“Brachia,” Dren said as she drew her Deloris blaster, “we need to hurry.”
Dren did not wait for her brother. She took off running towards the two figures. The distance was too far for her blaster. She had to get closer. She had to get closer now.
* * *
The Crosioian scout paused for a moment to savor her victory. The wizard scout lay helpless before her. She tensed her arms in preparation for starting the downward thrust of her phase spear. The wizard scout reached over to his right side with his left hand and pulled a large hand weapon out of its holster. The Crosioian scout kicked it out of his hand with her foot. He moved his hand towards another holster on his chest. The Crosioian scout smiled approvingly. Even choking to death in his own blood, this wizard scout was a fighter. He wouldn’t give up. She stepped on his chest with her foot to prevent him from removing the weapon. She would enjoy the telling and retelling of her battle with this wizard scout for many years to come. He was the best she had ever encountered.
The Crosioian scout raised her phase spear again in preparation for the death blow. Before she could send the spear plunging downward, she sensed a large form coming out of the ground on her left side. She sidestepped to the right and turned to face this new threat, but she was not fast enough. A thickly-haired, four-legged creature came at her with mouth opened wide. The creature’s long fangs bit into her left arm before she could react.
It’s a dolgar, said her fighting computer. It’s shifted in the void, so be careful.
The Crosioian scout felt life force being sucked out of her as the creature wrapped her in its Power and shifted her into the void as well. It began pulling her beneath the surface.
As she swung her phase spear at the creature’s head, she wrapped herself in Power and performed her own shift into the void. She’d fought too many dimensional-shifting creatures to be foolish enough to rely on the dolgar to keep her in the void. The dolgar released its grip and dodged to the left barely moving its head out of the way of her phase spear. But it was not quite fast enough to escape unscathed entirely. The Crosioian scout sensed an emotion of pain as her phase spear struck the dolgar on its left hip. It dodged backwards and slipped down into the earth.
The Crosioian scout did not follow. She sensed the dolgar underground as it circled to her left. The Crosioian scout also turned as she tracked the dolgar. She kept her phase spear between her and the creature.
You hurt it, said her fighting computer, but it’s still dangerous.
Suddenly, another ping appeared on the Crosioian scout’s heads-up display. The second ping was behind her. She spun to face the new threat just as another dolgar came out of the ground. This dolgar was slightly smaller than the first, but the Crosioian scout had no doubt it was just as dangerous. She made a thrust with her phase spear at the dolgar’s throat, but it slipped to the side. However, the spear thrust spoiled the dolgar’s attack, and it dived down into the ground to join the first dolgar.
Recommend you kill the wizard scout now, said her fighting computer. I calculate an eighty-seven percent probability you will be teleported out upon completion of mission. Do not let these dolgars divert you from your true target.
The Crosioian scout did not like her fighting computer’s attitude, but she saw the logic in her computer’s words. She had to end the fight now. Her desire to defeat the wizard scout in honorable hand-to-hand combat was no a longer viable option. The presence of the dolgars made it too dangerous to delay the wizard scout’s death.
When she turned back to the wizard scout, she saw he had somehow managed to find the strength to rise to one knee. He had the handgun from the shoulder holster in his left hand. Flames spurt out the front of the handgun as the wizard scout fired several solid-projectile rounds at her as fast as he could pull the trigger. The rounds passed harmless through her. She was in the void.
The Crosioian scout reached out with her mind and wrapped Power around the wizard scout’s heart. She sensed the two dolgars moving in to start their attack, but she knew they would be too late.
Without warning, the Crosioian scout felt a hard blow hit her left shoulder spinning her around. She heard a crack. Two more hard blows hit her left arm and leg causing her to fall to the ground. She sensed her Power immediately begin healing the damage to her left side. Looking in the direction of the sound of the cracks, the scout saw two short figures about a hundred meters away. The taller of the two figures held a blaster of some type in her right hand.
