The Crosioian’s back stiffened, and she spread her wings. “I do not answer to hu—”
The yacht shook violently. This time even Richard and the two scouts were slammed into the ceiling before falling back to the metal deck.
Richard recovered first. Standing, he pointed at the supreme leader as she regained her feet. “I don’t have time for this. My shipmate is on the transport trying to overload its engine. She’s being attacked. Now can you do a shift to get over there and help, or are you going to stay here and hide?”
The Crosioian scout’s face turned dark gray behind her visor. She half raised her phase spear. The yacht shook violently once again.
“I cannot hold the shield much longer,” shouted Comstar. “If someone’s going to do something, now is the time.”
Piss on it, Richard thought as he wrapped himself in Power. I’m tired of arguing. I’ll do it myself. What else is new? Shifting into the void, he remained in the top layer of the void between dimensions to conserve Power. He levitated through the yacht’s hull, toward the transport. He sensed four life forms in the void with him. Two were Sheba and Sheeta. The other two were the Crosioian scouts.
“Red Wing,” Richard shouted into his helmet’s intercom. “You’re low on Power. I told you to stay on the yacht.”
“I do not hide,” hissed Red Wing.
Regretting his earlier choice of words but knowing there was nothing he could do about it now, he accelerated through the five hundred meters of space now separating the yacht from the transport. He sensed more than saw the ongoing battle around him. Several dozen weapons on the three enemy ships were blasting away at the yacht with energy beams. Others were targeting the Defiant and the X-shuttle. Weaving through the interlacing beams of energy were the dragon and Zip fighters. A part of Richard wanted to help Asquan and Daniel, but he knew where the priority lay. Bright Wing was the key to success of the plan.
“This wasn’t part of your original plan?” said Nickelo. “May I ask what your new Plan B is? I calculate even with the high priestess and the gnome’s help, Comstar can only hold the shield spell around the yacht for another sixty-three seconds.”
Richard ground his teeth. “I haven’t got a Plan B, if you must know. I’m winging it. There. I admitted it. Does that make you happy?”
“Not particularly,” said Nickelo. “As it so happens, I do have a Plan B, several thousand in fact. The one I prefer has a slightly better than slim chance of success. Would you like to hear it?”
Richard ground his teeth again.
“Fine,” said Nickelo. “I’ll take that as a yes. ‘The One’ has a communication link set up between Margery, Danny, the two scout’s fighting-helmets, and myself. Margery and Danny are trying to hack their way into the transport’s computer network. They may need your help. If so, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, based upon all available information, I calculate Bright Wing is in the transport’s hyper-drive. Something is in there with her. Other life forms have surrounded the hyper-drive and are supporting whatever is attacking your dragon.”
They were close enough to the transport now that Richard could sense residual emotions from the small silver dragon. He sensed fear, pain, and a whole lot of resolve. He sent a burst of emotion at the little dragon, hoping she’d take it as “Hold on. I’m on my way.”
A group of life forms appeared ahead on Richard’s passive scan. He recognized Bright Wing’s frequency. Other frequencies were obviously magic users and demons. He made out powerful flows of energy around the silver dragon.
“That’s the energy field from the hyper-drive,” said Nickelo. “You will notice that the magic users and demons are remaining outside those fields. I calculate none of them are shifters. That could work to your advantage.”
A disturbance in the hyper-drive’s energy field drew Richard’s attention. He reached out with an active scan and touched the disturbance. Whatever it was slapped his scan back with a line of its own Power. Multiple lines of Power from the surrounding magic users and demons poured into the disturbance. Richard sensed the disturbance gather the combined Power together and strike out at Bright Wing.
“No!” Richard shouted. His voice went nowhere in the void.
Part of the hyper-drive’s energy formed a shield between the dragon and the disturbance. Most of the attacking energy was deflected, but some penetrated the shield. Richard sensed pain from his sister-dragon.
