The Hunted

by Andrew Wichland

  He nodded. “I asked him to teach Tuck and Much.”

  She nodded. “Well, before anything happens, we have things to settle.” Robin noted the gleam in her eye and frowned. “Can I borrow your plasma saber?” she asked, holding out her hand.

  A little worried about what she had planned, he started to draw one. Suddenly, he grimaced in pain as an electrical current shot through him; the next thing he knew, his legs buckled under him and he fell to the floor. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Freya’s smug face.

  Chapter 14

  The Balance of Magic

  With a moan, Robin regained consciousness, his hand going to his aching forehand.

  “How’s your head?” a self-satisfied voice asked.

  Opening his eyes a crack, he met Freya’s gaze. Chuckling, he sat up in one of the bunks built into the wall of the ship. “It feels like I’ve got a colony of bees buzzing in there.”

  She nodded, a big smile on her face, and he saw LJ behind her, pinching the bridge of his nose as he held back a smile. Willa must have been in the cockpit at the controls.

  “I guess I had that coming,” Robin said finally.

  “Nice to hear you say that.” His sister climbed to her feet. “And now…we’re even.” With that, she smugly walked away with a sachay of her hips.

  After watching her go, LJ moved close to him. “I like her style.” Robin shot him a look, slapping his stomach. “What?” he asked defensively. “It’s nice she’s learning fast enough to pull one on you.”

  The next day, Robin and LJ—to keep an eye on him with his sister—sat at the table. They were quickly joined by Freya, three eggs in her hands. After sitting, she handed two eggs to the pair before her.

  “So, what are we learning today?” LJ asked.

  “You are learning nothing for now,” she answered, leaning back in her seat at the bench. “Right now, I need to know if you have it to begin with.”

  “How?” Robin asked.

  In response, she held up her egg between two fingers before shifting it back to her palm. For a second, they watched her and then the egg as it lifted into the air. It spun on its small end, hovering in place, and then shifted into a small, perfect crystal ball that shimmered in the light. Finally, it shifted back to an egg and floated into her hand.

  “How…?” LJ started.

  “You just have to believe,” Freya said, interrupting him. “Magic is a perfect balance of fire, earth, water, and air. A true user of magic understands and respects that balance.”

  The men looked at each other.

  “Is that how dark magic users are created?” Robin asked. “They don’t respect it?”

  “That’s part of it,” Freya answered, “but they also believe themselves superior, because they have been granted a gift.” She tilted her hand to allow the egg to drop and splatter on the floor. “It’s true that magic allows one to shape reality, at least partially, to our whims and fancies…” The bits of egg lifted into the air, becoming one again. “But the magic they practice has a heavy price, as they are ruled by lust for power.” The egg floated back to her hand. “Some might call it the soul…others, their humanity; for me, it’s their sanity.” She looked at them. “You have to admit they are rather crazy.”

  The boys chuckled at that.

  When they quieted down again, she shot them hard looks. “Now, you try,” she instructed, “and remember: believe.”

  Face screwed up in concentration, Robin eyed the egg. Nothing happened. At once, he and LJ shared a look of disappointment before promptly switching eggs.

  “Anything specific we should be believing?” Little John asked.

  “That you can do anything,” she answered simply.

  Chapter 15

  The Beast of Bedie

  After what felt like a few days, Robin was back in the cockpit. As usual, the star angels danced outside the viewscreen.

  Now that Freya had gotten even, her attitude toward Robin was more pleasant. When he wasn’t on shift in the cockpit and she wasn’t teaching the two of them, they spent what time they had with each other, talking about their pasts or anything that came to mind.

  On who knew on what day, Little John had been at the controls of the ship, still following their special guide pod. Meanwhile, Robin had held a small light object in the palm of his hand—the eggs had been safely left in the fridge.

  “Still trying?” LJ had asked after shooting a glance in his friend’s direction.

  “Until I know for sure,” Robin had answered, still determined.

  “What did Tekmet tell you before we left?”

  “That, since Freya and I are”—he’d shrugged—“well…triplets, or when it comes to siblings chances are that all three of us can do it.”

  “Then how is it,” LJ said before raising a hand to make an adjustment, “that whatever you put in your palm stays in your palm?”

  Laying down the object, Robin looked with a shrug. “Hey, I’m still learning—hopefully, as fast as I usually do,” he defended as he adjusted their course following the star angels. They sat in silence for a couple of seconds and Robin glanced over at him. “Besides,” he finally said, “it’s not like you and Willa are doing any better.”

  LJ chuckled at that. “No, I can’t deny that.”

  Falling silent, Robin’s mind drifted. Believe, he thought. I already believe I can do anything I put my mind to, so what am I missing?

  Just then, the star angels shot forward. “What the heck?” he said, speeding up to follow. “What’s got them so excited?”

  “Not a clue,” LJ said, trying to get a read on what was in front of them. “Whatever it is, I can’t detect it.”

  Suddenly, one of the sensors caught Robin’s eye. “Full stop!”

  “Robin!” his friend snapped as he pulled the throttle to the center position. “What are you doing? We can’t stop!”

