphire asked.

"My plan can't go wrong," said Mace. "We need to split up when we leave this shuttle cruiser, so no one gets suspicious."

When Mace was finished, both Mace and Sapphire exited the shuttle cruiser and went in separate directions. Mace took the flash drive and discarded it into an incinerator before joining the other cadets.

A short time later, General Steed stood at a podium, explaining the mission.

"As most of you know, the people of our Empire did not originate in this space time continuum. About thirteen billion years in the future, our ancestors emigrated to this reality, and traveled backwards in time. In the reality we originally came from, this would be considered the 21st century. Your mission is to journey to a more primitive parallel reality, and bring back proof of your journey. Find a robot and get assigned to your shuttle cruiser."

The cadets split up, and sought out their robots. A robot stopped Mace and Sapphire.

"You two have been assigned to shuttle cruiser M-238."

"Isn't that the same shuttle cruiser that Penn and Felicity are assigned to?" Mace asked.

"Affirmative," said the robot.

"I thought we were assigned to shuttle cruiser A-1218?" Mace asked.

"There has been a last minute re-assignment," the robot replied. "Shuttle cruiser A-1218 needs to have it's core reactor repaired, so we had to re-assign several cadets. Is there a problem?"

"No, not at all!" said Mace. "We're heading to shuttle cruiser M-238 right now!"

Sapphire grabbed Mace by the hand and headed back toward the shuttle cruiser Mace had sabotaged. She whispered into his ear: "What did you do with that flash drive?"

"I threw it away!" said Mace. "It's been incinerated!"

"So there's no way to restore the navigation computer on the shuttle cruiser so we don't all get stranded on Lillitopia?" Sapphire asked.

"Stop talking about it, or they'll figure out what we did!" said Mace. "We're just going to have to figure out what to do once we're on Lillitopia! We can't let the others know I sabotaged the mission!"

"Well, that's obvious!" said Sapphire.

Four other cadets were waiting by shuttle cruiser M-238. A Hispanic boy introduced himself as Penn Prospero, while a Hispanic girl introduced herself as Felicity Fontana. Two other cadets, a white boy named Lazaro Lupo, and a girl of African descent named Tegan Terranova.

"Should we flip a coin to decide who pilots this thing?" Penn asked, as he held a coin aloft in his right hand.

"I don't have a problem with you piloting," said Mace.

"Same here," said Sapphire.

"If they don't have a problem with it, neither do I," said Lazaro.

"Felicity and Tegan?" Penn asked. "Are both of you okay with it?"

"I don't mind," said Felicity.

"I'd like a shot at piloting the shuttle cruiser," said Tegan.

"Okay, let's flip for it!" said Penn. "Call it, heads or tails!" Penn threw the coin up into the air.

"Heads," said Tegan, and the coin landed on Penn's palm, heads up.

"You win!" said Penn. "Looks like we've got ourselves a female pilot!"

The six cadets entered the shuttle cruiser. Once inside, they took their seats, and Penn asked Tegan: "Do you have an idea of the reality you're going to take us to?"

"I've been researching the United States of America," said Tegan. "I think a society with a different form of government than an Empire would be interesting. Besides, it's a free society, so we can't be mistaken for slaves."

The countdown began on the speakers of each shuttle cruiser.

"I have the quantum signature of our target reality locked into the navigation computer," said Tegan.

When the countdown reached 1, Tegan activated the dimensional phase initiator, and they disappeared into the multi-verse. Within seconds, Tegan knew something was wrong.

"There's a problem," said Tegan.

"What's wrong?" Penn asked.

"We're being pulled into the wrong reality!" said Tegan. "There's some kind of computer virus that's taken over the navigation computer, and I can't rectify it!"

The shuttle cruiser emerged in the atmosphere of a planet much like Earth. Tegan tried to land the shuttle cruiser safely, but it crash landed, sustaining damage.

"We're stuck on Lillitopia!" said Tegan.

"The prison planet?" Penn asked.

"Yes!" Tegan answered. "All the people of this world are criminals who have been banished here and miniaturized down to one centimeter tall! We'll be like giants to them!"

"I had to pee just before we got here," said Sapphire, "and now I don't for some reason."

"There's an artificially induced biogenic field surrounding this planet that renders everyone here immortal," said Penn. "the inhabitants don't need to eat food, or drink water, or use the bathroom. Now that we're here, we stopped aging, so we don't need to do those things now, either!"

"Activate the beacon," said Felicity.

"The beacon is damaged, too!" said Penn.

Sapphire activated the door hatch, and it swung vertically open. The six cadets looked outside, at their new surroundings.

"So we're stuck here," said Felicity, "like some kind of cosmic castaways on a world of tiny people? We're like a race of giants, now?"

