Wizard Cadet (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 2)

by Rodney Hartman

  I assume that wasn’t a stimulant you gave me, Nick, Richard said. What goes around comes around, old buddy. Wait and see what I give you the next time you ask me to replace your isotopic battery.

  Now, Rick, said Nickelo. Don’t hold a grudge. You were more tired than you realized, and you’re more stubborn than you care to admit. You needed some rest, and you’ll be much better for it. As long as you have me with you, there’s really no need to stand guard. I’d have awakened you if there had been any danger.

  Believe me, Nickelo added, one low-voltage charge to your butt, and you’d have been up and alert with no problem.

  Yuk, yuk, Richard said still too tired to argue. His stomach growled and reminded him he hadn’t eaten the night before. While sealed in his battle suit, it provided him all the recycled nutrients he needed to stay alive, but it didn’t prevent him from feeling hungry. Richard hoped he never had to stay sealed in his battle suit for an extended period of time.

  The kids? Richard said as he stood up and stretched.

  Still asleep, Nickelo answered. They’ve started becoming a little restless in the last fifteen minutes, so I’m sure they’ll be waking soon. That’s actually why I woke you. I think you could have slept longer if I’d let you.

  As quietly as he could, Richard pulled off his dimensional pack and began setting up camp again. Other than the children’s tent, he had not bothered getting anything out when they’d stopped to make camp. They’d all been too tired. Besides, if their new position had been discovered, Richard had figured they would have had to abandon everything anyway. He made amends for the previous lack of accommodations now.

  Richard prepared the camp with the same equipment he’d had the previous night. He even tied up the field shower again and filled the canvas bag with hot water from his canteen. The children had suffered much the previous day. Richard was pretty sure a warm shower would feel good to them after they woke.

  Heck, Richard thought. A warm shower would feel good to me as well.

  You don’t need to shower, Rick, said Nickelo. The environment in your battle suit when it’s sealed is germ free. It’s not like you stink or anything. A shower is not needed.

  I didn’t say it was needed, Nick, Richard said. I said it would feel good. Plus, I need to shave. I know the battle suit doesn’t do that for me.

  True, said Nickelo. It’s designed for a fully-trained wizard scout. Once you get your DNA baseline taken and can self-heal, your body will view any change in your hair length as an injury. It will automatically return your body to its baseline. Thus, you’ll never need to shave again. But until then, you’re probably right. You will need to shave. Stuffing a long beard inside your battle helmet probably wouldn’t feel too comfortable.

  I hear you, Nick, said Richard. Unseal the suit. I’m tired of seeing everything in red, and I’d like to breathe some fresh air instead of this recycled stuff.

  The suit unsealed as Richard finished speaking. The lower part of the battle helmet unsealed from the visor and the upper portion of his battle suit. The helmet returned to three-quarters mode so that his ears were still covered. The force field which served as Richard’s visor disappeared.

  Richard breathed in a deep breath of air. It was rich in oxygen this deep in the forest. For the first time, Richard got a good look at the local fauna. Most of the vegetation was green. It reminded him of an old-growth forest back on Earth. He heard the burbling sound of a nearby stream.

  After taking a visual of his surroundings, Richard made a couple of last minute touches to his campsite. Then Richard got around to cooking a meal. Even if the kids weren’t hungry when they woke up, he was. He’d missed the meal the night before, and his stomach was increasingly reminding him of the fact. Richard set up two propane camp stoves again. He put a frying pan on one and a pot on the other. Out of curiosity, he looked closer at the pot. He noticed a small R scratched into the metal near the handle. The pot was perfectly clean.

  So, Richard said, it looks like we do reuse equipment.

  So it would seem, agreed Nickelo. That’s really the only logical way to do it. Why waste resources?

  Richard didn’t engage in any further conversation with his battle computer. Instead, he extracted a can of powered eggs from his dimensional pack along with a can of processed meat. He soon had the eggs and meat cooking in the frying pan. It wasn’t exactly an omelet, but it would do for the present. He poured canned milk into the pot and added several scoops of hot chocolate powder from a half-filled can he got from his pack. Apparently, it was the same can of powder he had used on the previous night.

