“Understood,” Richard said before something drew his attention. “Get ready, everybody. Thomas and Janice are on their way back.”
Myers frowned and concentrated to their front. “I don’t sense anything. How come you’re picking them up?”
Richard was tempted to give a smart aleck reply but refrained. His life might depend on his brother one day. “I can sense the commandant through the link he attached to me back at the Academy when he fed me Power. I suspect he’s able to sense your location in the same way since you attached a link to him. I’m betting he can sense you even with your best stealth shield up.”
Myers didn’t answer, but Richard noticed his brother get the ‘I am not in this room anymore’ look as if conferring with his battle computer. Before Myers could speak again, Richard heard the sound of a breaking branch to their front. Two blurs emerged from the shrub brush a moment later. The blurs shimmered and changed into the figures of his parents as they deactivated their battle suits’ camouflage. In short order, they were lying on the ground next to him and the others.
“We found a weak point in their time bubble,” said Thomas. “It’s not large, but Janice and I were able to slip through undetected. Margery and Danny had a field day plotting targets and developing a detailed database of the spaceport. I think we’ve accomplished about all we can here.”
“What about the pyramid?” Richard asked. “Were you able to get any data on it?”
Janice shook her head. “Not really. Other than the fact it’s putting out a lot of energy, there’s not much else we can tell you. Whatever’s inside that domed building is well protected.”
Richard already knew what was inside the domed building. He’d been there when he’d shared a memory with one of the dragon eggs. What he didn’t know was how to get inside the building and to the pyramid without being detected.
“Fine,” Richard said. “We’ll just deal with it once we start the attack. I’m guessing the kings and Jerad are about ready to give the okay to start.”
“I doubt it,” said Janice. “You remember what the Oracle said. We’ll need to destroy the blue gem in Drepdenor at the same time we destroy the Dragars’ temple. If we don’t, the Dragars will just set up shop somewhere else.”
“That’s right,” said Thomas. “Since we’ve done all we can here, I’m guessing Jerad will start sending us to Emerald’s home under Drepdenor.”
“I think he’s already starting,” said Matthew.
When Thomas and Janice looked at Matthew, the teenager explained about the insertion mission that was scheduled for tonight.
“Well then,” said Thomas, “I guess we better get back. We can’t let Tam and Telsa have all the fun.”
Chapter 39 – Tube-train
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Even after a week, the sights and sounds of the strange world in which she’d been thrust continued to confuse Jeena.
The tube-train jerked to a halt. Jeena started to rise, but the human girl seated next to her placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Not yet, Jeehana,” said Dren. “We’ve still got another two stops yet.”
Jeena remained seated. “I thought it was four stops from the apartment to your lab.”
Dren smiled. “I’ll admit it’s a little confusing. We have four stops when we take the red line. This is the orange line. Ours is the sixth stop now.”
Shaking her head, Jeena said, “Everything’s so complex. How do you keep it all straight?”
This time Dren laughed. “Actually, I don’t always get it right myself. I’d hate to tell you how many times I’ve missed my stop and had to circle back.”
Before Jeena could make another comment, a long, slimy length of flesh moved in front of her face.
“Excuse me,” said a metallic-sounding voice to Jeena’s left. “This is my stop.”
Jeena tucked her legs under her seat to allow the octopod to get past. She watched as the creature scooted past Dren and her.
A small box at the octopod’s side clicked before settling down into a metallic voice. “I hope you two ladies have a nice day. May you have lots of equipment requests all of your days.”
“Same to you,” said Dren while giving Jeena a wink.
“Uh, yeah,” Jeena told the octopod. “May you have so many requests you need someone to give you a hand…, err, I mean…, a tentacle.”
Dren laughed. “I didn’t know elves had a sense of humor. You’re funny sometimes. You remind me of my uncle a little.”
“Actually, I didn’t mean it as a joke.”
“I know,” said Dren still smiling. “That’s what makes it so funny.”
