I’d say that’s a reasonable expectation, said Nickelo in their shared space. By the way, I’ve made an analysis of the gate and compared it with the information from your first mission with the elf Shandria. This anomaly is not just a gate. It is also a time-bubble.
Richard looked at the edge of the gate which was only a couple of steps away.
A time-bubble? Richard asked trying to make sense of the mass of information he was receiving.
Richard had a thought. If the gate is also a time-bubble, where in time are these starships from? Do you think they’re from a hundred and fifty-seven years in the past?
No, said Nickelo. I think they’re from a lot earlier than that; a lot earlier.
You spoke of an ally, Richard said to the green sphere. Where? How?
I will help you contact her, said the green sphere. But first you must make me a promise.
Richard was pretty sure he knew what the sphere wanted. It’s what he would have wanted.
Fine, Richard said. I promise I’ll free you somehow. Now, contact your ally.
The sphere surprised Richard. No. It’s too late for us. Our Power, our life force, is nearly drained. Our death is near, but we do not fear it.
Richard wanted to scream in frustration. He never understood why some people, and apparently some spheres, wasted time by talking about things that didn’t matter.
Why can’t they just get to the point? he wondered.
Even though the emotion-driven language of the dragons was fast, precious seconds were passing way too quickly.
Then what do you want? Richard demanded. Either get on with it, or I’ll try to do something on my own.
The black ships operate from a base a hundred thousand years in the past, said the green sphere. They use my brothers and me to create a gate and time-bubble combination to raid the physical dimension during your time for the holy element. They use the life force of dragon eggs to energize the holy element.
An image of the holy element flashed into Richard’s mind. It was titanium. With the image, Richard understood more of what he’d seen in his vision at the pyramid. The sacrificed dragon eggs were being used to charge batteries made out of titanium. Or rather, out of the energized titanium which Richard knew better as creallium.
A flash of colored beams and projectiles lashing out from the black destroyer drew Richard’s attention. The destroyer was completely clear of the gate. It was now fully in the physical dimension. Richard saw it move to join the fight against the two zippers. Richard noticed the black dreadnaught begin to maneuver into position to enter the gate. Time was getting short.
Fine, Richard said. Whatever you want done, I’ll do it. Just tell me how to close this gate.
First you must promise me, said the green sphere. You must promise me you will destroy the Dragars’ temple. You must stop them from sacrificing more of the dragon eggs.
Fine, I’ll do it, Richard said.
Richard had no idea how the sphere thought he was supposed to travel back in time a hundred thousand years, but at the moment, he didn’t care. The sight of the black destroyer firing at Matthew and Tia spurred Richard on to promise anything. He’d worry about how to keep his promise later.
Promise, said the sphere.
I promise, Richard said. I give you my word as a wizard scout.
You are one of us, said the green sphere. I will trust you. I am contacting your helper now. When she sends you the Power, you must start the cycle to close the gate. And then you must run, or you will be destroyed.
Wait, Richard said. How am I supposed to destroy the temple? I can’t time travel.
An image of a dragon egg flashed into Richard’s mind. With the image came a location. The egg was located only a hundred meters away.
Go, said the green sphere. The egg is special. Take it. Save it. When the egg hatches, the dragon will take you where you need to be. Go now. You don’t have much time.
* * *
Hurry, said the green sphere. You don’t have much time.
I’m doing my best, Jeena said as she tried to control her temper. She didn’t like being ordered around, especially by a green ball of energy.
I am in contact with the helper, said the green sphere. Can you sense him?
Jeena reached out with her mind through the green sphere as she attempted to locate her supposed helper. She sensed nothing. She told the sphere as much.
He is using a stealth shield, said the green sphere. You will not be able to sense his aura. Try to sense his Power.
Jeena reached out once again and tried to locate the sphere’s helper. She concentrated her senses for any hint of good or evil Power. Again she sensed nothing.