  Waste not, want not, Richard said.

  Hmm, said Nickelo. I wonder if whoever is at the other end of your dimensional pack is worried about running out of supplies. They seem to be frugal with items. Either they don’t have an abundant supply, which I doubt, or they believe what they have is going to have to last a very long time.

  Curious, Richard said, Why don’t you think they are short on supplies?

  After all the credits someone dropped on your other equipment, said Nickelo, I doubt they’d skimp on cans of hot chocolate powder. If you will remember, Chief Instructor Winslow back at the Academy told you she’d seen an order for fifty-five battle helmets and two hundred battle suits for you. The cost of those items alone would be astronomical. I think whoever is controlling your dimensional pack could easily squeeze out a few more credits for a few thousand cans of hot chocolate powder.

  It’s all very mysterious, Richard said a little frustrated. I hate not knowing, and I hate having someone think they can control me.

  I know, Rick, said Nickelo sympathetically, but don’t do anything rash. You know ‘the One’ punishes you if you get insubordinate or don’t carry out the mission. Our situation is bad enough. Please don’t make it worse.

  I’ll be a good boy, mommy, Richard said sarcastically.

  The smell of the cooking food and steaming hot chocolate soon permeated the air. Richard’s mouth began to water in anticipation. Apparently, his wasn’t the only taste buds responding to the smell.

  “Mmm. That smells delicious,” said Dren as she emerged from the tent she shared with her brother. “Are you making some for us as well?”

  “Well,” Richard said trying his best to sound friendly, “if you two don’t eat some, I’ll have to eat it all myself. If I have to do that too much, I’ll get so fat I probably won’t fit in my battle suit. Can you imagine how intimidating a fat wizard scout would look? I can imagine that Crosioian scout cringing in fear right now at the sight of me.”

  Brachia crawled giggling out of the tent behind his sister. Dren gave a short laugh as well. Even Nickelo gave a little chuckle.

  Richard was amazed by the resiliency of children. After all they’d been through the previous day, here they were laughing the very next morning.

  Dren and Brachia sat down on a couple of folding stools Richard provided for them. When he handed them their plate of eggs and processed meat, they went at it with gusto. Richard handed them each a cup of hot chocolate before sitting down to his own meal.

  “What’s this?” said Dren suspiciously as she looked at the cup of steaming brown liquid.

  “You’ll like it,” Richard said. “Trust me. I wouldn’t steer your wrong.”

  Dren continued to look at the cup while she took a few tentative sniffs. Brachia on the other hand did not hesitate. He took a sip, and then he took two more.

  “It’s good,” said Brachia. “It tastes a little like the cups of mocha Mommy used to make us for breakfast. Try it. It’s hot though, so you need to be careful.”

  Encouraged by her brother, Dren took a sip. Richard watched as a dreamy smile replaced the look of suspicion on her face.

  “It is good,” she said. “What is it, Rick?”

  Richard noticed she felt comfortable enough this morning to call him by name in a relatively friendly voice. It definitely beat the cold shoulder he’d been given the previous day. Apparently
, his sins were forgiven if not completely forgotten.

  “It’s hot chocolate,” Richard said. “The sisters used to give it to us as a treat at the orphanage. They said it was a reward for being good, but I personally think they just gave it to us in order to shut us up. I don’t remember being good all that much when I was there. But, I still got plenty of hot chocolate.”

  I have no doubt you were a handful, said Nickelo.

  Hush, Richard said.

  “Well, it’s good whatever it is,” said Dren.

  All three of them ate in silence until their plates were clean, and the pot and pan were empty. An awkward silence settled over them for a few moments before Dren spoke.

