Free For the Love of Gelo! by Tom O'Donnell

finished. By the end, Hudka really did look ready to do something that would be worthy of jail time.
    Thankfully their search came up empty. Kalac kept the code (scrawled on an ancient bit of parchment) hidden on its person at all times. This meant that—for the time being, at least—I was the only Xotonian on Gelo who could open the Vault.
    Now we sat in grim silence—the four young humans, Hudka, and I—in the living room of my dwelling. Books, furniture, cookware, all of my family’s belongings were strewn about the floor. It was dark, save for the glow of human flashlights.
    â€œWell, that was awesome,” said Becky.
    â€œDude, I think your government needs more checks and balances,” said Little Gus.
    â€œIs there any way we can change Sheln’s mind?” Nicki asked me. “Convince it to call a Grand Conclave after all? If you really did hear the beacon, it means Kalac and the others need our help. Maybe we could appeal to Sheln’s conscience?”
    At the idea of Sheln’s “conscience,” Hudka laughed bitterly. It sometimes understood more human-ese than it let on.
    â€œSheln won’t back down,” said Hollins. “The last thing it wants is for Kalac to return. It would probably rather blow up Gelo than relinquish control.”
    â€œSo what choice do we have?” asked Little Gus. “Just wait for Kalac to find a way back to Gelo on its own?”
    â€œNo,” I said, staring out into the dark city of Core-of-Rock, the sound of that faint, staticky chime replaying in my head. “There’s no time to wait.” I turned back toward the others. “I’m going to Kyral myself.”
    The humans looked at one another. Hollins grinned. “Chorkle, I was hoping you’d say that,” he said, rising to his feet.
    â€œI can’t ask you to come,” I said, feeling a swell of the familiar guilt. “It’s my fault you’re here instead of back on Earth. And Kalac is my originator. I can’t ask you all to risk your lives again on my account. I . . .”
    â€œSo don’t ask, Chorkle,” said Becky, patting me on the thol’graz. “We’re coming.”
    â€œI’d help bring Kalac back to Gelo just to see the look on Sheln’s face,” said Hollins.
    â€œYeah,” said Little Gus. “You think we’re just going to sit here in the dark while you explore Gusworld VII without us? Pretty selfish, Chorkle.”
    â€œIt’s not going to be easy,” I said.
    â€œWe don’t expect it to be,” said Nicki. “Even if we manage to escape from Gelo, we don’t know what we’ll find on Kyral. Environmental hazards, hostile life forms, diseases. Heck, the air down there could be full of toxic spores!” she chuckled. The rest of us didn’t see the humor. She cleared her throat. “Sorry. Thinking out loud. My point is: We’re going to need a plan.”

Chapter Six

    â€œW ow, it’s beautiful,” said Nicki.
    She referred to the traditional green lights of the Feast of Zhavend, now draped from every dwelling and coiled around every stalactite we passed on our way to Rhyzz Plaza.
    â€œWho knows what damage using all this extra power is doing to the reactor, though,” she added.
    The Feast of Zhavend is a Xotonian celebration of our shared history and culture. It’s Gelo’s most important holiday, a day the young and old alike look forward to all year. Normally it is a joyous occasion to spend with friends and family.
    Not this time though. Even if Kalac hadn’t been missing, this Feast of Zhavend would have been miserable.
    On the surface it looked like a normal holiday. Against Ydar’s recommendation, Sheln had insisted on hanging the lights. The customary crowds had gathered in the street—in smaller numbers than usual—for the public component of the festival. There were oog-ball matches to be