"More like a race of gods!" said Sapphire, as she stepped outside, crushing a small structure with a smirk on her face. Some of the Lillitopians fled from where Sapphire was stepping.

To Be Continued!

Chapter Two: Arrival of Vertragus

All around the shuttle cruiser, there were small buildings and homes built to the scale of the centimeter tall Lillitopians. There were hillsides in the distance, and small aqueducts stretched from the hillsides to the lower elevations, and into the distance.

"We need to assess the situation," said Penn, "and weigh our options."

"Maybe there are some Lillitopians who have skills that can help us," said Felicity.

"They're all criminals," said Sapphire, "I doubt any of them have an I.Q. over 85!"

"From what I've read about this place," said Penn, "every ten years or so there is big news about a scientist getting banished here. If we could find one, they could help us repair the shuttle cruiser!"

Just then, from among the tiny structures littering the landscape, emerged a Lillitopian.

"Hi up there!" he said, waving. "I'm Vertragus, a scientist sent here for treason! I tried to start a revolution against the monarchy."

"Should we have heard of you before?" Mace asked, as all the cadets exited the shuttle cruiser.

"I got sentenced about fifteen years ago!" said Vertragus, "so you probably weren't even born yet!"

"You would dare to speak to the gods?" said Sapphire, as she reached down and grabbed Vertragus. "For your insolence, I banish you to my belly, where you will feel eternal torment and chaos!" Sapphire stuck Vertragus into her mouth, and Mace pulled out his cell phone, and began filming.

"I'll record you swallowing him, Sapphire!" said Mace.

Penn reached into Sapphire's mouth and grabbed Vertragus before she could swallow.

"We need him!" said Penn. "He's a scientist, you don't want to stay stuck here forever, do you?"

"Actually, that wouldn't be too bad," Sapphire replied. "Who wouldn't want to rule as a deity?"

"I wouldn't," said Penn. "I just want to get us home as soon as possible!"

"I wouldn't either," said Felicity. "Vertragus, what is your area of knowledge?"

Penn held Vertagus at shoulder level so the other cadets could easily see him.

"I have a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, and a masters in quantum physics."

"Can you repair our shuttle?" Penn asked.

"I'll have to take a look," said Vertagus.

"I noticed some aqueducts," said Penn. "With that biogenic field rendering you immortal, you don't need food or water, so why were they built?"

"When I first arrived here," said Vertragus, "the Lillitopians were primitive. They were at a Bronze Age level of existence. I got them to build aqueducts to channel water into generators so we could harness electricity."

Penn took Vertragus inside the shuttle cruiser, and placed him on the control console. For about an hour, Penn did as Vertragus instructed, and found out what was wrong with the shuttle cruiser.

"It's your navigation computer," said Vertragus. "It's completely fried, likely by some kind of a computer virus. Somebody didn't want you to complete your original mission!"

"What can we do?" Penn asked.

"If we construct an artificial wormhole generator," said Vertragus, "and siphoned some power and computer functions from the shuttle cruiser, we should be able to send you home, only moments after you left. Some of your onboard computers are still functioning."

"How long will that take?" Penn asked.

"It depends on how many Lillitopians help us," said Vertragus. "We have some copper mines, and we have some surplus copper, but we also need platinum and gold for the circuitry of the wormhole generator."

"How can we acquire the elements we need?" Penn asked.

"This shuttle cruiser is equipped with advanced sensors that can locate mineral deposits anywhere on Lillitopia." said Vertragus. "It's just a matter of sending people there and digging it up, and returning with those minerals."

"If we had all the help you needed, how long would it take?" Penn asked.

"If I reverse engineer your shuttle cruiser," said Vertragus, "and we worked around the clock, I could have a functioning artificial wormhole generator up and running in less than a week!"

The other cadets were paying attention to what Vertragus had said to Penn. Everyone seemed happy except Mace and Sapphire.

To Be Continued!

Chapter Three: Separate Plans

"I need to round up some of my workers," said Vertagus. "I'm the only scientist I know of in this general area, but I know some electrical engineers who can be very helpful to us. Meanwhile, you can use the sensors on your shuttle cruiser to locate the nearest platinum and gold deposits. We'll need about twenty kilograms of platinum, and fifteen kilograms of gold."

Penn set Vertagus down on the ground, and he scampered off.

"Well, we're off and running!" said Penn. "As soon as Vertragus returns with the other Lillitopian workers, we can begin work on the artificial wormhole generator."

"Some of us don't want to leave here," said Mace.

"I second that!" said Sapphire. "If we stay, we can force them to worship us as gods!"

"We're stuck here for close to a week," said Penn. "So you can have them worship you all they want as long as we're still here."

"Who made you the team leader?" Mace asked.

"One of us has to take charge," said Felicity. "It might as well be Penn."

Penn went inside the shuttle cruiser. Felicity followed him.

