?What stellar songs are sung when a planet dies?? The large form of the monstrous Tark said, standing tall, strong and supremely powerful in the spaceport complex on the planet named Krunos. Brilliant bands of aqua colors swirled all about him. Orange and green electrostatic storms were feeding him new and awesome powers. The Xaron rays that he had adapted from the Krillan technology were becoming stronger and stronger. A sinister smile came upon the hairy face of the warlock. Eric Hart stood before the starship Voyan preparing for combat with the very powerful space beast. The large body of the warrior set atop metal framework for legs began to move. Green orbs looked over with an evil stare. Eric?s silvery cosmic spacesuit shimmered with the colors of the storm. The silver knight stood proudly, as a bolt of lightning highlighted the teardrop shape of the starship Voyan. ?It is time to show you puny humans what real power is! The magnificent Tark shall destroy the planet of Krunos!? The monstrous form held his metal-covered arms in the air. Brilliant beams of yellow and green spiraled all about the huge hairy body. Dazzling circles of orange swirled outward overhead beyond the dome of the spaceport. Eric?s eyes opened wide in fear, as he stared through the faceplate. The wicked Tark was going to destroy the entire planet of Krunos. The dazzling wheels of orange and green grew brighter and brighter. He stepped quickly over to the other side of the Voyan. The ship had landed close to a warehouse dock. He saw a sparkle of light from a broken door on a storage bin. Jutting out of the door was the long chrome tube of an energy cannon. ?Is that a Xaron cannon?? ?It is indeed, milord.? Elfan said. Eric looked over at the large oval eyes when the Krillan Ranger stepped up beside him. Even though the ranger had the face of an antelope, it still looked grim. ?David.? He said. Quickly, the level voice of the chief scientist onboard the starship Voyan came over his headphones. Luckily, the crew had been monitoring all communications. ?Go ahead, Eric.? ?There?s a Xaron cannon about 6 feet to my right. Activate it with the scanners. Feed me all the power you can with an energy link.? ?You?ve got it!? David yelled. Elfan had pushed the door back. Eric grabbed the large chrome tube with both gloved hands. The steel strands in his cosmic spacesuit groaned, as he pointed the cannon at the dazzling form of Tark. Suddenly, a reddish blue beam spewed from it. The bright beam struck the monster and then bounced upward into the aqua clouds overhead. The mysterious orange and green storm clouds billowed overhead. A lightning bolt gave the huge thunderhead a golden crown. Bright white light began to glow all about the monstrous form. The brilliant light grew more and more intense. Tark opened his hideous mouth. He screamed a monstrous scream. Fire swirled from his scarred lips. Lightning exploded in the yellow orbs of his eyes. A bright energy beam shot down at him from the clouds. The dazzling lightning bolt struck the monster with the force of a nuclear blast. In a blinding flash of light the huge body of the wicked Tark exploded. The yellow and green fireball curled into the sky. Dazzling green and orange Xaron beams radiated all about the fiery explosion. A Xaron beam struck the Kell Medallion. The shimmering blue disk on its gold chain swirled up into the air. The evil Tark had it around his neck, but now that neck was gone. The medallion twirled across the runway and landed at Elfan?s feet, tiny bolts of lightning curling all about it. ?What happened?? Elfan gasped. The silver form threw down the cannon. ?He was transformed.? Eric said with a smile. ?Transformed into atmosphere. Tark already told us that the storms amplified his powers. So, I formed a link with one of your electrostatic storms. With a tremendous power spike his own Xaron rays turned him into clouds.? Elfan?s large leaf-shaped eyes opened wide. The green disks of his eyes shimmered. It was beyond belief. The human had killed the monstrous Tark. Slowly, Elfan bent down and picked up the Kell Medallion. Furry fingers slipped it around his neck. He touched the wondrous sky blue disk. It glistened with a ray of sunlight. Quickly, the Krillan Ranger looked over at the female wizard named Mystra, who had been lying quietly on the ground within the Voyan?s energy armor. She was a royal wizard from the home world of Teon. The wicked Tark had struck her