The Plasma Master

by Brian Rushton

  Chapter Ф

  The rain had stopped during the night, and Ned awoke to a rather peaceful morning. The sun had not yet risen, and the forest was just beginning to come awake. His blue heat shield had faded during the night, but Ned was alive, and that was more than he could say for his mood. His throat was sore, and he sneezed a few times as he awoke himself. He realized with dismay but not surprise that he had caught a cold. Or something like a cold. How would his body deal with this alien virus? Would he be able to fight it off?

  There was another medkit in the shuttle’s wreckage, so Ned was decided on heading back there. He stood up, picked up everything he had, which was absolutely nothing, and started back. There were several plants on the way, and Ned had an almost-satisfying breakfast of blue apples and the petals of a flower that looked like a blob of gelatin that someone had stepped on. He would have to hunt for meat soon, but he wanted to use the laser rifle that was back at the shuttle.

  Ned had been walking for nearly an hour when something in the sky above him caught his eye. He looked upward through the branches to see what it was, but it was gone. A few minutes later he saw it again, and this time he got a relatively good look. His trepidation was confirmed: It was a dragon. It was not the same one, though. This one was green, and it was bigger than the other one. But what was it doing? Ned stepped back against a tree and waited for a few minutes. The dragon appeared again, still high up in the sky, and then it was gone again. It was not roaring; was it trying to avoid calling attention to itself? The dragon appeared again, a little closer this time, and then once again wheeled out of view.

  Now Ned was really confused. He had to assume that the dragon was looking for him, probably circling above the shuttle’s wreckage. If he went back now, it would almost certainly find him. He knew he could not stay where he was forever, but maybe he should just sit still for a while and hope it would go away. Maybe he should even try to put some more distance between himself and the shuttle’s wreckage. The dragon appeared again, closer still, and Ned felt his heart beat faster. If he did not do something fast it would find him. Run or hide – either way he would risk being found. Ned chose to hide. He found some bushes tall enough to conceal him and lay down. Almost immediately he began do doubt his decision. It might be harder for the dragon to find him here, but he could not see it, either. If it found him anyway he would not know until it touched down right in front of him, and then it would be too late. Ned closed his eyes and tried to think of something else.

  Then something beeped. Ned snapped his eyes open and looked around, but there was nothing there but him. Besides, the noise had come from him… It sounded again. Ned reached into one pocket and withdrew the communicator. Once again it beeped at him. Almost without thinking he pressed a button and whispered, “Hello? Is anyone there?”

  “Hello!” a man’s voice came back.

  “Who are you?” Ned asked.

  “My name is X,” the other replied. “Valkron told me there was someone somewhere around here, and I’ve been looking for you for a couple of hours now. I just found the wreckage of your ship. Where are you?”

  Ned hesitated. “Where are you? I’m hiding in a bush because there’s a dragon circling above me. That doesn’t have anything to do with you, does it?”

  “As a matter of fact it does. If you’ll come out into an open area and shout at me, Valkron should be able to find you easily. He has very good hearing.”

  Valkron? Ned was not entirely sure about this, but he crawled out from under the bush anyway. He walked to an area that had relatively few trees surrounding it and shouted, “What do you want me to say?”

  “Just keep shouting. I think we’re close.”

  “Hello!” shouted Ned, feeling silly. “Since I can’t think of anything relevant to shout into the sky, I’ll just mention that the square root of forty-nine is seven and the capital of Nebraska is Lincoln, and…”

  “All right,” X said through the communicator. “We see you. By the way, seven squared is forty-one.”

  “Not where I come from!” Ned shouted back.

  Ned jumped in spite of himself as Valkron landed several yards in front of him. The dragon dropped down on all fours, and Ned saw that a man was basically standing on the dragon’s back. He was holding what looked like reins, but they were simply tied around the dragon’s chest below the arms; Ned could not believe that they exerted even the slightest physical control over the animal. X jumped down off of Valkron’s back and approached Ned. That was good, since Ned was still rather uncomfortable about going anywhere near the dragon.

  “I’m X,” the man introduced himself again as he stepped up to Ned. His hair had been ruffled by the wind, and his pleasant countenance suggested a carefree attitude. His pants, shirt, and vest were colored green and brown, causing X to blend in with the surrounding forest.