"The sensors are still functioning," said Penn, we need to locate the mineral deposits Vertragus requested." Penn manipulated the control console, and did the sensor scan. Blue clusters of light showed up on the screen.

"Those blue clusters indicate gold and platinum nearby," said Penn. "According to this readout, they're only a couple of kilometers from us."

"How deep are the deposits?" Felicity asked.

"Only about two or three feet underground," Penn answered.

"How could those minerals be so plentiful and easy to find?" Felicity asked. "I thought they were supposed to be rare."

"This planet is a version of Earth in a parallel reality where human life never evolved," Penn explained. "The criminals who were miniaturized and sent here never developed technology beyond a Bronze Age level of development, so they probably had no use for rare Earth metals. In normal human history, ancient societies dug up as much of those elements as they could in ancient times, that's why they became so hard to find during modern times."

"I doubt we'll be able to get Mace and Sapphire to help us dig up the gold and platinum," said Felicity. "So we'll probably have to do it ourselves."

"Tegan and Lazaro will help us," said Penn. "It will take us half a day to get there, dig up the minerals, and get back."

"Are we leaving now?" Felicity asked.

"Yes, I think we should." said Penn. "We could actually leave Mace and Sapphire here to wait for Vertagus to get back while we're gone, knowing they wouldn't go with us any way."

"So it will seem part of the plan," said Felicity. "That's smart thinking. But what will we use as shovels?"

"The replicator can take care of that," said Penn. "I can look up a pattern right now and have the replicator make four of them."

"Aren't you worried about using up too much of the shuttle cruiser's power?" Felicity asked.

"We don't have a choice," said Penn. "We need those tools right now. I'm downloading the coordinates of those mineral deposits on my GPS device, then I'll replicate the shovels."

One by one, the replicator made shovels materialize. Felicity grabbed each one as it was replicated. When all four were made, she took them outside.

Penn replicated some carbon fiber bags, and followed her.

"Four of us need to go dig up some gold and platinum," said Penn. "I've got four carbon fiber bags to hold the minerals, this material is a thousand times stronger than titanium. Mace and Sapphire, I'm assuming you don't want to come with us, so you can stay here and wait for Vertragus to return."

"And whatever you do, don't swallow any of the Lillitopians!" said Felicity.

Penn, Felicity, Lazaro and Tegan took their shovels and followed Penn to the site where the rare minerals were located. Once they were out of sight in the distance, Vertragus returned with about a hundred Lillitopians. They were carrying supplies, such as copper wire and small metal tools.

"I think we should have them build statues of us while the others are gone," said Sapphire.

"That's a great idea!" said Mace. "Vertragus, can you and your followers construct statues of myself and Sapphire to pay tribute to us?"

"Yes, that won't be a problem," said Vertragus. "You're not the first normal-sized people to arrive here, and we've built statues of them before."

"What material did you use?" Mace asked.

"We used marble," said Vertragus. "There's a quarry not far from here, would you like life-sized statues of yourselves?"

"Yes," Mace replied. "How long will it take you to bring two blocks of marble back here?"

"If you help us, it won't take long at all, maybe a couple of hours," said Vertragus.

"That's your job," said Mace.

"Maybe you should help them, Mace." said Sapphire. "It would take too long for them to bring it here themselves, look how tiny they are!"

"Okay, but you stay here," said Mace. "One of us has to watch the shuttle cruiser."

"Okay!" said Sapphire.

Mace turned and followed Vertragus to the marble quarry.

Meanwhile, Penn and the other cadets were almost to the site of the mineral deposits. Penn held his cell phone out, and the GPS narrowed down the destination.

"We're almost there," said Penn, "I told you it wouldn't take long to get here."

After about another dozen meters, Penn said, "We dig right here!"

The four of them began digging.

Meanwhile, Mace and the Lillitopians had reached the marble quarry site. There were about a dozen blocks of marble large enough to be made into statues of normal sized people.

There were two large wheel barrows big enough to fit one of the marble blocks on. Each wheel barrow was made of bronze, with bronze wheels and axles.

"You guys built these wheel barrows?" Mace asked.

"Yes, they took a lot of work," said Vertragus.

"Penn may want to utilize these for other things," said Mace.

"If you load the marble blocks, we'll pull the wheel barrows," said Vertragus.

Mace walked one of the blocks over to the wheel barrow, turning one corner, then the other, then the first corner, until he had the marble block right up against the wheel barrow. He was strong enough to lift the marble block onto the wheel barrow, then did the same with the other marble block on the other wheel barrow.

"Thank you so much," said Vertragus. "That alone would have taken us hours of work."

"I can pull one of the wheel barrows," said Mace, "you guys pull the other one, and try to keep up."

Meanwhile, at the site where Penn and the other cadets were digging for gold, They had found enough gold and platinum to fill their bags with as much as they could carry.

