When the Empire had fallen, there had been a general regression in the level of technology. Cutting-edge out here became known as Class Three tech, one generation of technology behind the Empire’s last achievements, which had been arbitrarily labeled Class Four. Some of the more remote areas had fallen to the standard of Class Two or even Class One. The galaxy seemed to be losing ground as the constant wars continued to take their toll. Cyborg command predicted that most of the galaxy would fall back to Class Two before things stabilized enough to begin to rebuild. The Wizard fleet, however, seemed of a standard which called that prediction into doubt.
“Excellent,” said Raquel. “The carriers won’t be able to escape, and the rest of their fleet will be in a shambles for some time. Purwryn, head for the Wizard Fleet.”
“Okay,” said Purwryn.
“That fleet is impressive!” called Zah’rak.
“It’s fairly primitive compared to what we have back home,” said Raquel. “We had to buy all these ships out here and make do with whatever upgrades could be performed on them.”
If this is what the wizards consider to be primitive, Cyborg Command was seriously overestimating their chances of victory now that the Wizard Kingdom had established a foothold out here. I wondered how I might convince them of that. Hopefully this battle would be enough to do so, otherwise our nation would fall.
“Acknowledged, P2003. Stay within current mission parameters.”
“Understood,” I said, not allowing my relief to appear across the connection.
“Send full battle report for retransmission.”
I sent them the full report, including all logs of conversations on the bridge around me. The Cyborgs knew the battle was lost, but they didn’t want to lose the information they’d gained during it. They would send everything back to Cyborg Command now, while they still could. My report would be added to the reports of every Cyborg out here, living or dead, and stored in the Great Core’s database for analysis. Soon the fleet would begin to retreat, to save what was left of their physical assets.
“Three fighters incoming!” called Zah’rak.
My hands were already working the controls to target them, but they were still out of optimum range. “Targets will be in range of our primary weapons in two minutes.”
My human emotions threatened to rebel every time I targeted a fellow Cyborg, but my programming was able to compensate by isolating all emotion and cutting it off before it could interfere with my ability to perform my tasks. Defending these magi was part of my mission parameters, and those fighters were attacking so that my cover wouldn’t become suspect.
They understood they were flying to their deaths, just as I understood I had to terminate them. They had their part to play in the big picture, just as I did. We were tiny pieces in the larger puzzle that was the Great Core’s vision, and it was that vision that mattered most, not us.
“Eliminate them as soon as they’re in range,” said Raquel.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said. I knew my voice would sound strange to them, but if they questioned me I would say that I was running my implants in combat mode or something technical-sounding like that. I couldn’t risk letting my human emotional response show through. The human mind was a powerful tool in its ability to deal with unknowns and unsolvables, but its emotional aspects were a major liability.
I let my hands deal with taking out the fighters and looked over at the tactical displays. The Night Wisp only had four cannons, so it was simple to let one of my sub-processors handle the targeting and firing while my organic brain kept an eye on things around me.
“The Wizard fleet is moving into attack formation,” said Zah’rak.
“The Cyborgs are running!” said Ragnar.
“What?” asked Raquel.
“They appear to be cutting their losses and abandoning any disabled craft,” said Ragnar.
“What about the carriers?” asked Raquel.
“They’re staying put, but their bays are emptying fast,” he said.
Raquel shrugged. “Head for a Wizard carrier and signal to them that we’d like to resupply before leaving. Then get me Fleet Command.”
Moments later a man in purple battle armor appeared on the screen. Raquel told him all that she knew about the fleet and the fight.
“Master Raquel, I advise that we let them get away. I don’t like doing it, but we dare not move more than a jump from our station until its defenses are fully operational,” he said.
“I agree. We’ll resupply and then rejoin the Phareon fleet. Thanks for your help,” she said.
He bowed, said goodbye and closed the channel.
“Well done, everyone,” said Raquel.
I had to agree. This little ship had utterly outperformed any logical prediction. As I looked over the crew, my eyes rested on Purwryn. He was becoming a good friend, and I knew that was a problem. It would have been a tactical error for the fleet to destroy the Night Wisp at this time, but I knew that at some future point it would become a necessity and I wasn’t looking forward to that day. When the time came I would do it just as emotionlessly as I had killed the Cyborg fighters. At least I would try to; the truth was that I was not sure I could pull it off anymore. I was getting too close to everyone.
Chapter Forty-Seven
The Wizard fleet returned to Hospital Station, and we rejoined what was left of Phareon’s fleet. I looked over the ruins of the fleet on the Night Wisp’s tactical displays and was surprised at the extent of the damage. “Phareon is doomed, isn’t it?”
They had lost at least a third of their number, and many of the remaining ships were heavily damaged. The Cyborgs were just one of many powerful enemies stalking the region. If a random ambush like this could wreak havoc on a fleet which was much larger than normal, then the region was practically lost already.
“Yes, Zah’rak, I believe so. My guess is that this region will become wild, probably in less than a decade,” said Raquel. “Many will fight for it, but none will be able to control it for a long while.”