  Ned shook his hand. “Nedward Simmons,” he said. “Where am I?” It was the first of about a hundred trillion questions that Ned wanted instantaneous answers to but figured that patience might be worth employing at the moment.

  “Welcome to Palandora,” X said. “What brings you here? Have you come to join us?”

  “Well, not exactly, Ned said.” He felt that he should say more but did not know what.

  X seemed to sense that there was quite a lot on Ned’s mind. “It looks like you have a few things you’d like to ask me.”

  “I do,” Ned said. He began by relating to X everything that had happened since his shuttle had crashed. He said nothing about Smardwurst or the stone or anything that had happened before he arrived, but finished by explaining that he thought he should wait until he was certain of the situation before saying more.

  “I would exercise the same caution in your place,” X said when he had finished. “I might be able to help you with some of your questions. As for the dragon yesterday, I believe you just startled her. She’s not at all used to coming home and finding someone in her house. She was as confused about the incident as you were. The reason your transmittor did not work was that gravimetric interference prevents communication at long distances. That was why I was only able to contact you when I got close. I’m afraid it’s like that all over the planet. We have a few communicator booster stations, but usually if we want to talk to someone outside the city we go and do it in person.”

  Ned was confused on a couple of points, but he remained silent for the moment.

  “There was one thing more,” X continued. “Delgora – the dragon you met yesterday – mentioned something about ‘power.’ Do you know what she was talking about?”

  Ned didn’t know whether to be more shocked that X knew about his power or that the dragon had communicated it to him. “Well, yes, but…”

  “I see,” X interrupted. “Well maybe I should take you back now. You can talk to the King, and maybe he can help you. Or if not, then I’m sure Koral can.”

  X did not say it accusingly, but suddenly Ned felt totally exposed. He did not know what to say. “Koral is here?” he managed.

  X nodded. “The King will want to see you first, but then we can go and talk to Koral. I’m not sure where he is at the moment, anyway. I think he’s out with one of the dragons.” X stopped, realizing that there was a great deal left for him to explain. “I’ll tell you more about the dragons when we get there, if you want, but we’d better get going. I left as soon as Delgora reached me, and it still took me half the night to get here. Come on. X started back toward Valkron.

  “You want me to ride that?” Ned said incredulously.

  “It’ll be fine,” X assured him. “I know it looks awkward, but staying on is really very easy. You just hold the straps. Koral says it’s the Plasma that holds you up. Anyway, you’ll be fine, I promise.”

  The Plasma, Ned thought. That might explain a great deal. Grinning widely, Ned followed X onto Valkron’s back. The dragon was so big that both men stood on either side of one massive spike, holding the same set of reins. There were foot straps as
well, which Ned had missed seeing previously, as well as a lower harness that allowed X and Ned to strap themselves in while sitting. Ned felt a little more comfortable that way. At a word from X, Valkron spread his leathery wings and lifted into the sky. Ned felt his stomach drop into his hip.

  The landscape fell away in a panoramic view of trees, rivers, and mountains, and soon it was all just a wash of color far below. Although Ned was able to convince himself that he was safe, his situation was still more than a little strange. This was largely due to his view. To his left was a giant, dark green wing that flapped up and down occasionally. Each rush of wind made Ned a little nervous that he would be blown from Valkron’s back, although he supposed that the air was being directed downward, not across. In front, the long, muscular neck stretched away and ended in a massive head that still seemed somehow too exotic to belong to any living creature. Dinosaurs were extinct, and dragons had never existed. To his right was the giant, curved spike, over which X’s head barely showed. The spike came to a point right next to Ned’s ear, and he was constantly afraid that he would stab himself on it. He reminded himself that neither falling nor stabbing was any threat to him, and it made him feel a little better.

  Valkron flew for several hours. They stopped to rest once, and Ned mentioned the fact that he had caught some kind of disease the previous night. But X had nothing with him to alleviate it, so Ned had to wait. He tried to avert his mind by concentrating on the experience of riding a dragon. He had flown before in airplanes, but it was entirely different when there was nothing separating you from the open air. After the initial shock, Ned grew to trust X and Valkron, and he ended up enjoying the ride.