"I think we're going to have to make multiple trips," said Penn. "My sack is filled with as much as I can carry. Vertragus said we need twenty kilograms of platinum, and almost that much gold."

"This is as much as I can carry," said Tegan.

"We'd better head back, and check on Mace and Sapphire." said Penn.

Mace arrived at the shuttle cruiser with the wheel barrow containing the marble block. Sapphire was inside the shuttle cruiser. Mace entered and said, "I brought my marble block, Vertragus and the others are behind with your block of marble."

"Don't you mean you brought my block of marble?" Sapphire asked. "You should cherish me just as much as the Lillitopians!"

"Yeah, of course!" said Mace. "I meant to say, I brought your block of marble. It should be about ten minutes or so before the Lillitopians bring my block of marble here, so we have time to talk before Penn and the others get back."

"Talk about what?" Sapphire asked.

"I think if we're ever going to get back to our own reality," said Mace, "we should construct a homing beacon that can transmit a signal back to the space academy."

"I thought you wanted to stay here," Sapphire asked, "I wasn't planning on leaving. If they build an artificial wormhole generator, I'm staying behind."

"We can't let Penn and the others find out I sabotaged this mission," said Mace. "If we make it look like we want to build a beacon, it won't arouse suspicion."

"And then we can stay here when they leave?" Sapphire asked.

"Exactly!" said Mace. "We'll just say we want to leave last, and activate the controls of the wormhole generator to send the others back to our home reality, then we'll just stay here!"

"That sounds like a plan!" said Sapphire.

Soon, Penn and the others arrived with the rare Earth minerals.

"What's that?" Penn asked, referring to the wheel barrow.

"The Lillitopians made it," said Mace. "There are two of them, the other one is almost here, it's being pulled by the tiny people."

"It's perfect!" said Penn. "We could use it to bring more gold and platinum that Vertragus needs for the circuitry of the wormhole generator. What is that block of marble for?"

"It's mine," said Sapphire. "The tiny people are going to pay tribute to my beauty by building a statue in my honor."

"We can't waste resources like that," said Penn. "We need all the Lillitopians working on the wormhole generator!"

"I've been thinking about that," said Mace. "I think it would make more sense to build a homing beacon, it would be less work, and quicker than building a wormhole generator."

"Let's take it to a vote," said Penn. "Who wants to build a beacon instead of a wormhole generator?"

Mace, Sapphire and Tegan raised their hands.

"I think a beacon sounds like a good idea," said Tegan.

Okay, you three can work on the homing beacon!" said Penn.

Mace, Sapphire, and Tegan comprised the group building the beacon, while Penn, Felicity and Lazaro were to build the artificial wormhole generator.

To Be Continued!

Chapter Four: Statues and Copper Ore

Vertragus was standing at the feet of the cadets. "We need to get more copper to make wires for the generators, and there is a desposit not far from here where we can find some natural magnets," said Vertragus. "If some of the normal sized cadets accompanied me, we could get it done a lot faster."

"How far is the nearest copper mine?" Penn asked.

"About two kilometers, in the opposite direction as the site where you found the platinum and gold," said Vertagus. "Half of my men can go with me to the copper mine, while the others go to the site where they can find natural magnets."

"Couldn't we replicate some of this stuff?" Penn asked.

"That uses up too much power," said Vertragus. "We need to conserve the replicator and only use it when absolutely necessary. We're going to need the onboard computers from the shuttle cruiser to power the artificial wormhole generator, and it requires too much power for the shuttle cruiser to power up the wormhole generator alone."

"Will anyone volunteer to go with Vertragus to retrieve more copper?" Penn asked.

"Lillitopian scum should do it themselves," said Mace.

"Yeah!" said Sapphire. "We should treat them like slaves and make them do everything!"

"I agree with Mace and Sapphire," said Tegan. "I think they should treat us like gods!"

"You three can stay with the shuttle cruiser, then." said Penn.

"I'll go with you to get the copper," said Lazaro.

"Thanks for volunteering, Lazaro," said Penn.

Penn and Lazaro got the two wheelbarrows, and pushed them in the direction of the copper mines. Felicity walked in stride with Penn, while Vertagus and a group of Lillitopians followed them. The Lillitopians split up into two groups, one group went with Vertagus and the cadets, while the others went to collect natural magnets. When they were out of visual range, Mace clapped his hands together.

"They're gone! Now we can have the slaves build our statues!"

"Get to work, Lillitopian scum!" said Sapphire.

There were several dozen Lillitopians with tools, they began to construct scaffolding around the base of each of the two blocks of marble.

"I wish they would make a statue of me!" said Tegan.

"Once they're done with ours, they can start on yours," said Sapphire.