  Before Robin could reply, though, the hatch hissed and opened behind them. “What’s going on?” Willa demanded. “The engines stopped!”

  “The navigation computer just came back online.” Robin simply pointed to the readout. “We must be near the edge.”

  Mouth slightly ajar, LJ turned back to the viewscreen. “No wonder they were so eager to get the heck out of here,” he commented.

  “Okay,” Robin said, his hand going to the throttle, “let’s ease forward. LJ, passive sensors only. We don’t want anyone to know we’re here—but tell me the second you detect anything in front of us.”

  As Little John nodded, Robin eased the throttle. Slowly, the ship inched forward with each of them on edge.

  “I got something!” LJ finally barked, and Robin killed the engines at once.

  “What is it?” he asked, trying to get a look for himself.

  In answer, Little John pressed a few buttons, and a floating hologram of a planetary system appeared with two suns. The fourth planet looked to be made of endless lakes and rivers, surrounded by countless islands, the larger of which he knew to have cities. In orbit around the planet floated several moons, one with a large population despite it was the exact opposite of the planet as it was a vast desert.

  “The Bedie System,” Robin said, a smile forming on his face. They were one step closer to finding his brother.

  “Something else is coming up on the scope!” Little John barked.

  “What?”

  “It’s big, whatever it is,” LJ said slowly. “Should we should try to get a visual?”

  “Carefully.”

  Again, they began to inch forward. As they did, the sensor readout slowly came into focus until the object became a large ship.

  It was made of two large isosceles trapezoid sections, the downward angled sides looking like short wings. The smaller one was attached atop the rear of the first, which was more than twice its length, and there they saw a small command structure with a rotating sensor array beside it. On either side was a pair of block-like shield generators attached to the main super
structure. Attached to the underbelly of the larger section were larger sensor arrays. Along the body, they could see torpedo tubes and other openings from which numerous weapons might direct their fire.

  At the sight of it, Robin grabbed the throttle sending the Odysseus back into the nebula as quickly as possible.

  “What? What is it?” Freya asked.

  “That was a Black Wing class battlecruiser,” Robin explained, “one of the most powerful ships in the Black Dragon’s fleet.”

  “Looks like the reports are true,” LJ said. “She really is massing the bulk of her fleet here.”

  “Now how do we slip past that monster?” Willa asked. “Because we sure can’t fight it.”

  Thinking fast, Robin asked, “How close was that beast to Charybdis’ Maw?”

  Chapter 16

  Magic Hats

  “So, what are we going to do now?” Freya asked as they maneuvered the ship into position at the edge of the nebula.

  “It’s a trick called magic hats,” Robin explained, making adjustments to the engines. “Basically, we’re going to fly right between the engine nozzles of that big boy out there.” He looked at her. “That way, they won’t be able to detect us when we’re right under them.”

  “Why don’t we come up from the bottom then?” Freya asked.

  “Because we’d never fool them that way,” Willa answered. “If we come up underneath them, they’ll see us the whole time.”

  “But if we go between the thrusters,” Robin continued, “they’ll pick us up for a few seconds and then lose us in the exhaust of the nozzles. The sensors below the ship won’t be able to tell the difference between the ship it’s attached to and us.”

  Freya nodded, thinking his words over. “Why do I have the feeling there’s a very big but?” she finally said.

  The other three looked at each other, wishing she hadn’t brought that up.

  “One wrong move from us or any sudden turns from them and we’re toast,” Robin admitted, “literally.”

  Using the passive sensors at the edge of the nebula, he and the others watched the battlecruiser, waiting for the right moment to make its move.

  “Come on, come on,” Robin murmured as the giant ship passed them. “Now!” he snapped when it started to turn, and he inched the throttle back.

  As the back of the ship faced them, they burst from the nebula, heading right for the propulsion nozzles.

  “Willa, keep an eye on those shields!” Robin barked as they drew closer and the ship began to vibrate from the exhaust.

  “What about me?” Freya asked.

  “Watch what LJ and Willa are doing!” he shouted, making adjustments. “If something happens to one of them, take over!”

  “Got it!” she shouted back.

  Closer and closer they flew at the cruiser. All the while, the vibrations grew stronger, making it harder for Robin to hold the course.

  “Shields at eighty percent!” Willa reported when they were less than a thousand feet from the nozzles. “Micro fractures are starting to appear!”

  “Here comes the fun part, everyone!” Robin called, and he started positioning the ship.

  Suddenly, there was rumbling and the ship jerked. “What was that?” Robin barked.

  “Port thruster malfunction!” LJ reported.

  “Willa! Freya!” Robin barked, as they started drifting toward the right. At once, both girls leapt to their feet and then darted out of the room as he shouted, “Get that nozzle working or we die!”

  Bursting into the engine room, Willa headed right for the console, flashing red against a section connected to the main engine.

  “What’s wrong?” Freya asked, looking over her shoulder.

  “It’s in auto shut down! It’s overheating! Robin must have maneuvered a hair too close! The auto-cooling system could have also been compromised because of the nebula’s radiation.”