  Finally a city came into view on the horizon. It was situated between two sets of mountains, as if it had been dropped there and caused a dent in the mountainside. It sat on a cliff from which a waterfall cascaded to the valley below. The river stretched from the base of the cliff down the length of a valley before winding toward some unknown destination. “Tibrus City,” X announced over the rush of the wind. “We’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”

  Ned was amazed at how fast the dragon flew. Its body did not seem to be quite aerodynamic enough to fly at all. And shouldn’t the air be blowing stronger if Valkron was really flying that fast? Something about the Plasma, X had said, but what did that mean?

  At last they reached the city. They were still far above it, but Ned could see people walking along the streets. The homes here were made of wood or brick; the city as a whole did not look all that different from Ned’s home town on Earth. It was not very big, either. There were only a few hundred homes, plus shops and other buildings. Farmland spread out behind the city.

  Jutting upward at the center of the city was a castle. It was elaborately constructed, and its architecture vaguely reminded Ned of a Renaissance cathedral. It was surrounded by gardens and trees, and a stone wall circled its perimeter. It was toward this castle that X descended.

  Valkron landed in the middle of a large patch of lawn, and when he lay down to let his riders off he took up most of it. Ned was grateful to be on the ground again; his knuckles were white from holding on so tightly. He was feeling a little more comfortable about dragons now, since he had spent several hours with one and it had not attempted to incinerate or eat him. As X patted Valkron’s head and spoke to him softly, Ned noticed for the first time that Valkron’s hands had opposable thumbs. He thought about how X seemed to communicate with the dragons and wondered how much like humans the monsters really were.

  “Is there anyone here?” Ned asked after a moment. The courtyard in which they were standing was empty.

  “Actually,” replied X, “after I finish here we’ll go inside and see if the King can see us now. I talked to a secretary last night, but I don’t even know if the King knows about you yet.”

  X patted Valkron on the nose and then sent him flying up into the morning sky. In a few moments he was out of sight. “Let’s go,” X said.

  He took Ned through an elaborately decorated and meticulously cared-for garden and up to a set of massive, wooden doors that lead into the palace. X knocked, and they swung slowly open. “Hello, Flarg,” X said to the man inside, who simply nodded and took them down a long series of hallways and up several flights of stairs. At the top Flarg took them down a hallway and stopped at one of the doors. “The King is expecting you,” he said ceremonially, and then opened the door. Ned and X stepped through, and Flarg closed the door behind them.

  They stood in a conference hall. Elaborate pictures hung from the walls, chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and windows stretched from floor to ceiling and wall to wall at the back of the room. A long table occupied the center of the room, and at its head, on the far side of the room, sat a man who Ned immediately identified by his bright clothing and the crown on his head to be the King. A girl sat next to him.

  “Greetings, X,” the King said in a warm voice. “And you, stranger. You must have gone to great lengths to reach us. Welcome. I am Narkus Trennon, King of Palandora. This is my daughter, Jenara.” The girl said hello, smiling brightly and brushing a lock of light brown hair away from her face. She must have known X rather well – or was it Ned to whom she directed that look? Ned wasn’t sure.

  “I’m Nedward Simmons,” He offered. “I came here looking for a man named Koral Ralok. X says he’s around here somewhere.” Ned stifled a sneeze. “Thank you for taking me in. A dragon incinerated most of my supplies, and…”

  “Yes, you certainly seem to have been through a lot lately. You seem to have taken ill, as well. Would you like a meal and a bath before you relate to us your story? Or we can hear it first, if you like.”

  Ned was pleased to realize that for once he was the one with the explaining to do, although he did have a great many questions, as well. “Yes, thank you. I am a little hungry.”

  “Very well, then,” said the King. “X, would you see to it that Mr. Simmons gets what he needs, and then call me when you are done? Jenara and I will be here when you’re ready.”

  “Yes, sir,” X said. Ned thanked the King and Jenara again, and X led him back the way they had come.