Grimacing from the pain in her left leg, she stood up. Reaching out with her mind, the Crosioian scout probed for the shooter’s heart in order to rip it out.
Watch out, yelled her fighting computer. The dolgars are on you.
Spinning back around, the Crosioian scout swung her phase spear in an arc to keep the dolgars at bay. The maneuver stopped their attack for the moment, but she knew another attack would be forthcoming. One of the dolgars dove into the ground and the other rose into the air.
They’re going to attack from two directions at once, said her fighting computer. Kill the wizard scout now! It’s your only chance.
* * *
I’m forcing air into your lungs, said Nickelo. Stop trying to breath. I’ll do it for you. I’m also applying pressure to the wound in your neck and administering coagulants.
There’s too much pain, Richard managed to say as he continued to pull the trigger on the 9mm. His vision was blurred, and he wasn’t even sure he was hitting the scout.
You can’t hurt her with the pistol, said Nickelo. She’s shifted into the void.
A memory flashed into Richard’s mind. He was back at the Academy during his freshman year. He was in the armory. The armorer, Sergeant Hendricks, was issuing his equipment just prior to his first mission. The armorer handed him a knife. “I made that one myself,” Sergeant Hendricks said with a note of pride. “It’s one of one, so don’t go losing it. It’s got a blackened finish, so you don’t have to worry about reflected light giving you away. The edge is creallium. That’s the same material as the core of your phase rod.”
Richard shoved the memory aside as he let his 9mm drop to the ground. He moved his left hand over to his right boot and pulled out his fighting knife. With maximum power from the battle suit’s assistors, Richard kicked off the ground with his left leg. The Crosioian scout was just turning around to face him. Richard sensed a line of Power stretch out from the scout towards his chest. As he rose into the air, he saw the bat features of the scout’s face through her visor. Richard thought he saw a momentary flash of surprise as she became aware he was coming straight at her. He jabbed upwards with the knife aiming for a point on her throat just past her chin.
If the scout had been materialized, Richard didn’t think he would have had the strength to penetrate her armor. But she was still in the void. The knife blade that had been so carefully crafted by Sergeant Hendricks easily passed through her throat and mouth and went straight into her brain pan. Richard sensed the knife’s creallium edge slice deep into the scout’s brain. He sensed Power from her reserve wrap around her brain. The Power began to heal her wound. Richard wiggled the blade violently in an attempt to scramble the scout’s brain. The massive damage was apparently too much for her self-healing to handle. The scout’s Power faded away, and the link to her Power reserve dissolved. The scout shifted out of the void, and her body materialized back into the physical dimension.
Nick, Richard said. Can you hack into her fighting suit’s system and unseal her helmet?
Complying, said Nickelo.
The Crosioian scout’s helmet unsealed. Richard jerked the helmet off the scout’s head. He extracted his knife from her throat and jabbed the blade deep into both of the scout’s eyes. He wiggled the blade in all directions just to make sure she could not self-heal.
She’s dead, Rick, said Nickelo. Her link is disconnected. It’s over.
The last of Richard’s strength gave out as blood loss and pain overcame the adrenaline. Blackness s
wept over Richard, and the world faded from view.
* * *
Outpacing her brother, Dren was only twenty-five meters from the fallen figures when two massive canines emerged out of the ground. Dren skidded to a halt and raised her blaster.
“Dren, no,” yelled Brachia behind her. “They must be the dolgars Rick told us about. They were fighting on his side. I saw it.”
Dren held her fire, but she kept the dolgars covered. She watched as the smaller of the two dolgars walked over to the wizard scout. Then she bent her head and began licking his neck.
“Don’t fire, Dren,” warned Brachia. “She’s healing him. That’s how Rick said the dolgars heal.”
“I know,” Dren said. “I’m not stupid, you know.”