  “Why did you bring us with you?” she said. “To this planet, I mean. And, how is it that you can teleport? I didn’t know wizard scouts could do that. Teleporting without a pad requires at least an R3 frequency generator and a modulator baseline for each of the targets. How did you get those for us? I’m also mystified what you used as an energy source for the teleport. Even one of the Empire’s class IV star cruisers would have trouble generating the required energy. Do you have access to a Calisrian Core Generator? Or, did you use something I haven’t heard of as your energy source?”

  Richard sat there for a moment staring at the little girl with his mouth half open before replying.

  “You are twelve years old, aren’t you?” Richard said suspiciously. “Yet you’re talking way over my head. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was talking to a person a whole lot older than you. I don’t know what half the stuff that came out of your mouth means.”

  “Oh,” said Dren. “Sorry. And yes, I am twelve of your standard years old.”

  She looked at her little brother for a moment. Richard thought he saw Brachia give his sister a little nod. Dren returned her gaze to Richard.

  “Rick,” she said, “you’ve saved our lives twice now. I know that. I’m sorry we were less than kind to you yesterday. But…, well, let’s not go into that now. However, we do have a secret. I think you have a secret as well. What do you say we both come clean with each other? I once read a book from the Empire’s home planet of Earth. It was from a time period called the ‘old west’. One of the gamblers in the book said, ‘Let’s lay all our cards on the table’. I think that’s what we should both do right now.”

  “You mean three,” said Brachia. “I want some cards too.”

  “Right,” said Dren with a tolerant smile. “All three of us should lay our cards on the table.”

  “Fine,” Richard said, “although I have to confess, I feel a little strange making a deal with two little children. But I don’t think you’re what you seem, so I’ll give it a shot.”

  “Well, truth be told, we don’t think you’re what you seem either,” said Dren with a small, knowing smile.

  Now, Rick, said Nickelo in warning. Don’t go giving all our trade secrets away. Sometimes, I think you’re far too trusting.

  Hush, Richard said. I’ve got a feeling about this. Call it a hunch.

  Nickelo did not say anything else, but he didn’t have to. His battle computer had told him often enough that he dealt with logic. Nickelo had also told him that he left the hunches, intuition, and guesses to his wizard scout.

  “I’ll go first,” Richard said in a show of trust. “I didn’t teleport you here. I didn’t teleport myself here either. A year ago, an entity my battle computer and I know only as ‘the One’, teleported us on a mission for him or her or it or whatever ‘the One’ is. When the mission was completed, we were teleported back to the same place and moment as when we left. Just before we were teleported out of the compound yesterday, I was given another mission by ‘the One’. That’s why I think I’m here. I’m supposed to do his mission. Since you two happened to be holding onto my legs when I teleported, I assume you were accidentally brought along with me.” Richard paused then he said, “Now it’s your turn.”

  “All right, Rick,” said Dren. “Our parents were geniuses. When I say geniuses, I mean high-end geniuses. So as you might expect, Brachia and I inherited more than a little intelligence from our parents. I’m not trying to brag or anything. It’s just the truth.”

  “I don’t think that fully explains it,” said Nickelo over the battle helmet’s external speakers.

  Dren and Brachia gave Richard a strange look.

  “Was that you, Rick?” Dren said. “If it was, your voice was different.”

  “It was his battle computer,” said Brachia. “Daddy knew a lot about wizard scouts. Rick’s battle computer was using the helmet’s speakers.”

  “That’s right,” said Nickelo. “You know a lot for a six year old boy. Even for one that’s a pirate.”

  Brachia smiled.

  What gives, Nick? Richard said. I thought I was handling this interview.

  You’re too slow, said Nickelo. Watch the master at work.

  “Well, I can’t deal with a conversation this way. It would get too confusing,” Richard said as he removed his battle helmet and placed it on the ground to his left. “There. Now I won’t have to wonder if the kids are talking to me or you when they look my way.”

  “Whatever,” said Nickelo. “You’re too sensitive. I was only going to ask a few questions.”

  “Well, maybe so,” Richard said, “but I –”

  “Do you two want us to leave you alone?” said Dren with a smile. “Or, can we continue this conversation like adults?”

