Spectra's Gambit

by Vincent Trigili

  “I’ll do it, for my people as well as myself, but there must be no way to connect me back to any of my previous identities. Too many people risked their lives to help me hide,” he said.

  Shea smiled, “Great! Now you have something to celebrate over dinner with Saraphym. Stop by my office in the AM and we can work out the details.”

  “Sounds like we have a plan,” I said. “I will contact Grandmaster Vydor and get his blessing, and then Spectra and I will leave for our investigation. Greymere, I want you to live on the Nemesis and work with the team to start understanding how we function as Battle Wizards.”

  I left the meeting to find a private place from which to call Grandmaster Vydor. After searching for a while without success, I donned my helmet and teleported outside the station. There I used the ring that Grandmaster Vydor had given me to call him and waited for his reply. The stars spread out around me, and I thought about Greymere. This is where his race lived, out here and free. It made me a bit jealous to think that he could just drift out here in perfect peace and no one would ever disturb him.

  “Hello, Dusty,” sent Grandmaster Vydor as he appeared in front of me.

  “Grandmaster! I did not mean you to come all the way out here,” I sent. “Where is your space suit?”

  Grandmaster Vydor was dressed in his normal robes, standing in the hard vacuum of space as if he were on solid ground. “Oh, I dislike them. They are much too confining. What is it you have to report?”

  I told him first about Greymere, and then of Spectra’s plans. “I thought we’d better check with you before we travel out there.”

  “That was wise of you, Dusty. I will clear it with Zalith, but I am sure he will not mind you looking into this. I suspect nothing will come of it, but Spectra is right: it is worth checking,” he sent. “Now, I would like to meet Greymere. Can you bring him out here?”

  “I don’t see why not,” I sent. Then I sent to Spectra, “Is Greymere still with you?”

  “Yes, I’m walking back to Nemesis with him,” she sent back.

  “Ask him to come out of airlock 13 and find me,” I sent back.

  “Okay,” she sent.

  “Oh, and Grandmaster Vydor is going to ask Zalith for permission for us to visit, so all is looking good there, so far,” I sent.

  “Great. Greymere is on his way now,” she sent.

  I watched the exterior hatch until it finally opened. “Grandmaster, he may be hard to see,” I started to send but then stopped when I saw him fly out. It was the most beautiful sight I had seen in a very long time. His skin was an iridescent black and had a multicolored sheen to it. It was completely different from the last time I had seen him, and I realized that was because he was no longer trying to hide.

  “Greymere, glad you could come out. I am sorry to have to speak to you in this manner, but the lack of air out here makes normal speech rather troublesome,” sent Grandmaster Vydor.

  “You must be Grandmaster Vydor,” he sent back. He was more comfortable with telepathic communication than I would have expected. Mundanes could not use telepathy any more than Shea could, but they could take part in a telepathic conversation if a magus began it; I would have expected him to be uncomfortable with someone speaking inside his head unless he’d had prior experience of it.

  Nor did he seem surprised that Grandmaster Vydor was just standing there in the cold vacuum of space. That might have been normal for his race, but he must have known it was not normal for a human, even an Imperial Human.

  “Yes, and I remember you well. No need to pretend,” he sent.

  “Sorry, Grandmaster; I meant no disrespect,” he sent.

  “It is fine. I understand. We met, what? almost a century ago? That was a different time,” sent Grandmaster Vydor.

  “Yes, indeed, but not as interesting as this time is now becoming,” he sent back.

  “Dusty has informed me of his offer to you, and rest assured he has the full authority to offer it. Even if he had not, I would approve it. All your people are as welcome in my kingdom as any other sentient race, and I welcome your involvement in this mission,” sent Grandmaster Vydor.

  “Thank you, Grandmaster. Safe harbor for my people is a debt I cannot hope to repay, but I will serve Dusty the best I can in the hope of giving something back,” he sent.

  “No payment needed. Oh, by the way, Raquel sends her regards and asked me to tell you that she will be heading out this way soon to lead the Sac’a’rith in Narcion’s place. She wanted you to know that you are always welcome on her team,” he sent.

  “Raquel?” Greymere seemed a bit surprised, maybe even concerned, at the mention of that name.

  “Yes. After she left you, she came to find me and is now also a citizen,” he sent.

  “But how did you know to bring her message?” he asked.

  Grandmaster Vydor smiled and sent, “The ways of wizards are mysterious indeed!”

  “Well, thank you for the message. If it is not an imposition, could you let her know that I am greatly honored by her offer but will be helping Dusty’s team for the foreseeable future?”

  “I will. It was good to see you again, old friend. Unfortunately, I must go now. Dusty, wait to hear back from me, but I am sure I can secure permission for you to go,” he sent.

  We exchanged goodbyes and then Grandmaster Vydor was gone. It was not that he teleported, or moved away; it was more that he just ceased to exist. One moment he was there and the next he was not. With any other magus I could easily see them move, regardless of how they did it. No one could hide what they were doing from me, no one except Grandmaster Vydor.