down savagely. Why had she helped the humans in their battle against the evil Tark? The sky turned to a brighter shade of blue green. ?It was in the age before the Masters of Light, when Krillan Rangers won dominion over the Teon realm. A great and powerful leader on our home world of Krunos created the Kell Medallion to conquer all magnetic technology. Its strange powers rivaled that of the masters of Teon, the strange energy beings known to you as the Masters of Light. The Kell Medallion was our greatest creation. It shimmers with vast power.? ?Well, I guess our work here is done.? Eric stared at the furry face through the mirror surface of his faceplate. ?We?ll grab Mystra and take off.? Elfan looked over uneasily. ?No, milord. That is not so.? ?What do you mean?? Eric asked. ?With the medallion, I?ve become a being of higher power. I shall return the Krillan Rangers to their rightful role as leaders of the Teon realm.? ?Wait a minute.? Eric spat in anger. ?Teon Command sent us here to get the female wizard named Mystra and to return the Kell Medallion. We?ve done that.? ?You will not disobey the Krillan Order. The Games of Krunos must continue. And, with the power of the Kell Medallion, I assure you, the games will be played.? Suddenly, huge ivory chess pieces appeared out of thin air. The tall sculpture of the chess piece called a knight slammed down in front of them. It was a huge stone sculpture of a winged horse. He ducked down under the Voyan. Elfan wasn?t kidding. It was time to play the Games of Krunos. Eric quickly realized that the black squares on the pavement where symmetrical. The entire runway in front of the spaceport was a giant checkerboard. Another huge chess piece slammed to the ground. Eric tried to steady himself, as the ground quaked. A dazzling orange beam snared the Voyan. The starship moved slowly two squares ahead. A brilliant blast hit Eric. It knocked him into the air. He fell down on the back of a winged dragon. The serpent?s head reared back. It screeched. Eric pulled on the reins. An orange beam slapped him onto an opposing square. A very tall crystal shape moved toward him. Eric pulled the reins hard and the dragon folded back its wings. He wasn?t sure but the chess piece up ahead of him appeared to be the Queen. Another orange beam moved the crystal shape closer to him. He saw Mystra?s face within the crystalline surface. Her eyes stared in horror. It must?ve been the same paralyzing beam that the evil Tark had used with his Xaron rays. They were all held hostage by the Games of Krunos. A giant chess piece of a rook drew its sword. Eric and the dragon spun around. The serpent screeched. An orange beam blasted the rook. Elfan wasn?t kidding around. Those were real Xaron rays that were ripping up the spaceport. He pulled back the reins again. Four giant chess pieces moved at once. With unbelievable speed a massive electrostatic storm swirled over the spaceport. Eric stared up at the ocean of energy rolling across the light green sky. Huge orange and green thunderheads mounted overhead. Quickly, he began to realize what the scanner screen on the forearm of his cosmic spacesuit was telling him. There was a mysterious new wizard in orbit that was tapping into the left over powers of the monstrous Tark. A strange fleet of fighters attacked the planet of Krunos with an incredible blast, a huge wave of Cosmic Fire. Eric had seen the fiery energies in the sky before in some computer news report, magnificent beams of pure energy that charged the atmosphere. He watched the fantastic Cosmic Fire, as the dazzling light show of orange and green filled the entire sky with an ocean of power. They were all in awe of the strange color patterns of that magnificent power. All the energies of the planet of Krunos were out of control ! Get your special Signature Preview of the latest novel by S J C Willems titled The Starbeam War. This limited edition collectible preview is available from Voyan Books all for the low cost of $4.50 + $0.50 postage and handling. That?s just 5 bucks! Pay via PayPal. Respond to this ad and be sure to put ?Signature Preview? in the subject. FREE info is always available. All of these fantastic episodes are chronicled in the full-length paperback titled WAR OF CRYSTALS available at your favorite online bookstore or simply cut and paste this link /3481614. Take a look. Views are FREE! Thank you! Christopher ? Customer Service Copyright 2009 Stephen Willems