Meanwhile, when Penn, Felicity and Lazaro reached the copper mine, they realized they were too small to fit inside the tunnels.

"I didn't realize the tunnels were so small," said Felicity.

"I and the other Lillitopians can carry out loads of copper, we just need you three to load it onto the wheel barrows," said Vertragus.

A dozen Lillitopians went into the mine, and a dozen more exited with copper ore. There were enough of them that there was a steady stream of Lillitopians exiting with more ore after others had gone back inside the tunnels.

The three cadets picked up the copper ore and transferred it into the wheel barrows.

Back at the shuttle cruiser, Mace and Sapphire looked satisfied with the progress on their statues. The scaffolding was already put in place, astride all four sides of the marble blocks.

"How was all that scaffolding assembled so quickly?" Mace asked.

One of the tiny people replied, "There have been other giants we were forced to build statues for, and we have held onto the scaffolding in case others like you arrived here."

The scaffolding was chest high to the cadets, so Sapphire grabbed a random Lillitopian and shoved him into her mouth. Tegan grabbed him from inside Sapphire's mouth and pulled him out.

"Hey!" said Tegan. "I don't mind dominating these people, but let's not resort to canibalism!"

"But it would be fun to send Lillitopian scum crashing to the depths of my teenage belly!" said Sapphire, and both Sapphire and Mace burst out laughing. Tegan set the tiny person back on the scaffolding where Sapphire had gotten him.

Meanwhile, back at the copper mine, the wheel barrows were almost full.

"Vertragus," said Penn, "the wheel barrows are almost full!"

"Good!" said Vertragus. "The other Lillitopians should be arriving with the natural magnets any time now!"

Just then, the other Lillitopian workers arrived from over the horizon with the natural magnets they had collected.

"When we get back to the shuttle cruiser," said Vertragus, "We can process this copper ore and shape it into copper wiring to build the generators. The multiple aqueducts will come in handy, we can use them to construct a hydroelectric power plant."

As Penn and the other cadets made their way back to the shuttle cruiser, Mace and Sapphire were posing for their statues. The crude out line of their faces could be seen at the top of each marble block.

"They sure work quickly," said Tegan. "Like industrious little ants, slaving away for their masters!"

"When their masters are as attractive as Mace and me, that motivates them!" said Sapphire.

To Be Continued!

Chapter Five: Sassy Sapphire

Mace, Sapphire and Tegan were back at the shuttle cruiser waiting for Penn and the others to return with the copper ore and the magnets. They were standing outside, watching the Lillitopians build the two statues. The heads of the statues were beginning to look like Mace and Sapphire.

"Sapphire," said Mace, "why don't you try dominating the Lillitopians?"

"It's fun!" said Sapphire, as she stamped her right foot down and scared off a Lillitopian.

Tegan tried it, and scared off another tiny person. "You're right, this is fun!"

"I've always wanted to swallow one of them!" said Sapphire.

"Let me film it if you do!" said Mace, as he pulled out his cell phone.

Sapphire knelt down and scooped up a helpless Lillitopian, and stood up with him in her hand.

"I wouldn't swallow me if I were you," said the tiny man.

"Why not?" Sapphire asked.

"I have electrical engineering knowledge that is valuable to Vertragus! If you swallow me, it would hinder the construction of the artificial wormhole generator!"

"Do you think we really care about that?" Sapphire asked. "Mace and I don't want to go home! Ever! As far as you’re concerned, we tower over you as a race of gods. You’re going to end up in our bellies sooner or later!"

Tegan spoke to the captive in Sapphire's hand: "When you’re one centimeter tall and we’re normal size, we can’t help but to end up as tyrants. How does it feel to dwell under the dominion of tyrants?"

"Your pathetic race can only bow to our every command, like insects!" said Sapphire. "Who would you rather be swallowed by, Tegan Terranova or me? I’m known as Sapphire. Sapphire Serpico."

"I don't think he needs a choice!" said Mace. "Just swallow him, while I film this!"

The tiny Lillitopian was tossed into the mouth of the malevolent maiden, while Mace filmed the whole ordeal. She tilted her head back and swallowed, and the tiny victim was sent plunging down her esophagus, into the belly of the beautiful behemoth. Sapphire laughed like crazy after realizing the victim was safely in her stomach; she fell to the ground, rolling around, laughing like a maniac.

Just then, Penn and the others returned with the copper ore and the natural magnets.

"What's so funny, Sapphire?" Penn asked.

"Why are you rolling around on the ground?" Felicity asked.

Sapphire leaped to her feet, and brushed the dust off of her uniform. "Oh, it was nothing!" said Sapphire, "Mace was just telling me a funny joke!"

"Then why weren't Tegan and Mace laughing?" Lazaro asked.

"I want to know what the joke was," said Felicity.

Penn grabbed the cell phone from Mace.