“Red Wing,” Richard said into his helmet’s intercom. “I want you two scouts to attack those demons and magic users. You’ve got to cause enough of a distraction to keep them from feeding Power to whatever’s in the hyper-drive with Bright Wing. Sheeta and Sheba will help you.” At least Richard hoped the two dolgars would aid the Crosioians. He wasn’t all that sure the spirit-wolves had fully embraced the concept of the scouts being allies.
“What about you?” asked Red Wing.
“I’ll go into the engine and help Bright Wing. She’s got to overload the hyper-drive for our plan to work.”
Richard half expected the bat to balk at being told what to do, but she surprised him by saying, “Good luck. I will be disappointed if you get yourself killed before I get the chance to do it myself.”
“Yeah, same to you, Red.”
“You are down to thirty-eight percent Power in your reserve,” said Nickelo in their shared space. “Just thought you might want to know. Oh, and your elf is also low on Power.”
With just a few meters left until he entered the transport, Richard pulled eight percent Power from his reserve and sent it down his bond link to Jeena. A moment later, more Power than he’d sent returned. As soon as it mixed with his reserve, Richard sensed Power being created. He immediately sent most of the created Power back to Jeena. By the time he actually levitated through the bulkhead of the transport, he was at sixty percent Power. He sensed Jeena’s reserve at an equal level.
“That will have to do,” said Nickelo. “It’s show time.”
At that moment, Richard passed into a corridor filled with Thargs and pirates in power-armor. One of the Thargs fired a burst of energy from a rifle at him, but it passed through Richard. He was in the void. The errant energy rounds hit an unfortunate pirate unlucky enough to be standing on the far side of Richard. The plasma energy blew a hole in the human’s armor and knocked him into a second pirate. Richard passed through the wall of the corridor before anyone else got a chance to fire, then came out of the wall in what he assumed was the engine room. A score of Dragar magic users and four of the orange humanoid-looking demons surrounded a truck-sized glass-enclosed container filled with swirling red gas. Richard spotted movement in the red gas. Concentrating on the movement, he made out the form of Bright Wing hunched low to the ground, circling…something. It was the disturbance Richard had detected earlier.
In the split-second before he entered the gas-filled room, Richard sent out another active scan at the disturbance. Once again a line of Power reached out and knocked his scan away. It didn’t matter. He was close enough now to see the disturbance for what it was. The creature had four-legs and was about twice the size of the silver dragon. The life force coming from the creature was familiar. Richard had sensed it before. On that occasion, the creature had been much larger.
“It’s a golem,” Richard said in his shared space. “It’s like the one I fought in the spiritual dimension when I first met Sheba and Sheeta.”
“Ah, I do believe you’re right, Wizard Scout,” said Nickelo. “I have reviewed tele-bot videos in the central computer’s classified databanks of that mission. The large cat golem you fought was made out of solid titanium and had blue gems for eyes. From what I can discern from your active scan and the battle helmet’s sensors, this golem is made out of some previously unknown molten metal with titanium flakes mixed in. The frequency of the gems it’s using for eyes is different than the cat golem you fought. I calculate the creature’s eyes are something other than blue gems.”
Hope flared in Richard. �
��Are the gems yellow? Maybe—”
The nearest orange demon turned and swung at Richard with a sword composed of fire and energy. Before the blade struck home, a greenish length of phase energy intercepted the sword and deflected it to the side. Red Wing shifted out of the void and spun, sticking the forearm-length point at her wing joint deep into the demon’s chest. The demon roared, but it sounded more like anger than pain. As the demon took a step back to free itself from the bat’s wing point, Red Wing shouted, “Go! Save your dragon!”
Leaving a comrade-in-arms in the middle of a battle went against Richard’s Marine training. With a click, he activated his phase rod in full destructive mode and prepared to help the scout.
“Don’t be a fool,” said Nickelo. “She’s a Crosioian scout. She can take care of herself. Your job is to get inside the engine and help Bright Wing.”