  “We should get you back inside. You have a dinner date,” I sent.

  “Yes. I am concerned about her. She is obviously smitten with my chosen bipedal form, but that is not who I am,” he sent.

  “Make no mistake: she might yet be young in the art, but she is still a spiritualist. She can see your true nature just by looking at you. If she is smitten with you, it is because of who you are, not what you look like.”

  “Can all magi see me that way?” he asked.

  “No, but several of the power lines can. It just so happens that every magus on my team can do so,” I sent.

  “Just my luck,” he sent back.

  As we headed inside I thought again about how comfortable he was around magi and using telepathy. I assumed that this was because he knew Grandmaster Vydor, but it was apparent that he also knew the new elite wizard Raquel. At some point I would have to find out more about his past, but for the present I thought it best to let it go as I wanted to gain his trust.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Dusty and Spectra had left for the Cathratinairian home world, and Jade and Kymberly had wandered off somewhere, leaving me alone with Saraphym. They seemed to find excuses to do that whenever they could and I had to admit I did not object. She was entertaining to hang around with.

  “Greymere, come for a walk with me,” she suggested.

  “Sure, where to?” I asked.

  “Oh, just along the shipping hub. I like to watch the ships come and go,” she said.

  “Lead the way, then,” I replied.

  I was unsure how I felt about her, but it was clear she was interested in building a relationship with me beyond the professional one of being fellow members of Dusty’s team. Dusty had explained to me that she could see me for what I was, no matter what form I took, and that is what she would be drawn to, but I could not forget that her race looked very similar to the one I currently resembled. Yet there was something about her, maybe it was her smell or something in her voice; I did not know exactly what, but there was something more to her, something familiar. Whatever it was, I felt I should know it but it was just out of my mental reach. It was enchanting in a way, drawing me closer to her and softening my resistance to building a friendship with her.

  As we approached the windows she asked, “What is it like out there?”

&
nbsp; “Surely you have been there?” I asked.

  “Oh, of course. I have extensive training in operating in space, but it is always in my armor, so I am not really out there,” she said. “It’s like we take a bit of inside with us when we go.”

  “Good thing, too. You might find it a bit chilly,” I said.

  “Surely it’s not cold for you?” she asked.

  “No, it is not,” I said as I leaned against the view port and looked out. “It is not cold, and it is not hot – it just is.”

  “What if you get close to a star? Surely the radiance of heat from it would be something you could feel?” she said.

  “No, not really, or not in the same way. I don’t know how to describe it,” I said and was quiet for a while. Then a thought struck me. “What does air feel like?”

  “Air?” she asked.

  “Yes, you are surrounded by air all your life. What does it feel like?” I asked.

  “It … well … I don’t know,” she said.

  “Neither do I know what space feels like. When you have been used to something all your life, you tend to filter it out.”

  “Yeah, I guess so, but you travel from one to the other. Surely you notice a difference?”

  “Yes: air is heavy, so very heavy,” I said quietly.

  Before she could respond we heard an alarm go off, and she called out, “Come on!” and ran toward the sound. I followed, unwilling to let her run toward trouble alone. As we turned a corner we saw some big men shouting at Doctor Hawthorne and waving blasters in his face.

  Saraphym clicked on her helmet and sent a call to the others for help without slowing her charge.

  “Back off!” she yelled.

  The men looked up, saw her running toward them and laughed. “What are you going to do about it?”

  I drew my blasters and said, “I think you’d better listen to her.”

  I would have stopped there and found cover, but she launched into the air and flew impossibly far, right over Doctor Hawthorne’s head, and slammed into the leader. She spun off that blow and suddenly had a staff in her hands that I had not seen before. It swung and connected hard with the head of the second man, who collapsed.

  I finally reached Doctor Hawthorne and sent him running. “Get help!”

  Saraphym spun again after that blow and was now surrounded by attackers. They spread out, obviously respecting her staff. They had not yet fired their weapons and it concerned me how close we were to the airlock. A misfire could put a hole into the exterior, and that would be bad.

  “Now I suggest you leave the station and do not return,” she said. There was ice in her voice which I had never heard before.

  I could not get a clear sight on any of them without risking hitting Saraphym, so I drew my swords and moved in, ready for the fight that I knew was coming.

  The leader laughed, threw his gun down and said, “I think you need to learn some manners, young lady.”

  He had just started to reach for her when Saraphym’s foot connected with the side of his unprotected head. There was a loud crack and he went down. The others looked on in amazement as Saraphym completed her spin and said, “Anyone else need a lesson in the proper way to treat a lady?”

  One of the men brought up his blaster, but I spun in and sliced it in half with my sword before he could fire. “Shooting a lady? That is not very polite.” Their leader was on the ground unmoving, and the others were getting nervous. “Go while you still can,” I said, keeping my voice emotionless.

  Jade and Kymberly came running down the corridor followed by Doctor Hawthorne and some armed men, presumably station guards.

  “Let’s get out of here,” called out one of the men, and they grabbed their fallen and ran for the airlock.

  “Let them go,” said Doctor Hawthorne.