I tell you there’s nothing there, Jeena said growing increasingly frustrated. I checked for both good and evil Power. There is nothing. Nothing exists at the end of the path you’ve given me.
This helper is neither good nor evil, said the green sphere. He is neutral. Look for an absence of good and evil. Look for nothing. You can do it, but please hurry. The existence of my species, the existence of your world, depends upon you closing the gate.
Jeena wanted to scream. She was just an acolyte. What did she know of gates and time-bubbles? In desperation, Jeena shouted a prayer to the Lady.
Please help me, Lady. I lack the skill. Please show me the way.
A heart beat passed, then another. Jeena sensed nothing. But on the third beat, she felt a tickle at the back of her mind. It was accompanied by a sense of peace and tranquility. The fear and tenseness which had been building up in Jeena departed. Her mind cleared, and she could hear in a way she’d never heard before.
Seek with your heart, said a voice in her mind.
What? Jeena thought. Who?
The voice was not the gravelly voice of the green sphere. This voice was soft and comforting.
Lady? Jeena asked as she was suddenly filled with hope. Is that you, Lady?
No reply came. However, Jeena was certain the voice had been that of the Lady. Jeena was just as sure the Lady was gone back to whence she’d come.
“Seek with my heart,” Jeena said out loud. Her voice echoed off the wall of the cavern and came back like a command.
With nothing to lose, Jeena dropped her scan. The thoughts of the green sphere faded away. Jeena sought a place in her heart which had always felt empty. For as long as she could remember, Jeena had felt as if the part of her heart which was missing existed somewhere; in some time. She only needed to find it. Jeena reached inside herself; not into the physical heart she felt beating inside her chest, but into the heart which was her eternal soul.
Jeena found the empty spot and let her mind enter. The way was dark, and the path appeared to be dangerous. But Jeena pressed onward. The stakes were too high to turn away now.
Chapter 42 – Taking a Risk
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Richard ran to a point in the tunnel closest to the location of the ‘special’ egg. He reached out with an active scan and found a source of Power. It was indeed a dragon egg. Even though the egg was protected by a stealth shield, Richard found it easily enough. It was almost as if a part of him was drawn naturally to the egg.
Reaching out with his mind, Richard wrapped the egg with Power and made it shimmer. He shifted the egg into the void and drew it to him with his telekinesis. When the egg cleared the tunnel wall, Richard shutoff his Power and caught the egg before it could fall.
Okay, Richard said using his emotions. I’ve got the egg. Now what?
She is coming, said the sphere. You must meet her halfway. Follow your heart. You will find her.
What are you talking about? Richard said. What do you mean by follow my heart?
I don’t think the sphere means it literally, Rick, said Nickelo. Reach inside yourself with your mind. I calculate that will have the greatest chance of success.
Even though he was still in the tunnel, Richard could still see the gate intertwined with the physical dimensi
on surrounding it. The black destroyer was almost in position to add its firepower against the two zippers which were hounding the black recon ship. And the black dreadnaught was growing ever larger as it drew closer to the gate. Richard knew full well if something didn’t change soon, the kids would be dead for sure.
And you will be too if you don’t stop stalling, said Nickelo sounding increasingly impatient. You’re a wizard scout. Do something.
Easy for you to say, Richard replied a little angrily.
Doing his best to reach inside himself, Richard tried to sense anything different. All seemed as it was before. That is, all was the same except for a spot inside him which he’d always tried to avoid. The spot had always seemed too empty, too lonely. But for some reason, it seemed different now. It was still empty and lonely, but less so. Forcing his inhibitions aside, Richard reached out with his mind and entered the emptiness. His friends were near death. He had no other choice.
Chapter 43 – Obsession
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“Hang on, kids,” Sergeant Ron said over the Defiant’s com-link. “We’re twenty seconds out.”
“Hurry,” said Tia. “The destroyer’s lining up for the kill. Our shields are almost gone.”