Two female magic users turned and faced Red Wing as they began shouting words and waving their hands. Richard sensed magic forming in the mages’ hands. Sheeta rose out of the deck behind the two magic users and bit down on the back of one woman’s neck, completely severing the head from the magic user’s body. Before the woman’s head hit the deck, the big dolgar twisted and snapped down on the wrist of the second female, sinking his teeth completely through the mage’s arm. The woman shimmered as Sheeta used her life force to shift her into the void and pull her screaming form into the metal floor.
Screams from the other side of the room announced the arrival of Sheba and the Crosioians’ supreme leader. As the female dolgar tore into three magic users, the scout thrust her phase spear into the neck of one of the orange demons. At the same time, Richard sensed the bat reach out with a line of Power, split it into three parts, and snap the spinal cords of the three magic users.
She’s good, Richard thought.
“See,” said Nickelo. “I told you they could take care of themselves. Now get in the engine before Bright Wing is killed.”
An emotion of pain and a lessening of life force in the silver dragon made Richard’s decision for him. He levitated into the gas-filled container in time to see the golem biting into Bright Wing’s neck and then shake its head back and forth like a hound shaking a rabid pactar. Striking out with his phase rod, Richard hit the golem at the base of its spine with a force hard enough to shatter bone. Only the creature didn’t have bones. Except for two red gems as its eyes, the golem was composed completely of molten metal. Richard’s phase rod passed through the creature, apparently doing no harm. Even so, the golem released its hold on Bright Wing and spun to face Richard.
“The rod’s phase energy must have hurt it,” said Nickelo, “but not enough. You’re going to have to come up with a better way to attack it, or I calculate your plan is going to fail. Even with Jeehana and the gnome’s help, Comstar can only hold his defensive shield around the yacht for another twenty-two seconds.”
Leaping into the air, the cat-like golem twisted past the phase rod and sunk its molten teeth into Richard’s throat armor. The finger-length fangs penetrated easily through the battle suit’s armor and deep into Richard’s neck. Liquid fire spread through his body and he fell back unable to think as the burning pain pushed all thought aside, leaving only agony. As unconsciousness closed around him, he sensed the arm of his battle suit strike out at the golem with his phase rod. The brerellium steel rod and its creallium core once again passed through the golem without doing any discernable harm. The cat golem began shaking its head, and Richard with it. With each shake, the inner flames inside Richard spread ever deeper into all parts of his body and soul.
Darkness surrounded Richard as his world began to pass from view. He sensed evil in the darkness. He sensed hunger for his very soul. Fear swelled up within him as loneliness mixed with the burning pain in his body.
One thought went through his mind. I’m all alone.
Chapter 31 – Battle Strategy
____________________
Admiral of the Combined Fleets Bistos stared at the star map, noting the locations of the various fleets in their staging areas. It had been a rough week balancing supplies, assets, and assembling the invasion fleets. At the same time, she’d had to keep the battle lines between her forces and the Crosioians’ border adequately manned to prevent them from overwhelming the Empire’s stripped down defenses. She yawned. Her legs grew suddenly weak, forcing her to reach out with her right hand and steady herself against the science officer’s chair.
“Sir,” said Lieutenant Beady, “are you all right?”
“I’m fine, Lieutenant,” Liz snapped. She immediately regretted allowing her irritation at showing signs of weakness in front of subordinates creep into her voice, then forced herself to speak in a more normal tone. “Please continue with your assessment.”
“Yes, Sir. As I was saying, we’ve got a total of a hundred and five thousand ships spread out between the two hundred staging areas. Even with every troopship we can lay our hands on, we’re still going to be short. Best estimates are that it will require three trips with our troop carriers to get all the prisoners off Estos. That’s assuming we don’t lose any in combat.”
Liz knew that was an iffy assumption but didn’t bother admitting it to the young officer. Everyone knew the entire Estos operation was built on one iffy assumption after another. Doesn’t matter, she thought. It’s all we’ve got. I’ll make it work somehow. I’ve got to make it work. I’m not going to let two hundred million of our soldiers die without at least trying to save them.
Newly promoted Admiral Slystr walked over, bringing the Destiny’s Captain Bhami with him. The female captain had impressed Liz during the short time the woman had been onboard the Destiny.