  They went downstairs to eat. Ned had not eaten a good meal in a couple of days, and he consumed the meat, fruit, and vegetables ravenously. X took him to a room where Ned showered and dressed in fresh clothing that was provided. X had left some medicine on a chest of drawers in the room, and Ned took it. The cold did not bother him again. Feeling much refreshed, Ned walked with X back into the conference room. The King greeted them again, and this time they sat down at the table. Ned had thought during his meal about what he should say to them. At first he had planned to tell them only what he had related to X earlier, but then he decided that these people were almost definitely friends of Koral, and therefore probably friends of him as well. They certainly acted like it. So, Ned decided to tell them everything. He started by relating what Earth was like, explaining that it was far behind this section of space technologically. He then told them how he had found the blue stone, discovered the power it gave him, and how he had decided to come with Smardwurst through the vortex in hopes that he could help the StarBlazer Alliance and find out how to master the power he had discovered. He told them how he had come to Palandora, hoping that Koral’s experience with the Anacron Plasma force would allow him to help Ned in his efforts, and ended with his experiences of the past few days.

  “Fascinating,” King Trennon said when Ned was finished. “You see, we have had only minimal contact with the outside galaxy since we came to Palandora to live. I had no idea that the conflict between the Empire and Gerran Marnax had grown so fierce. A good man, Gerran is. All that fighting, though – it all makes me very glad to be here, away from all the trouble.

  “But…” Ned began.

  “Yes, I know. There is always a chance that they will come here. But the gravimetric field is a strong protector, as your friends discovered. Besides, we are located rather out of the way, and there is
no reason for the Anacronians to take interest in us, anyway. And you said yourself that your mission here was highly confidential.”

  King Trennon took a deep breath and smiled. “So,” he declared, changing the subject, “You want to see Koral, do you? Yes, I’m sure he will have a great many answers for you. A well-loved man, he is. And very wise. X knows that, don’t you? As soon as I learn that he’s back, I’ll make certain that you get a chance to talk to him. For now, though, you are welcome to stay here.”

  The conversation basically ended there. X showed Ned to his room after that, showing him how to access computer maps of the palace and the city and how to call for the king’s servants if he needed anything. “I’m sorry it looks like you’ll have to wait awhile, Ned,” X said apologetically. “I’m sure you’ll find plenty to keep yourself occupied, though. The palace is a big place.”

  “I’m sure I will,” Ned said. “What I really want, though, is to know about Palandora. How did everyone get here? Who made the space bubble inside this nebula?” He hesitated. “X, is there any way you could stay and answer some of that for me?”

  “I’m sorry, Ned,” X said, apologetic again, “but I have a ton to do today. I’m already behind. I’ll come back later though and check up on you. Will you be all right?”

  “Yes. And thank you. I don’t want to know what I’d be doing right now if you hadn’t come along.”

  X smiled. “Well, I just hope you can learn something from Koral. I know I’ve learned quite a bit.”

  “Can I ask you one thing?” Ned asked X as he was just stepping out of the door to Ned’s room. “What do you do here? Your job, I mean.”

  “Oh! I didn’t tell you! I’m a student of Koral’s. I’m learning to talk to the dragons!” He smiled pleasantly again, and then he was gone.

  Ned sat in his room for a while, pondering what had happened to him. Things certainly had taken a turn for the better, and it looked like he just might finally get some answers to the questions that had been running mercilessly through his mind. Another day or so would not hurt, now that he had apparently done everything that could be reasonably expected of him to do. Smardwurst would certainly be impressed, although perhaps less so if he realized how much of Ned’s success had been due to luck rather than skill. Ned had been thinking to himself for days now, though, so after only a few minutes of lying there staring at the ceiling he decided to explore the castle grounds.

  There was no evidence here of the storm that had afflicted Ned the previous night. As he walked through the gardens the sky overhead was a clear, crystalline blue. The rush of the river on the edge of the city, coupled with the singing of the birds, reminded Ned of the time he had spent wandering through Palandora’s forest, only now he was no longer lost or in danger of being consumed. It was all very pleasant.

  Then Ned heard a noise. It was coming from a stand of trees that sat atop a small hill at one corner of the garden. It was faint from where Ned was standing, but it sounded like some kind of musical instrument. He began walking toward it. He noticed as he approached that whoever was playing it was very good. The melody was flawless, and the sound of the instrument, which Ned did not recognize, had an almost mesmerizing effect.