"Hey!" said Mace, "That's private property!"

Penn played the video back, and saw that Sapphire had swallowed a Lillitopian. Felicity and Lazaro watched the video, also.

"You need to vomit him up!" said Penn. "I recognize that Lillitopian, he's an engineer we need to help build the wormhole generator!"

"I'm not vomiting him up," said Sapphire defiantly. "It's my victory!"

Penn went into the shuttle cruiser and replicated a neural stimulator, then returned to where Sapphire was. He took aim, and pointed it at her head, then pulled the trigger. Sapphire immediately vomited, and the tiny captive she had swallowed fell out onto the ground in a puddle of vomit.

"How dare you!" said Sapphire. "You had no right to use a neural stimulator on me without my consent! If we ever get back home, I'm filing a grievance against you!"

"I've got a whole list of things you and Mace have done or refused to do since we got here!" said Penn.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" said Sapphire. "I'm not leaving this place! When you and the others walk through that wormhole generator, I'm staying behind!"

"No you're not!" said Felicity. "We arrived together, and we're leaving together! You just want to stay behind so you can torture and dominate those tiny people!"

"What's so wrong with that?" Sapphire asked. "They're just a bunch of criminals! Enemies of the Empire! They might as well have a place in the depths of my belly!"

"It's not your right to judge them," said Penn. "They were sent here so they couldn't hurt anyone, it's not your job to abuse them any further."

"They're the food of the gods," said Sapphire. "And we're the gods!"

"No they're not!" said Felicity. "They're not food or toys for you to play with!"

"There's a lot you don't know about this place," said Sapphire. "My parents are military officers, they told me all about it! If the Empire didn't cull the population periodically, Lillitopia would get too overpopulated. They have to send normal sized people here every once in a while to kill off a certain segment of the population!"

"I don't believe that," said Felicity.

"I think she may be right," said Penn to Felicity. "My father is a sergeant and he told me they bring people from different versions of Earth through the Bermuda Triangle, and they get brought here for the same reasons Sapphire was pointing out; they need to make room for more criminals."

"So they let people like Sapphire Serpico cannibalize them?" Felicity asked.

"That's the way of the universe," said Penn.

To Be Continued!

Chapter Six: An Unexpected Arrival

While the cadets observed the Lillitopians who were constructing the two statues, Vertragus got Penn's attention. "We need to get back to work on the artificial wormhole generator."

"What should we work on now?" Penn asked.

"I know of a robotic device that can process the ore faster than we could manually, and a second robotic device can begin constructing the wormhole generator."

"I'll take you to the replicator so you can access those files," said Penn, and he picked up Vertragus and carried him inside the shuttle cruiser.

Once they were at the replicator console, Vertragus summoned the files by voice command, and Penn had the replicator make them.

"It would be better if these devices responded to telepathy," said Vertragus.

"Why?" Penn asked.

"It's just a more efficient way of working, once the copper, platinum and gold ore is processed, the robotic device can build the wormhole generator if one of you had a telepathy helmet on."

"Replicate it, and I'll find someone to put it on," said Penn. Vertragus did as he was told, and moments later, the helmet materialized. Penn took the helmet and one of the robots outside, and left Vertragus inside the shuttle cruiser.

"Mace, I've got a job for you!" Penn said, as he held up the helmet. "Vertragus wants someone to use telepathy to control the robots, do you want to try it out? This will just be a test run."

Mace put the telepathy helmet on, and Penn set the robot down.

"Try to control it!" said Penn.

Mace successfully maneuvered the robot, and it began processing the ore, taking in copper ore one one side, and depositing copper bricks on the opposite side. Steam came out of vents on the sides.

"It works!" said Penn.

"Penn!" said Vertragus from inside the shuttle cruiser. Penn returned inside to see what Vertragus wanted.

"The telepathy device did a mind scan of Mace's brain, and it shows what he did leading up to your journey here!" Vertragus showed Penn a video of Mace using the flash drive on the control console of the shuttle cruiser, while Sapphire watched.

"Does it have audio?" Penn asked.

Vertragus manipulated the controls so the sounds could be heard. Penn watched the video, and saw the conversation between Mace and Sapphire about sabotaging the mission. Penn slammed his fist down on the console and went outside.

"You sabotaged the mission!" Penn shouted. "I just saw a mind scan showing you talking to Sapphire about sabotaging the shuttle cruiser before we took off!"

Penn threw a punch at Mace, then Mace fought back. The two of them dragged each other to the ground, kicking and fighting each other. Just then, a stranger showed up.

"You two can stop fighting," the girl said. She was the same age as the cadets, and she had long blonde hair in twin braids, and blue eyes. She was dressed in a European style dress from the early 20th century, maybe Germanic or Dutch.

Penn and Mace stopped fighting, and stood up. Penn asked her, "Who are you?"

