Dragon Wave

by Valerie Emerson

  He nodded, but it was hard to tell if it signified agreement, or just that he’d heard and understood. Jack glanced at his datapad, thinking of the work he still had to do, but he didn’t want to drive Carter off. The young man still had something to get off his chest, Jack could tell.

  “Why do you want a dragon?” Jack asked when he couldn’t take the silence any longer.

  “I don’t…not especially. I’m just thinking tactically. If we’ve only got four big guns and they’re light years away from where the pirates are attacking, what good are they? And the Pirr are threatening all of us, especially colonies on the edge like Geneva.”

  Jack couldn’t argue with that. He hadn’t thought much about how those on the border would feel with pirates and hostile aliens so close. The E.F. had patrols out this way, but they couldn’t watch every inch of space all the time.

  “I understand how you feel. I keep looking for answers too. I’m in no position to suggest strategy to E.F. either. Even Julia isn’t, and she used to be an officer. I trust our leaders know what they’re doing, and when I get orders, I follow them.”

  “But you rebelled before. You didn’t think they knew better then.”

  Jack wondered if there’d come a day when he didn’t get reminded of that. It was a fair statement, sure, but it was undermining his point.

  “We were in a unique situation I hope to never be in again.” Jack checked the time. Nada and Ephraim would be getting up any moment. He yawned. “You aren’t regretting the decision to enroll, are you? Believe me, the first week can be a little rough; after that, you’ll be fine. If you made it into Earth Fleet, you can make it anywhere.”

  Carter grinned and shook his head. “No, sir. I’ve just got all these questions bouncing around my skull.”

  “Sounds to me like you’ll do fine at the Academy. They like thinkers.” Jack stood and stretched. “But cut out this ‘sir’ nonsense. I’m not an E.F. officer. It makes me feel like an old man.”

  “You got it.”

  “Anything else for me? I’m about to crash.”

  Carter shook his head no, so Jack grabbed his datapad and said good night. He liked Carter already. His questions weren’t comfortable to think about, yet he asked them anyway. He didn’t flinch. That was a good sign for a Mystic, one who would contribute to accomplishing whatever mission he was given.

  ***

  Alarms woke him from a deep sleep. Jack’s feet hit the floor before his eyes opened. He fumbled his way into his clothes before he registered the sounds of Julia doing the same. He could blame his sleep-befuddled brain for some of that; he was still letting go of the dream he was having, something to do with dragons and popcorn.

  “What’s going on?” He fastened the last of his buttons. He knew he wouldn’t get an answer, but his filter hadn’t woken up yet.

  “Don’t know. We should be near the wormhole.” Julia moved past him to open the door.

  Jack frowned and followed her. The wormhole should mean they were home free, or as good as. The mothership would take them into the wormhole, because little ships didn’t have the energy to survive the event horizon. Once they were on the other side, they’d be firmly in human territory. That meant they were still on the Geneva side of the wormhole. Probably.

  Carter’s questions returned as they jogged toward the commune chamber. The alarm’s volume tapered off, but half the lights had turned red.

  “Tell me this doesn’t mean what I think it does.” He glanced into the face of a security officer running the opposite way. His eyes were wide, his lips pressed into a thin line. It wasn’t the most reassuring expression.

  “It’s a call to battle stations.”

  “I said to tell me something else,” Jack groaned. It was meant to lighten the mood, but not much of it struck him as funny.

  Julia didn’t answer.

  When they reached the commune chamber, they found Ephraim and Nada clearing crates so the chamber could be used. Jack pitched in, earning a nod of thanks from Ephraim. Once he stepped in, there wasn’t much room for Julia.

  “I’m going to see what’s going on. I’ll be back.” Julia sprinted up the corridor, headed for the bridge.

  Jack nodded, even though she wouldn’t see it, and focused on getting the room cleared out. It took a couple minutes, but those moments stretched like warm taffy. The strain in Nada’s face was obvious, while Ephraim’s was completely blank.