  Ned slowed as he neared the top of the hill and approached the stand of trees. He did not want to startle whoever was there, but he had a sudden urge to talk to someone – anyone. Ned believed that almost anyone on this planet would be able to answer at least some of his questions. He circled the trees so he would not come up on the musician’s back, and then walked into them. He saw her then. The girl’s eyes were locked on him, and she seemed to have seen Ned before he saw her, sitting on the grass with her back to a tree and the skirt of her pink dress spread around her. He recognized her instantly. It was Jenara Trennon, the King’s daughter.

  Her fingers were playing out an intricate melody on some kind of reed instrument. She finished her tune before setting it down. “That was very good,” Ned said conversationally. “How long have you played?”

  Jenara smiled radiantly. “Thank you! I first started to play when I was four. My mother taught me. That was quite a story you told us today, Ned. Would you like to sit down?”

  Ned picked a spot a few feet in front of her and sat down on the grass. He was beginning to get the feeling that this conversation had been Jenara’s idea, not his.

  “I’ve never seen the Plasma,” Jenara said after a moment, “although I’ve heard a lot about it from my father and Koral.”

  “Would you like to see it?” Ned asked.

  “Sure!” Jenara said enthusiastically.

  Ned thought he now had an idea of why Jenara was so anxious to talk with him. He held out his hand, palm upward, and caused a series of writhing, sparkling tendrils of blue light to form in a ball above his hand. “I don’t know for sure that this is actually Anacron Plasma,” Ned said. “I doubt anyone from the Empire ever traveled to Earth. Certainly not Koral.”

  “That’s incredible,” Jenara said, not paying full attention to what Ned was saying. Her eyes were fixed on the light. “What can you do with it?”

  Good question, Ned thought. “Well, I can form it into just about any shape, for one thing. I can use it as sort of a weapon, like I did with that Yendarian and the dragon, although it takes a lot of effort to do any real damage. Even then it’s still a lot weaker than a blaster.” He made the light flare dramatically, then let it fade away.

  Jenara stood up in a rustle of pink fabric. “Hey, do you want to see the city? I could show you around if you’d like.”

  “I’d like that,” Ned said. He rose, and Jenara led him out of the gardens to the palace gate. She left her musical instrument behind, telling Ned that she could send someone back for it later. Jenara took him all through the city, which seemed a little larger from the ground than it had from the air, but not by much. She introduced him briefly to a couple of people, but mostly Ned and she just talked. Ned was tempted to bombard her with questions about Palandora’s history, but he refrained. He was enjoying the conversation as it was. They talked about their homes, of their friends, and of their opinions on various aspects of life. Ned found Jenara very easy to talk to, and the two quickly became friends. Apparently Jenara had not just wanted a look at the stone’s light after all.

  Ned and Jenara were enjoying themselves so much that they lost track of time. Jenara finally looked at her watch as the day started to wane toward evening. “Oh! It’s almost dinnertime!” she said. She then seized Ned’s hand and half-dragged him back down the streets toward the palace. They made quite a sight, and several people stopped to stare at the Princess racing down the street, kicking clouds of dust up off of the ground onto her dress and dragging behind her a young man who looked like he only half understood what was happening.

  At last they reached the door, and Flarg let them in. King Trennon and X had just sat down to eat. “There you are!” declared the King when they entered the dining room. “I had thought you had decided to eat out tonight. Come, sit down.”

  Ned became suddenly aware that Jenara was still holding his hand, and he broke away, feeling a little self-conscious. “Jenara showed me around the city today,” he informed the King and X. “You have a wonderful planet here.”

  “Why thank you, Ned,” the King said. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I believe X has some news for you.”

  X smiled and turned toward Ned. “I received a message from Koral today. He should be back by tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Great!” Jenara exclaimed. “I’ll take you up tomorrow after breakfast to wait for him.”

  “I’ll go, too, if you don’t mind,” X said.

  Ned smiled at him and nodded. “That should give you enough time to answer a few of my questions.”

  “I’ll try,” X said, “but I have a feeling that that job will be mainly up to Koral.”

  “It’s agreed then,” Jenara declared. “We leave tomorrow morning.”

  Dinner ended with small talk, an
d then all four went off to bed. Ned was incredibly pleased with how the day had turned out. Last night at this time he had been shivering in the rain and wondering if he would ever see another sentient being again. Now, after only one day, Ned had two new friends and was within hours of meeting the man who would very likely give him the knowledge and direction that his life so desperately needed right now. It had been a very good day indeed.