Resurgence of Ancient Darkness

by Vincent Trigili

  “Okay. I do not plan to wait here for them. Slowly move along their predicted flight path. I want to be as far from their base as we can be,” I said.

  “Yes, Master,” he said.

  “Phoenix, they are coming. Hold your current position in case they get by us. We will shortly be out of telepathic range, but do not break comm silence until you have to,” I sent to Phoenix.

  “Understood, Master,” was his reply.

  We slowly drifted towards where we expected the pirates to be flying under cloak. Sitting in my command chair allowed me to focus more on the search, and I slowly expanded my awareness outward along the path between us and the jump exit point of the pirates until I found them.

  “Stalker, I have them. Flame, adjust heading to 15 mark -3 degrees,” I said as Flame entered the bridge and took over at the helm.

  “On it, Shadow,” said Flame.

  “Tactical, we appear to be heading straight for them, and they will be in range of our torpedoes in about thirty minutes,” I said.

  Stalker moved to take over tactical and said, “That would mean they are moving a lot faster than they should be able to under cloak, Master.”

  “Aye, and by all reports that ship is too small to have such a powerful cloak,” I said.

  “Just like the Dust Dragon,” said Flame knowingly.

  “Then we need to assume they have at least one magus aboard,” said Stalker.

  “That will significantly complicate things,” I said. Then I noticed something troubling. “They are accelerating. Why would they do that?”

  “They must know we are here and are preparing for an attack run,” said Karlith as he came on to the bridge and took over at tactical. Stalker moved to the science station. Excellent, now I had my full crew in place.

  “I don’t think so,” said Stalker. “We are far bigger a target than they would normally stick around to fight. If they saw us, they would run.”

  “True, so perhaps it is the Dust Dragon they noticed?” I asked. “Flame, reduce forward velocity by 50% and prepare to turn back and head towards the Dust Dragon. Let’s see if we can trap them between us.”

  The next hour passed very tensely as we flew closely by the cloaked vessel and moved into a position directly behind them. I could not risk contacting the Dust Dragon and warning them that the pirates were bearing down on them, as that could give away our own position.

  “Master, at our current velocity we will be in range of the Dust Dragon’s last known position in a few minutes. That makes it reasonable to assume that the pirates will also be in range soon.”

  “Okay … ” I had started when the ship’s tactical alarms went off.

  “They are firing!” called out Stalker.

  On the screens, I saw that they had dropped their cloak and opened fire with their energy weapons at the hiding place of the Dust Dragon.

  “Direct hit!” called out Karlith.

  “Report!” I said.

  “Dust Dragon has dropped its cloak and raised its shields, but its jump engines have taken a direct hit,” said Stalker.

  “Quick, return the favor, and take out their drives!” It was likely that their jump drives would be too depleted to jump in the near future, but I was not going to risk that. I though it possible that their plan was to cripple the Dust Dragon and then run for their base or a jump exit.

  I felt the ship’s weapons systems power up as our cloak fell and the exhilarating burst of power as they fired.

  “Direct hit! Their armor absorbed most of the blow, but it still looks like we crippled their ability to run,” called out Karlith.

  “They are coming about and locking weapons on us,” said Stalker.

  “Shields up, and fire torpedoes,” I said. “I only want to cripple them, so be careful where you hit.”

  I was not concerned about their weapons, as they were no match for the Nevermore II alone, even less with the Dust Dragon coming up rapidly behind them.

  “Sir, Dust Dragon has them effectively jammed. They’ve lost their lock,” said Stalker.

  “Excellent,” I said as our first wave of torpedoes was sent on its way. The Dust Dragon was holding its fire and trying to close the distance to the pirates when the pirate ship banked hard and powered its engines to full.

  “They are fleeing,” said Karlith.

  “Do not let them get away,” I said.

  “Direct hit from our torpedoes,” said Karlith. “I do not think they will make it very far now.”

  “Karlith, prepare a boarding party,” I said.

  “Yes, Master,” he said and left the bridge.

  I activated the comm and said, “Phoenix, we are sending a boarding party over, so continue to hold your fire.”

  “Understood, Master,” was his reply as he maneuvered his ship to block any escape run they could make.

  “Is a boarding party wise?” asked Flame. “They seem to be quite skilled and probably have at least one magus on board.”

  “You forget, Flame: Karlith will be bringing Dark Knights. The pirates do not stand a chance,” I said.

  “They are turning on the Dust Dragon, Master!” called out Stalker.

  “Quick, forward cannons, take out their weapons!” I said.

  I watched on tactical as the pirates opened fire on the Dust Dragon just before our weapons hit their ship. Huge explosions ripped through the pirate vessel as our cannons cut right through their hull into their weapons bay.