“Is Lieutenant Beady giving you everything you need?” asked Captain Bhami.
Liz nodded. “He’s been more than helpful, Captain. You were right. He knows his business.” She noticed the lieutenant’s face turn a little pink. “Your whole staff had been very helpful. Most of them were on the Destiny during the first Estos battle. You inherited a good command from Admiral Slystr. I’ve no doubt you realize that.”
“Yes, Sir. I do.”
Turning away from the ship’s captain, Liz pointed at the star map’s numerous red dots strewn along the border between Empire and Crosioian space. “So, Lieutenant, how accurate are those plots?”
To his credit, the science officer didn’t try to cover his ass. “Not very, Sir. I’m confident the enemy locations that are in contact with our troops are accurate, but everything past the border is pure conjecture. Our best guess is that the Crosioians have a half million warships in their rear staging areas. Where those are or what condition their warships are in, we don’t know. I, uh…”
Liz frowned at the young science officer when he grew silent. “You what?”
Lieutenant Beady glanced at Captain Bhami.
The captain nodded. “Go ahead, Lieutenant. It’s not like anyone knows anything for certain. Admiral Bistos needs information. If you’ve got an idea, tell her. No one will hold it against you if you’re wrong.”
The science officer seemed to relax. “Well, Sir, we’ve sent tele-bots and even a few of our remaining wizard scouts to locations where I would’ve bet my last credit the Crosioians were staging their fleets. Our scouts have found nothing.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” asked Admiral Slystr.
The science officer shook his head. “I don’t think so, Sir. The Crosioians aren’t fools. Some of those locations are perfect to position fleets in a way that they could respond to any attacks on the border by our navy. It would be foolish for the bats not to have ships there, yet none of our scouts found anything. Like I said, the Crosioians aren’t fools. It’s almost as if the bats are able to hide their fleets.” The lieutenant looked at his captain before locking eyes with Liz. “Sir, I think their fleets are at those locations. I think the bats are hiding them just like they were able to hide them before the first Estos battle.” The young man swallowed hard. “Sir, I
think we’re walking into another trap. I’d stake my life on it.”
Liz turned away from the lieutenant and stared at the star map. She’d been thinking along the same lines ever since Tia found the small demon. That’s the only reason I don’t have her back here right now, she thought. From what Rick told me, when he killed the demon Zenthra, all the summoned demons that had camouflaged the Crosioians’ fleets were pulled back to the demonic plan with their master. There shouldn’t be any left in our dimension, but the one Tia and Matt found proves Rick’s theory is wrong. That little demon came from somewhere, and I need to know where and how many others came with it.
Glancing back at Lieutenant Beady, Liz said, “I want you to update the star map with the locations you think the Crosioians should have fleets.” Admiral Slystr started to speak, but Liz held up her hand. “Yes, I know our scouts found nothing, but I want to at least have contingency plans in place in case the Crosioians have demons helping them again. I want the lieutenant’s locations sent to my staff back on Trecor. Tell them I want an analysis and recommended modifications to our plans by fourteen hundred hours.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Admiral Slystr. “Uh, where will you be, Admiral?”
“I’ll be in my cabin.”
Admiral Slystr nodded. “That’s good. You need some sleep.”
Liz laughed. “Sleep? There’ll be time enough to sleep when this war is over. In the meantime, I’ve got some calls to make.”
* * *
A few minutes later found Liz in her quarters. They were actually Captain Bhami’s quarters, but the captain had graciously given them to her admiral of the combined fleets. Liz smiled. Rank does have its privileges, she thought.
Eyeing the full-sized bed in the corner, Liz shook her head with more than a little regret and made her way toward the small conference table near the room’s bay window. Since the Destiny wasn’t in hyperspace, the stars were crisp and clear. She remembered the many times during her cadet years on Trecor when she’d spent hours outside, studying the night sky. On most nights, she’d imagined a time when she would command a starship and navigate from one side of the galaxy to the other, saving worlds and fighting evil as she went.
Wizard Defender (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 8) Page 28