“The Cyborgs seem to have sufficient might to take the region,” said Marcus.
“No; if they think they do, then they have seriously underestimated some of the other players,” said Raquel.
“What makes you say that?” asked Marcus. There was surprise in his voice, which stood out in stark contrast to the tonelessness of his speech during the battle.
“Since I woke, I’ve spent most of my time out here learning the state of the various powers that be, and those already active have enough strength to ensure that no one power can rule,” she said.
“Are there others coming?” I asked.
“We’re near the outer edge of the galaxy. All the magi who survived the Rending would have fled this far and then run out of options. Only the Weave knows how many yet lie sleeping and how many are already active,” she said. “There’s no way to guess the number of people who might be out here, or to what camps they might belong, but one thing is for sure: if they made it this far, they are among the most powerful.”
“What of the wizards? Surely they could hold this region,” said Ragnar.
“They?” asked Raquel with a smile. “Yes, we could. However, we have no plans to do that at this time. Our goal is to open trade out here and make friends.”
“Still, they … we could, right?” queried Marcus.
“Oh, definitely. There’s no one out here who would dare try to match us other than the Cyborgs and, as you saw, we don’t have much to fear from them. We could annex this region and have it as a second kingdom, but we’re not seeking to expand out here, just to build relationships for a change.” She went on to explain how the Wizard Kingdom’s borders were always under threat, and that jealously and envy among what used to be the Empire had fueled hatred of the Kingdom. “We hope things will be different out here.”
Our conversation was interrupted by the fleet jumping. Once we were clear, Raquel asked Shira an
d myself to join her in the cargo bay for magic lessons.
Raquel stood before us and said, “Now, as Sac’a’rith your powers will always be stronger the more you are surrounded by natural things, but that doesn’t mean you’re powerless on a space craft like this one. There are two spells which I think are the most useful for you to learn right now. The first is your bolt spell and the second is camouflage.”
“Camouflage?” I repeated.
“Bolt?” said Shira with some excitement.
“Yes. The camouflage spell is nowhere near as good as what can be done by those with the concealment line, but it’s good enough to fool most mundanes most of the time,” said Raquel.
That didn’t make sense. She had previously told us that it was her armor which allowed her to hide from sight. “Wait, I thought you said your armor … ”
“Yes, this armor can camouflage also, but it works much better when I enhance it with my own spell,” she said. “Speaking of which, change out of your armor for this. It will make it easier.”
“But we need to wear it when we fight out here. What if there’s a hull breach?” I wasn’t at all comfortable about entering into combat with a modern foe without protection. It had become habitual for us to suit up when we were jumping into unknown space. It had only taken one hull breach a while back to show us that we needed to be prepared. When idling at a station, or even coasting between jumps, most of us ditched the armor, but even that was a bit risky.
“Of course, which is why I don mine for combat in space, but it will make it more difficult to learn to cast, so for the moment switch into natural clothing such as we wore on our first trip home.”
What she said made sense based on the little experience I’d had of trying to use my magic while wearing the armor, so I reluctantly agreed and we went to our separate quarters to change. Shira and I arrived back in the cargo bay before Raquel did. “Shira, I assume you know this stuff already?”
“What stuff?”
“You know the spells. You’ve been at this magic business a lot longer than I have.”
Her face flushed and she turned her gaze to the floor. “No. I was only allowed to study traveler spells.”
Once again I wanted to kick myself. Of course her former master would have done all he could to keep her helpless. I was saved from further foolishness by Raquel’s return.
“I think we’ll start with a demonstration,” said Raquel. She was dressed in armor that appeared to be made from animal skins and leather. She had worn it the time when we’d taken her to the Sac’a’rith ruins, but I hadn’t paid much attention to it then. It covered her body as did modern armor, but seemed more flexible and much lighter. I was sure it was enchanted, but I didn’t recognize the pattern of power; I guessed it was probably magic to make it tougher and lighter. What else would someone like her need? I wondered how it would fare against a good blaster. Leather alone would be useless, but I was beginning to understand that in the world of spellcraft nothing was as it seemed.
“Wait,” I said. “You shouldn’t be casting! The battle was one thing, but there’s no need here.”
“There is great need here!” she snapped, and got right up in my snout. “Don’t you understand yet? I’m the last one alive who knows the old ways! If I don’t teach you, our ways die with me!”
There was intensity in her eyes and an edge to her voice that shook me to the core. I had never seen her angry like this before. There was something deep inside her, barely showing in her eyes, which brought a chill down my spine and seriously threatened my bladder control. Involuntarily I took a step back.
“Hey,” Shira said softly, “he’s just worried about you.”
Raquel turned on Shira, but caught herself up with a jerk. She walked a few paces away from us and breathed hard. Shira moved between Raquel and myself.
“Just go along with the training. It obviously means a great deal to her,” sent Shira privately.