  When neither Richard nor Nickelo replied, Dren looked at Richard and said, “What’s your battle computer’s name?”

  “You can call me, Nick,” answered Nickelo before Richard got a chance to reply.

  “All right, Nick,” said Dren looking over at the battle helmet. “You’re right. There is more to it. I assume you’re familiar with knowledge transversal by subliminal consciousness relay.”

  “Of course,” Nickelo said. “I have all the theories of Van Hotchkiss and Derberlon in my databanks. Are you implying you have acquired knowledge from a transversal?”

  “Hold on one darn minute,” Richard said. The conversation had just started, and he was already getting lost. Quite frankly, it irritated him a little. “I don’t know what a transversal sub-whatever is? I’d appreciate being included in this conversation if you don’t mind. I am the wizard scout after all.”

  “Cadet, Rick,” corrected Nickelo. “You’ve been telling me every time I turn around that you’re a wizard scout cadet. And to bring you up to speed, an Empire scientist named Carl Van Hotchkiss and a Veturnian scientist named Kecor Derberlon devised a theoretical process for transferring knowledge from one person to another. They did an Imperial Scientific Academy paper on it called ‘Knowledge Transversal by Subliminal Consciousness Using Third Party Psychic Assistance’. Now to fully understand the process, you first need to understand how –”

  Dren must have seen the blank look on Richard’s face, because she interrupted Nickelo before he could pick up too much steam.

  “Rick,” said Dren, “you should never ask a computer a question if you want a simple answer. To put it in layman’s terms, the theory referenced by your battle computer discusses a process for transferring knowledge from one creature to another by using specific energy frequencies to stimulate neurons in the brain. But it’s more than a theory. My brother, Brachia, and I know this for a fact, because Carl Van Hotchkiss was our grandfather, and Kecor Derberlon was Keka’s brood father. The night our father and mother were murdered, our parents used a prototype of our grandfather’s devise to transfer their knowledge into our minds. My father transferred his knowledge into Brachia. My mother transferred her knowledge into me.”

  “Oh,” Richard said. It was all he could manage. He had a higher than average intelligence, but sometimes it took him a little while to assimilate things. He was a lot better at acting without thinking than he was at thinking things out carefully before reacting.

  “Never mind him,” said Nickelo. “I calculate an eighty-
two percent chance your parents transferred their knowledge into the two of you to protect it for future use and to keep it out of someone’s hands.”

  “Yes,” said Brachia. “The bad men threatened Mommy and Daddy. But they were brave. Keka’s brood mate was with them. She was brave also. They made Dren and I run away. Then when the bad men got close, they…, they…”

  “Our parents and Keka’s brood mate blew up the lab rather than allow the information to get into the hands of the Crosioians,” said Dren. “That’s why the Crosioians attacked sector five. They wanted to occupy Veturna so they could get the information from our parents and from Keka. Our parents and Keka’s brood mate killed themselves rather than allow the information to be captured by the Crosioians.”

  “But the Crosioians captured your Keka,” Richard said. “So if we hadn’t snatched him in the raid, the Crosioians would have had the knowledge anyway. I’m surprised they didn’t ship him back to their home planet when they had the chance.”

  “Keka doesn’t have the information,” said Dren. “Our parents and his brood mate did. But, Keka made the Crosioians believe he knew it in order to protect us. I think the only reason the bad men kept us alive was to make sure Keka did what they said. And, the reason they did not take Keka off world is because Veturna has six R12 planetary-core energy generators. Any device created with Keka’s supposed information would require the energy output of at least one R12 generator. To the best of my knowledge, only one other planet in the galaxy has an R12 planetary-core energy generator, and its location is a well-guarded secret. The Crosioians kept Keka on Venturna because he convinced them he needed the R12 generators. But he fooled them, because he did not have the information they desired. They would never have gotten what they wanted from him.”

  “Are you saying we conducted our raid for nothing?” Richard said with a little harshness creeping into his voice. “We had five of our soldiers killed that I know of. We probably lost more than that. Are you saying those men and women died for nothing?”