  The Dust Dragon’s shields held under the pirate attack, but the pirate ship continued to accelerate towards the Dust Dragon. “They are going to ram them!” I called out.

  “Sir, Dust Dragon will not be able to get out of the way in time,” said Stalker.

  I knew there was no way that the Dust Dragon could take being rammed like that. “Blow the pirates off course, and tell Karlith to hold on his launch.”

  I watched as our cannons blasted holes in the side of the pirate ship trying to take it down, but it stubbornly stayed on task. The Dust Dragon was attempting to move out of the path, but it did not have enough time. All I could do was watch in horror at the impending doom.

  “The Dust Dragon is reconfiguring its shields. This is going to be a close call,” said Stalker.

  A single torpedo would make all the difference in the world, but it would take too long to reach the fight. Then a thought occurred to me, and I said over the comm, “Phoenix, fire your anti-matter missiles and take them out.” Since the pirates would be traveling towards the missiles launched from the Dust Dragon, there was enough time to get them there, but it would still be close.

  Phoenix did not respond, but judging by the amount of shield reconfiguring he was doing, I assumed he was too focused on that to take the message. Someone over there must have received it, though, since the Dust Dragon launched a wave of anti-matter missiles.

  As the missiles were flying through space I felt power building on the pirate ship. “Destroy it, now!” I ordered.

  Several things seemed to happen all at once. The Dust Dragon’s missiles hit, another salvo from our cannons hit, there was a brief but large power surge on the pirate ship, and a bubble of power erupted from the Dust Dragon, pushing the pirate ship off course. When it was all over, the pirate ship was destroyed and the Dust Dragon had been able to avoid most of the hit but had some heavy damage from the glancing blow.

  “Phoenix, report,” I said over the comm system.

  “We are pretty beat up over here, Master, but no casualties,” he said. There was a level of exhaustion in his voice that worried me.

  “Well done, Phoenix. That shield bubble of yours probably saved the day. Bring the Dust Dragon in for repairs, and get some rest,” I said.

  “Yes, Master,” he said.

  “Karlith, send your boarding team to the wreckage and see if anything is left. Be careful, some may yet live. They are vicious fighters and will not allow themselves to be taken captive.”


  “Yes, Master,” said Karlith.

  I was not very happy about how this fight had gone. There were too many unanswered questions. Why did they see only the Dust Dragon and not us? What was that surge of power near the end of the fight? Why did they stay and fight instead of fleeing when they saw the Dust Dragon?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Karlith reported back that they had found no bodies in the wreckage of the pirate ship. Somehow they must have left the vessel before it was destroyed. The only refuge for them close by was the base we had found on the third planet. That meant we would have to launch an assault on this base.

  This would not be easy for a conventional assault team, as the base’s defenses were more than capable of stopping any assault cruiser’s approach, but we were the Dragon Guard and had other means of entry.

  As I was making final preparations, Stalker approached and said, “Master, with all due respect, this is foolish … ”

  “Stalker,” I said, cutting him off, “we have been over this already. I know the former Imperial Navy would not allow a ranking officer like myself on a strike like this, but I am the only spellweaver, and therefore the only one who can get everyone safely past the station’s defenses. You have command until I return.”

  “But, Master,” he started.

  “Enough,” I said sharply. “As soon as we begin our attack, start scanning the base and building a map. We will need it once we get inside, but I do not want to tip our hand any more than we have already.”

  I looked over my team. I had five wizards and two Dark Knights with me. I would have liked to take Phoenix, but he was still recovering from his recent fight, and time was on the pirates’ side. We needed to strike fast and hard before they recovered.

  Flame walked up in her full battle armor and said, “Ready?”

  I had mixed feelings about bringing her. She was my wife, so I did not want her in harm’s way, but as the second most powerful magus on the Nevermore II, the strike team needed her. Ultimately what was best for the mission was to have her along.

  “Ready,” I said, and then clicked my helmet in place, sealing my suit for the trip through the hard vacuum of space. Then I weaved a gate and said, “Flame, take point. Go!”

  Flame charged through the gate taking the lead position, and everyone else quickly followed. When we exited the gate, we came through just outside the station’s main hangar. This put us too close to be targeted by the station’s defenses.

  The two Dark Knights activated their jetpacks and flew towards the base.

  “Everyone hang back until they have opened the doors,” I ordered. The Knights were highly skilled at this kind of operation so it was tempting to send them in alone, but I needed to get the Dragon Guard trained, and there was no better place to train them than here in the field.

  It was not long before the doors were blown open, and the Dark Knights called back with the all-clear. “Move in. Secure the hangar,” I ordered.

  It only took moments to get my team into the hangar, which was empty. I was about to move us into the base proper when the doors opened at the rear of the hangar and sentries charged in, guns blazing. Sentries were powerful robotic guardians, more than sufficient to take out a small attack team like ours; that is, if we had been mundanes.