  Both of them were enhanced humans, which meant they were volunteers who had been turned into Mystics through technology. Jack wasn’t sure if they’d ever seen combat before. He’d been in a few confrontations as a Mystic, but he’d never been in a ship that was getting shot at. He didn’t want to break that streak now.

  His datapad pinged. He accepted the inbound call and got a glimpse of Julia’s face before she turned the camera on the bridge’s viewscreen.

  A ship like a crystal knife dominated the view, hovering directly between Vaughan and the wormhole. Light rippled under its surface and, most concerning, something like giant cannons were pointed their way and glowing with energy. Beyond them, a squad of six more alien vessels hovered in formation.

  “Comms has identified these ships as Pirr.” Julia’s voice came through pitched low.

  Ephraim and Nada moved closer, making a sandwich out of Jack so they could see his pad’s screen.

  “This is an established wormhole,” Nada protested. “This goes beyond blocking expansion.”

  “Not that we’re a fan of that either,” Ephraim added. Nada rewarded him with a dirty look.

  “We have been given five minutes to surrender our Mystics and potential Mystics.” Julia’s voice dropped into a monotone. “Their tech is hard to read, but I believe they’ve got a lock on us.”

  “What do we do?” Nada’s voice tremored. She fought to remain calm. Jack admired her for that, since he was still looking for his voice.

  “Get in here and shut the door,” he told them.

  There were things left to move, but they didn’t have time. Jack stepped into the commune chamber and sat down cross-legged. After a moment, Nada joined him. Ephraim locked them inside and assumed his position with the others.

  Jack took their hands and projected calm. That proved difficult, considering he felt anything but. He took a long, slow breath. His friends imitated him.

  “I’m going to get us out of this, but I’ll need your help. Share your strength with me.”

  Nada squeezed his hand more tightly. After a moment, he felt energy trickling into him from her side. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

  Ephraim’s hand spasmed a few times. He’d done this before, Jack knew, but it was under very different circumstances. Jack counted backward from ten.

  Ten.

  Even If he didn’t get support from Ephraim, Nada was doing fine. He could last a little while with just the two of them. Once Julia knew what he was doing, she’d get back here to help.

  Nine.

  Speaking of that.

  “Julia, I’m going to give the Pirr a little surprise. Can you make sure they move quickly once I do?”

  “Yes. I’ll talk to them. Stay focused, I’ll be there soon.”

  Eight.

  The connection died. Nada’s hand was damp with sweat. Jack’s palm tingled as he took in the energy she offered.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked.

  “I’m going to hide us,” he said.

  Seven.

  Ephraim turned red. He looked skeptical. Jack didn’t blame him. Cloaking technology hadn’t been invented yet, at least not on the human side.

  “Explain,” he demanded. “Distract me until I can get this link working.

  Six.

  “I can make us unnoticeable. It’s hard when they already know we’re here. That’s why I need help.” Jack squeezed Ephraim’s hand a little harder. “Let go of the lock, buddy. I won’t take more than you can share.”

  “That isn’t the problem. I’m just not goo
d at this.”

  “It’s true,” Nada offered. “He’s very slow to open up to people. He isn’t being mistrustful on purpose.”

  “I said it isn’t about trust,” Ephraim grumbled. “There’s no one I trust more than Jack and Julia.”

  Five.

  Jack closed his eyes and bowed his head. Either Ephraim would get it, or he wouldn’t. As warmed as Jack was by the declaration of trust, actions were going to carry more weight.

  Nada cleared her throat.

  “Well, besides Dante and Coraolis,” Ephraim said agreeably.

  “Even with these circumstances, I could tell you that was the wrong thing to say.” Jack forced a laugh. “We’ll be fine. Once we vanish from plain sight, we’ll move out of their sensor range.”

  “Then what?” Nada squeezed his hand again. She seemed more relaxed; enough that the trickle of power was turning into an open faucet.

  Four.

  “That’s up to Captain Elliott.”