Sergeant Ron eyeballed the Defiant’s track towards the black destroyer. From the console’s holograph display, he could tell the destroyer was preparing to clear the planet’s thin atmosphere. From what he could tell, while the black destroyer was inside the atmosphere, it was forced to use its maneuvering thrusters. That limitation reduced the destroyer’s speed to a crawl. But Sergeant Ron had no doubt once the destroyer cleared the atmosphere, the ship’s captain would switch to the destroyer’s hyper-drive or whatever it used for propulsion. Once it did so, the children’s zip fighters would be caught between the destroyer and the black recon ship.
“Margery,” Sergeant Ron said. “Give me a short burst from our hyper-drive.”
“I highly advise against that, captain,” said Margery. “We’re heading straight for the planet. If our timing is off, we’ll crash.”
“Do it,” Sergeant Ron ordered.
While he respected Margery, he didn’t need an ex-battle computer to tell him it was a dangerous maneuver. But based upon previous experience, Sergeant Ron didn’t think it was as dangerous as it seemed. The Defiant was as much a part of him as was his own skin. He was confident he could close the distance to the black destroyer quickly and still avoid crashing into the planet.
The hyper-drive kicked on for a sub-second burst. The distance to the destroyer closed rapidly. Sergeant Ron’s hands flew across the control panel without conscious thought. His mind knew what needed to be done. His body automatically followed his mind’s intent.
“Gunners!” Sergeant Ron yelled over the Defiant’s com-link. “Fire as you bear. Aim for the destroyer’s engines. If we can cripple her while she’s still in the atmosphere, we’ve got a chance.”
The Defiant’s crew didn’t waste time answering with words. Instead, the Defiant vibrated violently as all of its gun and missile batteries fired at the same time.
Warning lights flashed all across the control console as the Defiant’s sensors detected return fire from the destroyer. Dozens of balls of energy along with beams of every color of the rainbow were heading straight for the Defiant.
“Margery,” Sergeant Ron said. “Handle the shields. I’ll control the ship.”
“Compliance,” said Margery. “Impact with the planet’s surface will be in three seconds.”
Sergeant Ron kicked the Defiant to the left with the ship’s side thrusters. At the same time, he activated the electronic countermeasures. The ship shuddered again as dozens of fist-sized decoys ejected outward from the Defiant in all directions. The countermeasures had previously been adjusted by Margery to react to magic. Sergeant Ron had a feeling the next few seconds would tell if Margery’s modifications had been successful.
The area around the Defiant was lit up by flashes of bright light as dozens of the black destroyer’s missiles and energy rounds were fooled by the decoys. The Defiant’s sudden movement to the left also caused a sizeable chunk of missiles and energy weapons to miss. However, others locked onto the Defiant and slammed into her shields.
The Defiant rocked crazily from side to side. Loose pieces of equipment were thrown around the cockpit. While he was jostled violently back and forth, Sergeant Ron remained in his seat. He’d been in too many ship-to-ship battles during his life not to be prepared. At the first sign of danger, he’d automatically strapped himself in with the command-seat’s shoulder harness.
“Shields are holding at seventy-six percent, captain,” said Margery.
Sergeant Ron said a silent thank you to his daughter. He knew Diane could be a hard-headed ‘B’ sometimes, but by golly, she hadn’t skimped when it came to equipping the Defiant with the best the Empire had to offer. He was certain the Defiant’s normal shields would have been overwhelmed by the destroyer’s initial onslaught.
“Keep firing,” Sergeant Ron ordered.
He could’ve saved his breath. The Defiant’s crew needed no urging. The sight of the black destroyer bearing down on Matthew’s and Tia’s zippers was all the motivation they needed. The Defiant bucked as another volley of missiles shot out of her portside torpedo tubes and headed towards the destroyer. Beams of plasma energy from the Defiant’s two massive 200 gigawatt plasma cannons followed close behind.