As the octopod exited the tube-train’s door, several new riders came on board. Most were octopods, but a few were of other races. None were human. Once the new passengers were seated, the tube-train accelerated forward.
Jeena was forced back in her seat until the train reached its cruising speed. She sat up enough to look at Dren sitting next to her. She still thought of her friend as a child even though the girl was physically a little older than her now. I suppose it’s because only two years have passed since we met the first time. I haven’t visually aged, but she’s changed a lot.
Since they still had two more stops, Jeena sat back and looked out the window. The city was strange, to say the least. Objects carrying passengers flew through the air. Other objects carried occupants at blinding speed along roads on the ground. Buildings rose so high they seemed to touch the sky. Everywhere she looked, lights flashed and something moved in a way contrary to the two hundred years of education she’d received in school. To top it off, it was all done without the slightest use of magic.
“I’m not sure I like this technology of yours, Dren,” Jeena confessed. “It’s like you force the laws of the universe to do your will. With magic, it’s more a case of asking the Power in objects to assist in your desire.”
“Well,” said Dren, “I’ll admit science sometimes resorts to brute force to make things happen. However, our galaxy doesn’t have magic.” Dren thought a moment, then changed her answer a little. “Actually, that’s not completely true. I know of at least three planets in the Empire where magic works. Also, I’ve seen magic work a few times in other places.”
“I’ve done a few spells since I’ve been on Storage,” Jeena said. “The magic seems to work fine for me.”
Dren nodded her head. “Yes, it does. Keka showed me some holo-videos of my uncle fighting magic users on Velos a couple of years ago. I’ve been thinking a lot about that. In theory, magic shouldn’t work in our galaxy, but it does. I don’t think it used to work except on a few planets with some kind of dimensional-warp connection to your magical plane.”
“Then why does it work now?” Jeena asked. “It’s true I’ve only performed a few minor spells during the last week to cool glasses of water and things of that sort, but they worked. The connection to my Power reserve appears solid, and the Staff of the Lady of the Tree feels the same. I’m confident more powerful spells will work as well.”
“I’m not sure why magic works now,” said Dren. “I’ve got a hypothesis, but I’m going to have to run a few experiments before I can figure it out.”
Jeena asked, “What’s a hypothesis?”
“Oh,” said Dren with a little laugh. “Sometimes I forget you’re not from here. When you’re wearing that orange jumpsuit, you look just like any of the other lab technicians.”
Jeena raised her eyebrows.
“Okay,” Dren laughed. “Not exactly. Your pointed ears aren’t so strange, but those molten silver eyes of yours…. Well, they’re amazing. Not to mention you’re probably the most beautiful humanoid on the planet.”
This time Jeena laughed along with her friend. “From what you’ve told me that’s not saying much. Except for Brachia and you, I haven’t seen a single human on Storage. You told me there aren’t any elves or any of the other races I’m familiar with here either.”
“Okay, you got me,�
�� said Dren laughing. “You’re still very beautiful. I think we’re lucky there aren’t many humans on the planet, or every male with eyes would be beating on the door of our lab. We’d never get any work done.”
Jeena accidentally let her disgust with human males appear on her face.
“You don’t like humans, do you, Jeehana?”
Jeena thought for a few seconds, carefully choosing her words. She didn’t want to hurt her friend’s feelings but wasn’t going to lie. “I like Brachia and you,” Jeena said. “The few humans I’ve previously had dealings with on Portalis tried to kill me. Plus, you know the history of my family. So, no, I’m not fond of adult humans.”
“I’m an adult,” said Dren.
“Yes, you are,” Jeena said. “But I like you. You’re different. You keep your emotions under control. I sense them, but they’re not overwhelming. Female elves are very sensitive to emotions. Most females of my race try to avoid contact with humans for that reason.” When Jeena noticed her friend’s eyes turning a little shiny, she hurriedly said, “I like Brachia and you. Plus, as you’ve pointed out, your species just happens to look like what I think of as humans. Any animosity I have against Portalis humans shouldn’t extend to this dimension. I’m willing to give your race a chance if we meet any.” When Dren continued to look sad, Jeena had a thought she immediately put into words. “I’m sure your uncle’s just as nice as Brachia and you. I’d be honored to meet him if you want.”