  Jack began the mental exercises that would relax him just enough to use his abilities without popping out of his body. The longer he practiced as a Mystic, the easier it was to reach the Astral Plane. Most of the time that was fine with him, but today he had to stay rooted in the physical world.

  Three.

  “Remind me of how far it is to the next wormhole,” Ephraim murmured to Nada.

  “Months away,” Nada whispered. “That’s why Geneva was such a good hiding place.”

  “I was afraid of that.”

  Two.

  They kept talking, but Jack had sunk into the zone. His dragon felt as close as if she were hugging him from behind, with her tail wrapped around both of them. Her presence was reassuring, especially with the strength she was giving him. Love was mixed in there too, and not the universal love the dragons seemed to hold for everyone. This felt very specific.

  Where is this coming from?

  Usually she didn’t give him anything. Her bond with him was enough to feed his power levels. She never gave him extra. He’d always assumed he had access to all of her reserves if needed. He thought they were his as much as hers.

  I am collecting it from you. You plan to hide the human ship, yes? Do it now, before they attack.

  One.

  Jack nodded, knowing his dragon wouldn’t see it. She’d get the emotional gist of it anyway. His hands clenched Ephraim’s and Nada’s tighter, then he sank into himself.

  In the Astral Plane, a rippling cloak of energy rolled over the crystalline mass that was Vaughan’s representation. An energy field spread out over Vaughan’s frame at the same time, forcing all mortal eyes to look away.

  Or it tried. Ironclad minds pushed back against the illusion. They knew Vaughan was present. They wouldn’t trust their eyes or give into his trickery without a fight.

  He tugged at Nada’s power and was rewarded with another surge. He turned his attention on Ephraim and did the same. At first, it felt like pushing on a brick wall, then the brick sagged and became something closer to foam. The barrier tore open, and Jack was flooded with strength.

  He grinned. This was more than enough. He felt it when Vaughan dipped down and away from the wormhole, moving just in time to avoid the enemy’s first volley. Then they changed course, and Jack poured more energy into keeping hostile eyes away. He relaxed a hair; he didn’t need such an iron grip on his concentration at that point.

  “Now we hold until we’re out of sensor range.” He relaxed his hands and felt his friends do the same, though they didn’t pull away.

  “How are you doing this?” Ephraim asked.

  “My dragon. She taught me a few tricks.”

  That was met with silence until the door opened and Julia pushed into the small room. She hurried to kneel next to Jack and squeezed his shoulders, feeding her strength into him.

  “Are you doing okay? There were a lot of eyes on us back there.”

  “I’m fine. How long before we’re out of range?”

  “Ten minutes if they don’t follow. Longer if they do.” Julia settled back on her heels. “As soon as we’re clear, captain’s going to call me so you can stop. We might need your powers again in a few hours.”

  “What for?”

  “We picked up a distress signal. It’s verified Earth Fleet encryption. Someone’s in trouble out there. It sounds like pirates hit them.”

  “With Pirr in the area? I’m shocked. What’s next, Mystics going into the Astral Plane?” Jack tried to keep his tone light, but even he could hear the strain in his voice.

  “Are they all right?” Nada asked.

  “Not all of them.” Julia sounded grim. She patted Jack’s shoulder and stood. “We’ll be there in a few hours.”

  ***

  As soon as they were clear of the enemy, Jack grabbed some food from the galley, then took a nap. When he returned to the chamber a few hours later, the others were already waiting. He yawned, peering through bloodshot eyes within dark circles as he took his place on the floor. He didn’t feel mentally ready for a fight or a retreat, but he knew he had the reserves for either. He just wanted an encounter to go simply for once.

  To his surprise, he got his wish. They came upon the E.F.S. Siren drifting in the void. Its engine was dead. By all appearances, the rest of its systems were about to collapse. Jack and Nada checked out the Astral Plane, hoping to make contact with Siren’s Mystics. Julia and Ephraim worked together to scan the area.

  They found nothing but a feeble battery system barely maintaining life support. Julia found signs of life, but only a few conscious minds. They were almost out of air; a few more hours and it would have been too late.