  “What do we do?” Freya demanded as Willa darted to another console for a valve and opened it fully. “We’ve gotta find a way to keep the rest of the injecting fuel cool, or the only thing left of us will be microbes!”

  Back in the cockpit, teeth still bared in frustration, Robin struggled to correct their still-shifting course. “LJ!” he barked, and his friend looked at him. “Get me the engine room!”

  “Go!” Little John barked, opening the channel.

  “Willa, I need that engine going!”

  “No kidding! I’m already having a Sunday feast of you pressuring me!” Willa shouted into the comm before she killed the connection.

  She then looked at Freya after she said, “I have an idea!”

  Back in the cockpit, the alarms started blaring. “What’s that for?” Robin demanded.

  After his seat drew back, LJ reported, “Multiple things! Shields are failing, more microfractures…and they may be detecting us!”

  “Okay, I admit this may have been a bad idea.”

  Suddenly, the Odysseus jerked to the left. “Nozzle back online!” Willa called over the comm.

  “Roger that!” Robin replied. “Hang on!”

  Rolling the ship onto its side, he righted their course; throwing the engine fully open, they slipped through. As they cleared the nozzles, the vibrations slowly faded.

  Rolling the ship fully over, Robin brought the Odysseus close to the bottom of the ship. With a flick of a switch, he deployed magnetic mooring cables which attached to the underside of the ship, securing them in place.

  Sighing in relief, Robin fell back against his chair. He was breathing hard, like he’d run a few miles, and his body grew limp as the adrenaline faded from his system.

  When he could lift a hand, he opened a link to the engine room. “That was one heck of a job, Willa,” he said.

  “It’s wasn’t just me,” she replied, and Robin frowned. “Come see for yourself.” He looked over his shoulder at LJ.

  A short while later, with Little John at the controls, Robin walked into the engine room where he was greeted by Willa and Freya. Everything looked alright.

  “So, what am I supposed to be seeing?” he asked.

  Willa motioned with her finger for him to follow her. She then showed him the fuel injector for the nozzle and the light layer of frost covering it.

  “Willa said you had to keep the fuel to the nozzle cool,” Freya said as her brother turned to her.

  After a second of just staring, he shook his head, chuckling. “Well, you certainly achieved that. Lucky you didn’t use to much magic and freeze it solid.”

  “I’m just glad the ground is more stable under my feet,” Willa said. “I should have the line checked soon.”

  Robin nodded. “Should be easy, now that we’re under the hat.” Both girls nodded. “Once you’re done, I want you manning the top gun, just in case,” he said, and Willa agreed. “Other than that, the only thing we have to worry about are Crazy Ivans.” He then turned to leave.

  As he walked through the hatch, he heard Freya ask, “What are Crazy Ivans?”

  Chapter 17

  The Great Fall

  For the next few hours, the group worked to repair the engines so they could make their move when the time came.

  “It doesn’t have to be pretty,” Robin said as they examined the makeshift overlapping patch on the fuel coolant injector. “I mean, it’s not exactly Tuck’s standards…”

  “Who will be spitting nails when he sees this,” Willa murmured under her breath.

  “Well, we have to make do with what we have,” Robin said, and they left the engine room. “Right now, we have to figure out how we’re going to get to the surface,” he added, as they sat around the small table that rose out of the floor in the common room.

  “Well, the obvious thing to do is let the big ship we’re attached to get us close to the planet,” Freya said.

  “Obviously,” Robin agreed.

  “But the main problem is that we can only use passive sensors,” Little John injected“otherwise, they could detect us by pi
cking up our sensor sweeps.” Again, Robin nodded. “Which means, when we make our move, we only have a small window in which to do it,” LJ continued.

  “But that also means we’re only going to be able to know we’re near the planet for maybe a few seconds at most,” Willa pointed out. “That is, unless we knock out the sensors.” They all looked at her, and Robin sat back. “Looks we’re virtually at point-blank range to knock it out,”

  “Which will cause the secondary systems to come on instantly,” Robin interrupted her. “You know that, Willa…” He paused as he realized what she had in mind. “Which would give us enough time to make a break for the surface of the planet.” With a smug smile on her face, Willa nodded. “Then I guess I’d better get familiar with the gunner,” Robin said, slapping his hands against the surface of the table to get up.

  “No, that would be my job,” she said. “Robin, we all know that, out of all of us, you’re the best shot, but you’re also our best pilot, and we don’t know what will be thrown at us once the sensors are taken out.” She held his gaze. “I’ve got the elf eyes, which will help me be the second best shot among us.”

  For a second, Robin looked at her, eyes narrowed in thought. “This has nothing to do with you wanting to make something go boom?” he asked.

  With a self-satisfied, triumphant smile, she shrugged and admitted, “That’s just an added bonus.”

  In short order, the group was in place. Robin, Little John, and Freya were in the cockpit with commlink mikes’ ear pieces slipped into place, eyes locked onto the passive sensors’ readouts.

  “Come on,” Robin murmured under his breath. “Come on…” Suddenly, the holographic image of the planet appeared floating before them. “Now, Willa!” he barked, hand reflexively going to his mouthpiece.