Reaching out with his left hand, Sergeant Ron pressed the lever for the front torpedo tubes. Eight of the newly installed Alpha 5 torpedoes shot out towards the destroyer’s rear area.
“Tia,” Sergeant Ron said over the Defiant’s com-link. “The Alpha 5’s are inbound. Guide them to the destroyer’s engines.”
No reply came over the network, but Sergeant Ron saw the track of the torpedoes deviate towards the rear of the destroyer. The Alpha 5’s guidance systems had been modified by Sergeant Hendricks to take mental commands from any of the Defiant’s bongo players. Six of the torpedoes were knocked out by the destroyer’s anti-fighter weapons and countermeasures. However, two of the torpedoes zigged and zagged in such an erratic fashion the enemy’s gunners were unable to hit their targets. First one torpedo then the other exploded against the shield protecting the destroyer’s engines.
“Their rear, portside shield is down to thirty-eight percent,” said Margery. “I calculate another salvo has a forty-two percent probability of hitting their engines.”
“Then we’ll hit them again,” Sergeant Ron shouted anxiously. He lost all pretense of command dignity as he lined the Defiant up for another salvo of torpedoes.
“Reload will be complete in five seconds,” said Margery.
The Defiant shuddered again as another round of return fire hit the Defiant’s shields. The Defiant was briefly thrown off course, but Sergeant Ron quickly got her back under control. From the Defiant’s new position, Sergeant Ron got a better glimpse of the gate behind the black destroyer. What he saw caused him to draw in a sharp breath.
Through the gate, Sergeant Ron saw the immense form of a dreadnaught. It wasn’t registering on any of the Defiant’s instruments, but there it was nevertheless. Even after over four decades, Sergeant Ron recognized the ship. She was all black except for lights coming from thousands of portholes and dozens of open bay doors. A large black dragon with a red stripe down its side was painted on the dreadnaught’s hull.
Hatred blazed inside Sergeant Ron. A rage he hadn’t felt in decades consumed him.
“You bastards!” Sergeant Ron shouted as he changed the Defiant’s course from the destroyer to a straight line towards the dreadnaught. “You killed her! I’ll kill you all if it’s the last thing I do. I’ll kill you all.”
Sergeant Ron fired the Defiant’s newly loaded torpedoes in the direction of the dreadnaught. The black destroyer was forgotten in the red haze of his hate. Only the destruction of the black dreadnaught mattered. For the first time in decades, he
had an opportunity to exact revenge. Sergeant Ron swore he wouldn’t let the chance slip away. Nothing was more important than destroying those who’d killed his wife.
Chapter 44 – Sacrifice
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“Sergeant Ron,” Terrie said over the ship’s intercom. “What are you doing? We need to attack the destroyer. We’ve almost got them. Line back up so we can fire.”
No reply came from the cockpit. The Defiant didn’t alter course.
Although he was medically retired, Terrie was still a wizard scout. As such, he’d been in too many battles to panic when things went awry.
“Margery, take command,” Terrie said in command voice.
“Unable to comply, wizard scout,” said Margery. “The captain has turned the ship’s override off. He is in full control.”
Terrie fired a final salvo from the portside plasma batteries. He didn’t need to look at his gunner station’s holograph to know the situation. His passive scan told him everything he needed to know.
The black destroyer was seconds away from clearing the atmosphere. The black recon ship had turned back and was engaging Tia and Matthew’s zippers in an attempt to drive them towards the destroyer. Although still on the other side of the gate, Terrie sensed the thousands of lifeforms on the black dreadnaught. The huge starship would soon be entering the gate. Terrie figured in less than two minutes, it would be entering the fray as well.
Making a decision, Terrie unhooked from his gunner’s chair and ran into the cargo bay. He took a hard left straight towards the stairs leading to the crew compartments. Aided by the strength of his battle suit, Terrie made the leap to the top of the stairs in a single bound. The leap took him through the hatch and into the dining room.
Wizard Omega (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 4) Page 42