  The Mystics reported in, and their report matched the bridge crew’s findings. Vaughan docked with Siren, then sent a security team in for a search-and-rescue.

  Jack went to the connecting airlock as soon as he heard the captain’s name. Barbara McNuggen was captain of the Siren. No one would confirm one way or the other, so he waited and watched as one survivor after another came through the airlock. Each time it wasn’t Barbara, his hopes sank lower.

  He looked to Julia for encouragement, but she’d banished all emotion from her face. That meant she was bracing for bad news. He sank even lower.

  The airlock opened, and Ensign Thomas came through with a pale woman leaning on him. She was the first to come through on her own feet, support or not. Thomas helped her over to Jack’s bit of wall, then handed her off without a word.

  “Wait, what are we supposed to do with her?” he asked Thomas, but the ensign never looked back.

  “Wait for a medic, I guess.” Julia moved over to help support the woman, glancing at her nametag. “Hey…Jensen? Is that your name?”

  The woman rolled her eyes up to look at Julia, then nodded heavily. “Yes.”

  “Where’s Captain McNuggen? She’s a friend of ours.”

  “She won’t leave until everyone else has evacuated.”

  Jack perked up. “She’s alive? She’s okay?”

  “Alive, yes. Okay? I believe so. She’s awake enough to give your security team a hard time.” Jensen’s lips twitched as if she were too tired to smile, yet a hint of pride made her lift her chin.

  “What happened?” Julia asked.

  Jensen shook her head. The Mystics waited with her until another medic came and got her. Jack was glad Barbara was alive, though he’d feel better if he saw her with his own eyes.

  He finally got his wish. Barbara walked through the airlock with an oxygen mask strapped to her face. The moment she was on board Vaughan, she stripped off the mask and tossed it to a med team member hovering over her.

  “I just want to sleep for a week,” she informed the medic.

  He gestured at Jack and the others. “They’ve been looking for you, captain.”

  She looked their way, and her hard expression bloomed into a beautiful smile. She hadn’t taken two steps their way when Julia intercepted her with a one-arm hug. Jack was there a moment later, eyes glistenin
g at knowing his old friend was safe.

  “Are you okay? What happened?” Julia asked.

  “Pirates. We gave them a fight, but they took out our engines. They took our Mystics and some of the crew and left us to die.” McNuggen scowled. “They said Harris was a Mystic. Harris. He’s been an engineer for ten years.”

  “Some people never test. We just found seven potential Mystics on Geneva. All of them had careers in Earth Fleet once upon a time. They didn’t get tested until we came along.” Jack offered his arm for McNuggen to lean on. She waved him off.

  “I’m glad you’re all right, Barbara, as much as you can be with a broken shoulder.” Julia claimed another gentle hug, and Jack stepped back for a little air. “We missed you.”

  “Same here,” Barbara said roughly. “Now, where’s your captain? I’ve got a report to make before I get off my feet.”

  “Meeting with people in the medical ward, I think.” Julia adjusted her stance to give Barbara a little more support. “Come on, we’ll take you there.”

  “I’m fine.” Still, Barbara let them help her. Despite her rough voice, she smiled as she looked at Jack, then Julia. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you two.”

  “Us, too. Now, let’s get you checked out.”

  Jack got Barbara moving down the hall with Julia supporting her from the other side. She was alive, if not completely whole, although she would be. He was glad of that, but the fate of the other Mystics left a weight like a brick in his stomach. This couldn’t go on.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Every mothership in Earth Fleet was armored and outfitted with enough capital-grade weapons and fighter squadrons to defend itself. While they stood alone in the depths of space, they still made for too big a mouthful for any raider to bite off, even the Pirr.

  The pirates kept a wide berth around the Geneva wormhole where E.F.F. Mothership Gemini waited. They were in position to strike any ship entering or leaving the wormhole but were beyond Gemini’s reach. The fighters could reach them if they tried, but that would leave the mothership exposed.