"I'm Gretchen," the girl said, "you sent me here... or should I say, in the near future, you will bring me here to this planet."

"Welcome to Lillitopia, Gretchen!" said Penn. "What part of earth did you come from?"

"I am from Holland, in 1944." Gretchen replied. "I've been on this planet for just under a year."

Vertragus exited the shuttle cruiser by climbing down from the console and running out into the midst of the colossal kids. Felicity picked him up and held him aloft.

"Were you told why you were brought here?" Penn asked.

"I was supposed to help you build the wormhole generator," said Gretchen, "I've been staying closer to the coastal region, but I knew around this time you would be arriving. When my purpose here is fulfilled, I need you to return me to the time and place I came from."

"But how and why would we select someone from 1944?" Penn asked. "Vertragus, can you come up with a theory?"

"The wormhole generator can lock onto any time and place in the known universe, or any other known universe. Gretchen is from a reality that the Lillitopians will make contact with once you leave to return to the academy. She must be related to someone we will make contact with after you leave."

"But how could you know all of that?" Penn asked.

"It is just a theory," said Vertragus, "if you check the shuttle cruiser's mainframe computer files, maybe you could find out more about her."

"Come with us, Gretchen," said Penn, as he entered the shuttle cruiser followed by Felicity, who was carrying Vertragus. They went straight to the cockpit, and sat down at the controls.

"What's your full name and birth date?" Penn asked Gretchen.

"Gretchen De Vries, July 13th, 1931. I was born in Amsterdam."

"Computer," said Penn, "can you cross reference that name and date and place of birth, and find out what significance she has to the Lillitopians?"

In mere seconds, the computer had an answer. A photo of a blonde female college student showed up on the screen.

"Gretchen Sizemore?" Felicity asked.

"It says here, that the Gretchen we know is the great-grandmother of the young woman on our computer monitor. Somehow, Lillitopians are going to establish contact with her when they make their way to Earth."

"If it hasn't happened yet, how does the computer already know?" Felicity asked.

"I don't know!" Penn answered.

Chapter Seven: An Unexpected Admirer

The two robots got busy constructing the wormhole generator. After the ore was processed into bricks of copper, gold and platinum by one robot, the other robot formed wiring and constructed the base of the wormhole generator. It was semi-circular, and getting more complete with each passing minute.

Meanwhile, the Lillitopians who were building the statues of Mace and Sapphire were almost done. The faces looked exactly like Mace and Sapphire, and the Lillitopians only needed to polish the surface to finish the statues up.

"We're going to need some iron ore," said Vertragus to Penn and Felicity. "You could probably collect a great deal of it with some of those natural magnets. There should be a lot in those nearby hills. You can download a sensor onto your phone that will detect iron desposits."

"I'll get a team together," said Penn. "I know Mace and Sapphire won't help."

Penn did as Vertragus told him, and downloaded the app on his cell phone that would detect the iron deposits, then he exited the shuttle cruiser and grabbed some magnets. "Who volunteers to go with me and Felicity to collect some iron? Vertragus said we need it for the artificial wormhole generator."

Lazaro and Tegan both raised their hands.

"Okay, let's go!" said Penn, as he tossed some empty carbon fiber sacks at them, and the four of them left.

Mace and Sapphire were left alone with the Lillitopians once again. Mace wore the telepathic control helmet that controlled the robots.

"What are the pros and cons of remaining on Lillitopia after Penn and the others leave?" Mace asked.

"We would be ageless and rule as gods!" said Sapphire.

"And the cons?" Mace asked.

"We would be cut off from our society," Sapphire answered.

Just then, a Lillitopian they didn't recognize before arrived. "Hi there! I think you should remain here permanently!"

"Who are you?" Sapphire asked.

"My name is Scamp," said the tiny man. "I worship thunder giants!"

"Thunder giants?" Sapphire asked.

"Yes!" said Scamp. "People like you are known to us as thunder giants. There is a whole faction of people such as me who worship people like you!"

"But you could end up in our bellies!" said Sapphire. "What do you have to say about that?"

"Some things are worth dying for!" said Scamp, trying to be heard over the sounds of the two robots constructing the equipment.

"I like the sound of that!" said Sapphire, with a sinister smile spreading across her face. Sapphire reached down to scoop Scamp up in her hand, and he didn't resist.

By this time, the circular design of the wormhole generator was coming into shape. It was thicker on the bottom than the top, but it could be seen how it would eventually become a dimensional portal the cadets could easily step through, to travel elsewhere.

The two robots were working furiously, the robot constructing the wormhole generator was working faster than humanly possible.

Meanwhile, Penn and the others made it to the iron deposits, and were using the magnets to collect iron filings. They began to fill their sacks, until they were about halfway filled.

