NEBADOR - the incredible journey of five young adults from poverty and oppression to respected citizenship in the wide universe ... This epic young-adult science fiction adventure begins as a strange young man arrives in a medieval kingdom. Stepping out of a swamp near the capital city, mysterious bracelet on his arm, only an unearthly fearlessness saves him from mutilation or death from a wild stallion. He is soon smiling and gazing over the kingdom from the top of a high hill. Openly seeking a crew for a mysterious ship no one has seen, it is soon clear he is looking for something other than salty old sailors. He must learn many hard lessons of survival, and at the same time locate his crew in the rigid craft guilds and religious orders. Tempted by love and pursued by a powerful high priest, he discovers his bright and spirited students in the last place he wanted to look. Just as he starts to teach them, dark political forces catch up with him, and he and his students must undertake a dangerous journey. Bonds of trust and love begin to form as they struggle to find a way out of the medieval walled city. BOOK ONE: THE TEST is the first book in the NEBADOR series. These stories are filled with wit-sharpening and skill-honing challenges - mental, emotional, and spiritual - for both the characters and the reader. It is truly a grand adventure in which the characters come to understand a beloved saying of the Nebador Transport Service: Personal power is the ability to stand on your own two feet, with a smile on your face, in the middle of a universe that contains a million ways to crush you. This is the PAPERBACK GLOBAL edition in 10-point type, revision 1.