After a few minutes Raquel turned and said, “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I said quickly. I had no desire to see again what I’d observed in her eyes. I had witnessed enough violence in my time to recognize it: for a brief moment, they’d been the eyes of a killer.
“Look, I need to demonstrate in order to teach. I will already need to make a stop at home to recharge before we face the sorcerers at our destination, so a few more spells won’t make much difference,” she said.
“Okay, but please use only the minimum effort necessary,” I said.
For the next several hours Raquel worked with me, trying to teach me the movements and command words for the spells. She could throw bolts of energy with such speed, precision and control that one might think her the equivalent of a cannon on a battle cruiser.
I, on the other hand, could do nothing; nothing but wave my arms about like a drunken fool, chanting gibberish. Sometimes it felt as if there was power building around me, but there was a barrier there; something was blocking me from reaching it.
Shira didn’t try any of the spells. She just watched in silence, lost in thought most of the time.
Raquel was advising that we should take a break and try again later, then Shira said, “Let me watch.”
That was a baffling suggestion from someone who had watched us for the entire session. “But you have been watching!”
“No.” She stretched her tiny arm as long as it could go and pointed up at my head. “Let me watch from in there.”
“That’s a good idea, Shira. Zah’rak, will you let her?” asked Raquel.
I was inclined to refuse, but Shira had a pleading look on her face; I just couldn’t say no to her. “I suppose so.”
“Okay, go ahead and cast,” sent Shira.
I could feel a deeper connection with her than usual. I didn’t understand the sensation and did my best to ignore it. Crivreen had taught me how to force someone out of my head, so I knew I could break the connection if need be. Besides, I had to admit it was oddly comforting.
I set aside these thoughts and focused on casting, determined that this time I would get it. I focused everything I had on the spell. My heart was racing as it tried to send extra blood to my brain to compensate for the stress I was putting on my system. Energy built up around me and I could almost feel it on my scales, but as before something was blocking my access to that energy and the spell failed.
Cursing, I turned and slammed my fist into a nearby storage container, which sent it flying across the room, spilling its contents as it went. Pain arced up my arm and brought forth more curses.
Shira and Raquel backed away. Shira said, “It’s all right. I think I can help you.”
“How?” I asked.
She turned to Raquel. “Let’s move this lesson to hydroponics.”
Raquel’s face lit up. “Of course!”
I nursed my throbbing hand as we made our way to hydroponics. I could hear them talking but my frustration had darkened my mood too much to care what they were saying. The Night Wisp was a fairly small craft and we soon reached our destination.
I hadn’t been in there since our last trip through the gate, so I was unprepared for the transformation that Shira had wrought. Instead of sterile tanks of green goo, harsh lighting and rows of computer banks there were trees, bushes and plants. The lighting was different; less harsh and bluer than it had been before. The air was more humid and the temperature warmer than the rest of the ship.
The tanks were still there, but all around them and in between were the samples we had transplanted from the forest. The pots were connected to the water and fertilizer system, and the lighting had been rearranged to bathe them in its glow. She had even made paths through the plants so that you could visit each one should you so choose.
I could feel the life in there reaching out to me. Instinctively I reached out and used the power to heal my bruised hand. My heart rate slowed, and the pounding in my head receded. A calmness came over me.
&nb
sp; “Shira, it’s … it’s beautiful!” I said.
She came up beside me and placed her hand on mine. “You really think so? I had so little to work with.”
“Well, you worked a miracle in here,” I said.
“It’s impressive. Now I see what you had in mind for the plants you collected.” Raquel walked around the room and touched a few plants. “We should try to bring more back each trip.”
Shira was beaming with pride, and nothing could have made my heart happier.
“Okay, Zah’rak,” said Raquel. “Try the bolt again, but be sure to aim it at me instead of one of the plants.”
“At you?” I gasped.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine, and we don’t want to undo all Shira’s good work,” she said.
I remembered watching Crivreen and Purwryn practice by casting spells at each other. If those two buffoons could do it safely, then surely Raquel could also.
I went through the movements again and said the command words, but something was different this time. My movements were smoother, my pronunciation was less forced, and I could feel my hands moving in and through some kind of energy field. The sensation helped me to focus and direct my movements more precisely than before. It reminded me of making the enchanted armor; if I just let myself flow with it, the power itself would guide me.
As I finished the spell I saw a green patch of something like plasma forming around my hands, and with my last movement it turned into a ball that flew across the room and slammed into Raquel’s armor. There was a flash of green light and then everything returned to normal. Raquel was smiling, apparently unhurt, and Shira ran over and hugged my waist.
“You did it!” she said.
“But how? That was almost easy!” I spluttered.
Raquel walked over to me. “All magi, no matter what kind, draw their strength from what we have taken to calling the life force. Most magi tap the weave, which is the source of all life and all power. When you enchant your armor, you’re pulling energy from the weave and intertwining it with the materials. When Crivreen tosses a lightning bolt, he’s pulling power from the weave and converting it to electricity. Does that make sense to you?”
Sac'a'rith Page 27