A small smile appeared on Dren’s face. “That would be nice, Jeehana.” She sighed. “Unfortunately, Keka says from the information he’s been given, Uncle Rick is on Portalis, in the past. He’s a time-commando, you know.”
“So you’ve told me,” Jeena said glad to see the girl smile again. “Maybe we’ll get to meet one day. Now tell me, what was that word you used: hypothesis?”
Dren laughed. “Oh, that’s just a fancy name for an opinion without any facts to back it up. Just give me time, though. I’m going to get facts. Once a problem catches my eye, I don’t give up until I’ve figured it out.”
Jeena chuckled. “Then I hope I never become a problem for you. Everyone needs a little mystery in their lives.”
“Oh, believe me,” said Dren with a smile. “You’ve got enough mystery for a dozen elves.”
Chapter 40 – Accusation
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Richard walked through the tunnel while nibbling on a dried mushroom stuffed with some kind of meat. The mushroom had a dusty taste and the meat was spicy, but all in all, it was excellent. When he’d asked the cook what kind of meat it was, the old dwarf had only smiled and said, “You don’t want to know.”
Well, Richard thought. Whatever it is, it tastes pretty good.
Two life forms registered nearby on his passive scan. Within seconds, one dwarf child and one human child came running around the corner.
The taller of the two, a human boy, yelled, “Last one to the dining hall is a Tharg!”
The smaller dwarf boy gamely sped up on his short legs and passed the human. “That’s better than being a stupid Dragar!”
The children sped past Richard, running toward the main living area deep in the center of the massive underground complex. He heard their laughter echoing through the tunnel until it faded in the distance.
“Well,” Richard said. “They seem to have adjusted well.”
“Children usually do,” said Nickelo.
Richard let his passive scan reach out until it blurred into a solid white color from the number of life forms. The two races were integrating well together. Of course, they’d had a few problems, but nothing the kings, Jerad, and the newly promoted General Dandridge couldn’t handle.
“I suppose it helps having a common enemy and a common purpose,” Richard said.
“No doubt,” replied Nickelo.
With a final look at his passive scan, Richard headed toward the foundry to talk to Fenmar about the status of the Holy Metal. The process of preparing the titanium to work with the blue gems had been a much harder ordeal than he had anticipated. The armor and weapons had been cast and beaten into shape, but the spells required to link the titanium and the blue gems weren’t yet complete. According to Jerad, the time was getting close, but it would still be a few weeks.
Richard checked the timeline that had been set up when he’d gotten his DNA baseline. Converting the elapsed time over to Portalis time, Richard figured he had almost an hour before he needed to meet with Jerad and the others.
The sound of steps coming up fast behind him caught Richard by surprise. Nothing appeared on his passive scan. He began thinking the commands to seal and activate his battle suit as he whirled around with his left hand on the handle of his phase rod. He stopped the activation sequence when he realized who was behind him. It was his mother, Wizard Scout Janice Deluth.
“Ah,” said Janice with a friendly smile. “You must be getting hard of hearing in your old age. I had to practically stomp on the floor to get your attention.”
Richard smiled back. “Sure you did.”
They both knew better. His mother had a way of walking that resembled a cat stalking its prey. Richard had never seen her in a fight but had no doubt she was a force to be reckoned with.
Spying something interesting at the side of his mother’s right hip, Richard pointed to it. “That’s new. What is it? A blaster of some type?”
Janice nodded. “Yes. It’s one of the magic-based pistols off of Matthew’s shuttle. Gaston gave it to me yesterday. I think he’s taken your constant talk of mixing magic and technology together to heart. He issued Thomas a magic-based pistol also.” She tapped an older model Deloris plasma pistol on her left hip. “I still have my old R6 here if I need it.”