  “What was that all about?” I asked.

  Doctor Hawthorne sighed deeply. “Oh, we get that type from time to time. Usually I just put the word out about them, and I never see them again. It’s one of the things about my job that I really hate, but it has to be done.”

  “But why did they start trouble?” I asked.

  “They are furious about the ambush that happened a few days back. Apparently they think I took out a hit on their convoy and called in the pirates.”

  “Why would they think that?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “Everything that goes wrong out here is blamed on me. I gave up trying to understand it decades ago.”

  “I see,” I said, breaking off the conversation because I noticed Saraphym lean heavily against the wall. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah. I just need a moment to catch my breath,” she said.

  I helped her to a nearby bench and said, “That was some fight. You’re a lot tougher than you let on.”

  “Perhaps,” she said as she took off her helmet and shook out her hair. “Can we resume our walk?” She looked a bit shaky and I wasn’t sure she could stand, never mind walk.

  “You need to rest a little first,” I said.

  Kymberly came over with Jade and said, “Good work, Saraphym! But next time it would be wiser for you to wait for help.”

  “I wasn’t sure there would be time. They seemed very angry with Doctor Hawthorne,” she said.

  “Well, it seems to have worked out for the best,” Kymberly said and they left us alone again.

  “Let’s walk,” she said with a slight tremble in her voice. Something was clearly bothering her besides adrenaline reaction to the fight.

  “Okay, if you’re sure,” I said.

  We walked away from the populated areas to a quieter section. She said, “He is dead.”

  “Who?” I asked.

  She turned to me with tears in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to kick him so hard. I just wanted to knock him down! I saw his life leave him as he fell.”

  “Oh.” I didn’t know what to say so I reached out to pull her close and held her before I realized what I was doing. It just seemed natural. After a while her sobbing seemed to slow and I asked, “Is this your first mission?”

  “Yes,” she said into my shoulder.

  I was surprised to hear that, but it did explain her response. It seemed odd that they had brought a green recruit to such dangerous territory.

  “Does it get any easier?” she asked.

  “What? Killing?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” she said.

  “For some it does, and some even learn to enjoy it,” I said.

  She leaned back without letting go and looked into my eyes. “Enjoy?”

  “Yes, some men take pleasure in death and suffering,” I said.

  She leaned back in and seemed to think about that for a while, then asked, “What about you?”

  “I have outlived many generations of friends and enemies, but no: I take no pleasure in it,” I said.

  “They say I will someday,” she said.

  “Who says that?” I asked.

  “We are spiritualists, all of us. Other magi believe that spiritualists can only learn to be evil,” she said. “I don’t want to be evil. I didn’t mean to kill him.”

  I gently patted her head and said, “You are not evil and you did what you had to. You are a Battle Wizard, and this station is under your protection. Those men were a clear and present danger, and you acted to neutralize that threat and save Doctor Hawthorne’s life. Those are not the actions of an evil person. Those are the actions of a hero.”

  “Thanks,” she whispered.

  I don’t know how long we stood there like that. Eventually I said, “And that was an impressive kick!”

  “Oh, I cheated,” she said.

  “Cheated?” I asked.

  “Yeah. We are doing our best not to expose the fact that we are wizards, so I could not use any of my normal spells. Instead I used telekinesis to secretly enhance the power of my kick. That, plus my armored boot, is a powerful combo.”

  “I woul
d say so,” I said. “Now, how about getting some dinner?”

  “Why do you eat?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “You drink energy for food, so why do you eat?” she asked.

  “Ah. Well, just like you, I need to eat so that my body can process the food and turn it into the nutrients that this form needs to live.”

  “So if you never took bipedal form, you wouldn’t have to eat?” she asked.

  “I don’t know for certain, but I know I would really miss it,” I said.

  With that, I steered the conversation toward much lighter topics. I knew it would take a while for her to accept her first kill, and that being a Battle Wizard meant she would have to kill again.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After dinner, I walked Saraphym back to the Nemesis and then went into the staff section of the hospital. Dusty was a man of his word, and I already had full credentials and access to the secure database on the station. Not only was I a full citizen, he had also made me a Battle Wizard, seventh rank, and assigned me to his unit. He told me that I was only the second mundane to hold the rank of Battle Wizard. The other one was an Imperial Navy vet who had been invited in to help create the Wizard Navy.

  I did not yet know what my rank entailed or what would be expected of me. I would have to wait until they got back to learn that. Until then my orders were more of what I was used to: investigate and get to the bottom of what was going on.

  I did not fully trust the wizards yet, but the offer of safe harbor for my species was too good to ignore. I felt I had a responsibility to my people to try to achieve it. So far the wizards had done everything they said they would and I had no reason to distrust them, but it all felt a little too good to be true.

  It seemed odd that they were in control of this station but did not want anyone to know it. I would have to find out more about that when Dusty got back. It seemed to me that the station would be much better off if the Wizard Kingdom openly owned it; instead, it remained in a limbo state where no one apparently owned it but everyone acted as if they did.