But even with the knowledge of the dolgars’ healing method, Dren found it difficult not to fire at the dolgars. They looked vicious, and they gave off emotions that were far from kind. In spite of herself the hairs raised on the back of her neck, and a shiver ran down her spine. Dren got the impression the big male would just as soon eat her as not.
Once the female dolgar finished with the wizard scout’s neck, she moved to his knee and then his right hand. After she was done, the female looked at Dren. She seemed to nod her head toward the prone wizard scout. Then the female dove into the ground until she was lost from sight. The big male looked at Dren and growled. He followed the female.
Before Dren could move, Brachia ran past her.
“Brachia, no,” Dren said. “They might come back.”
Her brother did not reply or even slowdown. He skidded to a halt next to Richard and bent down.
As Dren drew near her brother, she heard him say, “Nick. Unseal the helmet.”
The battle helmet unsealed and went into three quarters mode. Dren sat down next to her brother and helped him remove the helmet. She heard Brachia draw in a deep breath.
“Dren,” said Brachia with a sob. “Look at all the blood. Is he alive?”
“He’s alive,” said Nickelo over the helmet’s speakers. “The dolgar healed him completely, but he may be unconscious for a few more minutes.”
“What should we do, Nick?” Dren said. “We’ve got to get out of here. Can you contact the shuttles?”
“I’m not connected directly to the tele-network,” said Nickelo, “but I have been given access to an interface again. The troop shuttles and fighters already returned to our mothership. However, the recon shuttle that dropped Rick off is inbound. If the pilot can shake the fighters on her tail, she should be here in two minutes. I’m transmitting a homing beacon now.”
“Dren,” said Brachia. “Help me gather up Rick’s equipment. We can’t leave it lying around. He’ll need it later.”
Dren took a minute to locate Rick’s M63 and handguns. When she returned, Brachia had placed the phase rod next to the battle helmet. The Crosioian scout’s helmet was also there along with a short metal staff.
“What are those for?” Dren said. “This is serious business. You can’t take trophies back with you.”
“I’m not,” said Brachia. “The Crosioian scout’s helmet has her fighting computer in it. We may be able to extract some useful information from it later. And, this metal rod is the scout’s phase weapon. It seemed to be a little more powerful than Rick’s phase rod. I thought if we analyzed it, we might be able to incorporate some of its features into Rick’s phase rod.”
“You know,” Dren said. “That’s smart thinking. Sometimes you amaze me little brother. You really do.”
* * *
“I am registering a homing beacon near the target area,” the ship’s computer told Liz. “The central computer wants us to expedite our approach. We need to extract the personnel before enemy reinforcements arrive.”
“Well, you can tell the central computer what to do with his request,” Liz said as she kicked the recon shuttle hard to the left.
Streams of plasma rounds flashed just a few meters past her right cockpit window. Liz pulled up hard on the controls. The whole ship shuddered. The hair under Liz’s helmet tingled.
“A sonic beam just passed under the ship,” said the ship’s computer. “Recommend you attempt not to get hit by one.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Liz said. “Let me know the moment all eleven fighters are within two kilometers of each other.”
“Will comply,” said the computer. “Requested event should occur in 5, 4, 3…”
On the count of three, Liz hit the emergency ejection for the ship’s hyper-drive. The ship shook violently as the engine core was thrust out the back of the ship. Although the emergency eject was intended to get rid of a malfunctioning hyper-drive, she had intentionally overloaded the recon ship’s engine core.
“…2, 1,” said the computer.
Liz hit the hyper-drive’s self-destruct button. A bright light from the cockpit windows blinded her as she was slammed back into her seat. She fought the controls in an attempt to keep the little recon shuttle on course.
“You are entering the planet’s atmosphere in too steep a dive,” said her computer. “Recommend you reduce the angle to reduce the probability of burning up during reentry.”
Liz ignored the computer and concentrated on flying the ship.
“What about the fighters?” Liz said.