"That's the most I can carry," said Felicity, "this sack is half full, and it's pretty heavy."

"Yeah," said Penn, "mine feels heavy, too. We've collected a lot of iron filings, let's head back to the shuttle cruiser."

When they arrived back at the shuttle cruiser, they were astonished to see the immense progress of the artificial wormhole generator.

"Wow!" said Felicity. "It's nearly finished!"

"Almost," said Vertragus, as he stood on Felicity's right palm, "but we need to get these iron filings processed to help build the framework of the structure. Dump some of those iron filings into the ore processor!"

"You don't tell us what to do, tiny one!" said Sapphire, with Scamp standing on her right palm. "We don't take orders from your kind, we give them!"

"I apologize, mighty goddess," said Vertragus.

"Now that's better!" said Sapphire. "You should take lessons in manners from Scamp, he worships us!"

"Do you know him, Vertragus?" Felicity asked.

From her hand, Vertragus answered: "Scamp is one of the most vocal supporters of worshiping thunder giants like yourselves, we've had a lot of problems with people like him."

"Like what?" Felicity asked.

"If Lillitopians are ever hiding from thunder giants, and Scamp knows where they are hidden, he would give up their positions to the thunder giants. Many Lillitopians have been devoured because of his kind! They betray us!"

"It sounds like we need more of his kind!" said Sapphire, laughing.

Penn dumped some of the iron filings into the ore processing robot, and the robot continued to work while Mace wore the telepathic control helmet. Within moments, the iron filings were melted down and converted into iron bricks, and the second robot took it and manipulated the iron into the size and shape needed to construct the wormhole generator.

"The wormhole generator should be finished earlier than I predicted," said Vertragus. "I wasn't counting on having help from robots. It should be finished some time this afternoon!"

Mace still wore the telepathic helmet. He went inside the shuttle cruiser and manipulated the control console. Only Sapphire was aware that he was up to something; she entered the shuttle and asked him what he was doing.

“I’m putting the mainframe computer under my control! I’m the only one who can control it now! It can only be accessed when I wear this helmet. The others won’t figure out that anything is wrong until the artificial wormhole generator is finished, then I’ll reveal my master plan!”

Penn popped his head in through the doorway of the shuttle cruiser. “Mace, are you taking a break? We need you to control the robots, we’re almost done!”

Mace emerged with a smile on his face, and got back to work controlling the robots. Felicity noticed that he was smiling, and got suspicious. She whispered to Penn: “I think Mace is up to something!”

Sapphire emerged from the shuttle cruiser, with a look on her face that was reminiscent of the cat that swallowed the canary.

“Just keep your eyes on them,” said Penn. “We don’t have any evidence, and I don’t want to start an argument that could slow down our progress.”

Within a couple of more hours, Vertragus announced that the artificial wormhole generator was completed. The six cadets gathered in the area in front of the wormhole generator. Felicity gathered Vertragus and held him at waist level so he could be easily seen and heard.

“Now we need to send Gretchen back to 1944 Netherlands,” said Penn.

There were cables extending from the wormhole generator to the interior of the shuttle cruiser. Vertragus explained that he could program the onboard computer to send Gretchen home. Gretchen was ushered in and asked what date she came from, so she could be returned to her time and place.

Once she gave them the date, Pen programmed it into the computer and Mace used the telepathic helmet to activate the wormhole generator. The cadets outside the shuttle cruiser could see the Netherlands on the other side of the dimensional portal.

Gretchen hugged the cadets and stepped through the portal, and into the world on the other side.

“Okay,  now we have to get the younger version of Gretchen and bring her here,” said Penn, “then we have to send her back to the recent past here on Lillitopia, as she described to us.”

“I’m not doing anything,” said Mace as he took the telepathic helmet off, “until you all agree that me and Sapphire can stay to rule as gods when the rest of you return to the academy!”

“That’s not going to happen, Mace!” said Penn.

“The mainframe computer that controls the shuttle cruiser and now also the wormhole generator is under my control!” said Mace. “Without me, you’re stranded here!”

“If you stay here, you’ll regret it eventually,” Penn reasoned. “Being a god might be fun, but it would get old after a while.”

“Isn’t there something you’d like to study back at the academy that isn’t available on Lillitopia?” Sapphire asked.

“I’ve always wanted to be a xenopsychologist,” said Mace. “I always thought it would be interesting to see how 21st century Earth would react if the Lillitopians journeyed there and shared their technology!”

“That’s unlikely to happen,” said Sapphire.

“Only some kind of a cosmic cataclysm could force them to evacuate Lillitopia,” said Penn.

“That’s it!” said Mace. “I can build a weapon that will cause the star that Lillitopia orbits to go supernova within ten years! If you don’t help me do that, I’ll never let you get back home!”

The others looked at each other and realized they might not have any other choice.

To Be Continued!