Richard laughed. “So I see. You look like one of those gunslingers from the old west carrying two sidearms. It’s too bad one of them isn’t a phase weapon. It would come in handy against creatures in the void.”
“No doubt,” agreed Janice. “Unfortunately, it’s like I told you before. Maybe phase weapons are a credit a dozen in your time, but in Thomas and my time, the Empire has relatively few phase weapons, except for our phase rods, of course. Phase weapons just aren’t part of our standard equipment.”
Richard shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, I know. It’s still a shame. In my time, the Empire is able to convert titanium into creallium faster by—”
“No!” Janice said as she held up her hand in a stopping motion. “You can’t tell Thomas or me anything about the future. You know that. The risk is too great we’d change something in the timeline when we get back if we knew. Even telling us you’re from forty-two years in our future was dangerous.
Richard turned a little red. He was thankful they were in a section of tunnel only dimly lit by a few glow balls in the roof. He hoped his mother didn’t see his embarrassment. The truth was, he had forgotten.
“I know. Sorry. My brain gets a little screwed up sometimes. My battle computer tells me it’s because I’ve got a weird set of DNA.”
Janice laughed. “Don’t we all? Every wizard scout’s DNA is different to some extent. It’s part of the price of getting a DNA baseline.”
“Yeah, I know. I think mine’s stranger than most.”
Janice mother laughed again. “Don’t let your parents hear you say that. I’m sure they’re very proud of you.”
Her comment made Richard twinge. She’s my mother, yet I can’t tell her. Even if I could, what would I say? Would I tell her one of her sons was stolen from her and raised in an orphanage? Or would I tell her that she’d only meet her lost son a short time before she died? Or that her husband would never know he had another son?
Richard’s anger at ‘the One’ for stealing his childhood caused him to close his eyes and grit his teeth in an attempt to hold it in check.
“Rick,” said Janice. “What is it? I was just making a joke.”
Richard opened his eyes and forced himself to relax. “I know. It’s just that,
well, I was raised in an orphanage. I didn’t find out who my parents were until late in life. My father never did know I was his son. And…, I only got to spend a few short hours with my mother before she—”
“Rick! No,” said Nickelo in their shared space. “You can’t tell her any more. If you do, it might affect the future. I know your mother’s death hurt, but you can’t let her know now.”
Janice must have seen the sadness in his eyes. Something changed in her demeanor. Her face softened, and her eyes became a little shiny. She reached out with her right hand and gently wiped something wet from Richard’s cheek. His mother kept her hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes.
“I’m very sorry, Rick. I have a son back home. He’s very young. I know the missions Thomas and I do for ‘the One’ are important, but our son needs his mother and father also. I’m sure your parents would’ve wanted to be with you as well if they’d only known.”
Richard felt a few more drops of liquid leave his eyes. He saw a look of pain on his mother’s face. She did miss her son. That the son she missed was Myers didn’t matter. His mother wanted to be with her son. On impulse, Richard wrapped his arms around his mother and gave her a hug. She didn’t draw back. He heard a sob as she buried her head in his shoulder.
“I guess we both have hurts,” Richard said as he struggled to control his own heaving chest. “I guess—”
“Just as I suspected!” yelled a voice behind Richard.
Spinning around, Richard came face to face with Wizard Scout Thomas Jacobs. His father’s face was red. Richard could practically see the flames of jealous anger in the wizard scout’s eyes.
“I’ve seen you eyeing Janice,” said his father through gritted teeth. “I should’ve known.”
With a move quicker than a striking cobra, his father grabbed the phase rod off his hip and activated it in destructive mode. The red glow of the miniature lightning bolts running up and down the creallium shaft appeared even more deadly in the dimly lit tunnel.
Wizard Rebellion (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 5) Page 33