“All fighters have been terminated,” said the computer. “However, ground based weapons systems are attempting to lock onto the ship. Recommend you initiate evasive maneuvers.”
“Initiating countermeasures,” Liz said. “Release half of the decoys.”
Liz felt a series of bumps as a dozen electronic boxes were jettisoned into the atmosphere. The decoys were designed to emulate the same signature as her ship. They were supposed to be the best the military had to offer. Liz hoped that was true. The twelve electronic boxes all went in different directions in an attempt to confuse the ground based systems.
“Your approach is above recommended speed,” said the computer. “Recommend you slow down.”
“Stick it in your ear,” Liz said as she moved the accelerator lever even higher.
Glancing at the console, Liz said, “Are those blips the destroyers?”
“Affirmative,” said the computer. “I calculate two of the destroyers are going to enter the atmosphere in an attempt to catch you. Recommend you minimize time on the ground. The other destroyers are moving to block your departure. Since you no longer have a hyper-drive, I calculate you only have an eight percent chance of making it past the moon before being destroyed.”
“Thanks for the update,” Liz said. “I’ll try not to disappoint you.”
* * *
Richard slowly came back to reality. He breathed in fresh air through his nose.
I’m still alive, he thought.
“You won’t be alive for long if you don’t start moving, cadet,” said a mechanical voice.
Opening his eyes, Richard saw darkness with dozens of points of lights shining in a sea of black. The realization slowly came that the lights were stars.
“Where’s my helmet?” Richard croaked.
“Rick,” said Dren. “You’re awake. The shuttle is inbound. Nick says we only have twenty seconds.”
Reality swept away part of the cobwebs. Richard tried to sit up. Two pairs of small hands helped him.
“I didn’t know what we were going to do,” said Dren. “You’re too heavy for us to lift in your battle suit.”
Richard heard a series of booms coming from overhead. He looked in the direction of the noise. A meteor was streaking through the sky heading straight towards him. Two larger meteors were behind the first. Green beams of energy from the larger meteors were shooting towards the smaller meteor. The smaller meteor shifted to the right just avoiding the green beams.
Meteors don’t move sideways, Richard thought.
Again realization penetrated Richard’s foggy mind, and he jumped to his feet.
“It’s the shuttle,” Richard said. “The pilot’s bringi
ng her in hot, and she’s bringing company, kids. As soon as the ramp drops, we need to get onboard and strap in. If the pilot’s any good, the shuttle won’t be on the ground for more than five seconds.”
“Where’s my helmet?” Richard said again. His brain still wasn’t working at light speed.
“I’m by your feet,” said Nickelo, “and so are your weapons.”
Richard bent down and picked up the battle helmet. A dark liquid dripped out.
“What the heck?” Richard said.
“It’s blood,” Nickelo said. “Don’t worry about it now. You’ve got eight seconds.”
Richard jammed the helmet on his head.
“Seal me up, Nick. And switch to a clear filter.”
As the battle helmet sealed with his battle suit, Richard put his .44 AutoMag and 9mm back in their holsters. He picked up his M63.
“It’s still empty,” said Nickelo, “but you’re not going to need it now anyway. Here comes the shuttle. It’s your girlfriend, and it’s going to be one heck of a landing if she doesn’t crash the shuttle in the attempt.”
Richard kneeled down and wrapped an arm around each of the children. They wrapped their arms around his neck in return. Richard noticed a metal rod and a helmet clutched in one of Brachia’s hands. He didn’t bother asking why. There wasn’t time.
The recon shuttle hit the ground hard a hundred meters away throwing dirt and loose rocks high into the air. The shuttle bounced into the air a couple of meters before coming back down and sliding on the ground. More dirt and rock were torn out of the ground and thrown to the sides. Richard noticed two bright streaks of light coming in fast behind the shuttle. They were still several kilometers away, but beams of plasma energy shot out from the pursuers blowing up large sections of ground behind the shuttle.
Wizard Cadet (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 2) Page 40