  I had expected something like this and had brought Rigal and Ferran along to counter the move. “Rigal, shield wall! Ferran, smashers!”

  Rigal got his shield wall up quickly, and the Knights took position near him, firing their assault rifles to provide cover fire. Moments later, two large creatures made of stone appeared among the enemy and started breaking the robots into little pieces. The creatures were slow and stupid but were made from an extremely dense stone that made them virtually immune to energy weapons, which was all the sentries had to work with. It was not long until the hangar was secured again.

  “Ferran, have them guard this hangar in case we need a quick exit. Everyone, we need to move in fast before they can send us more trouble. Knights, take over on point. Rigal, take the rearguard. Everyone else, stay around me since I will be scanning for any sign of where they might be hiding.”

  Each member of the Dragon Guard chosen by me for this first assault mission was in top shape, both physically and mentally. Each had been working with the Dark Knights since joining the Guard. Although I sorely missed his skill, Phoenix would have slowed this team down in some ways. Somehow I needed to convince him to increase his fitness level.

  It was not long before the Dark Knights on point sent back the message that they were pinned down by a group of pirates.

  “Report,” I said as we approached their position.

  “Master, there are seven to ten humans behind fortified barriers. We cannot get a clean shot at them. Recommend we double back and approach from a different angle,” they said.

  Looking over the situation, I had a better idea. “Flame, it is your turn.”

  “What should I do?” she asked.

  I could see that she was nervous. This was her first assignment of this kind. I had been shielding her too much. I wanted to use this problem to teach her some combat strategy, but we did not have time to make this much of a lesson. “They are shielded well from a frontal assault, so rain fire down on their heads from above.”

  “Got it,” she said, and I could see the power build in her eyes. She hated pirates with the same extreme passion that she loved life. Her arms shot up as she began casting her spell. Suddenly, and seemingly from nowhere, a wall of fire appeared over the enemy position; they turned to run, but it was too late for them. With a quick downward sweep of her arms the wall of fire came crashing down on their position and the corridor filled with the screams of burning men. The Dark Knights quickly broke their position and charged the enemy, finishing them off at close range with their blasters.

  “Well done, Flame. Everyone, back to your positions. We need to maintain our sweep. Speed is our ally in this fight, and time is theirs,” I said.

  “Master, if I was leading the defense of this station with as few men as we suspect they have against us, I would fall back to a location which would be easier to defend, perhaps central engineering or the computer core,” said one of the Knights.

  “Master, the computer core would give them the best options for defense,” said the other.

  “Excellent point,” I said, then activated my comm and called back to the Nevermore II. “Stalker, can you locate their central computer core and get us a map to it?”

  “Already have it, Master. Sending to your command pad now,” he said.

  “Excellent!” I said and then reviewed the map with the Knights.

  “There are three entrances to that room. I suggest we assault two of them and force them to retreat through the third. Then we could move in and secure the room,” said one of the Knights.

  “Hmm. Rigal and I can take one door, and the rest of you the other. Ferran, they are likely to have more sentries in there. If they do, send more smashers in. Flame, you are the primary offense officer for your team. Follow the Knights’ lead and lay down fire. Accuracy is not as important as overwhelming firepower. Our goal is to force them into a retreat so that we can take control of the station’s defenses and remove their advantage. Everyone understand?” I asked.

  “What if the magus shows?” asked Flame.

  “I expect he will, which is why I will be at the other door. He will be my primary target, and Rigal here will provide the cover I need to face him,” I said.

  With that, both teams moved out, quickly navigating through the base towards the central computing area. Robotic defenders attacked twice more, but the robots were too weak and too few to present a real challenge. I saw this as confirmation that the Dark Knights’ suspicion of the pirates’ plan was correct and that they were concentrating their forces in one location.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It was not long before both teams were in place. Both sets of d
oors were sealed, and we were sure there were defenders waiting for us to break in. “Is everyone ready?” I sent. Once everyone had indicated that they were, I sent, “Good, then blow the doors open.”

  Rigal created a shield wall as I used a wand to blast the doors open. I knew Flame and her team were doing the same thing at the other door. Once the smoke from the blast cleared, I saw sentries marching on our position, firing rapidly into Rigal’s shield. I needed to conserve power to fight the unknown magus, so instead of destroying them, I merely drained their power until they fell over lifeless.

  Mentally looking though Flame’s eyes, I could see that Ferran had summoned two more of his smashers, and they were making quick work of the sentries on their side. “Flame, that is good. Conserve power and move slowly,” I sent.

  “Got it, Shadow, but I’m worried,” she sent. “I get the feeling we are walking into a trap.”

  “I trust your instincts, but we must push forward. Just keep everyone alert,” I sent back.

  The downed sentries were blocking any view I might have had into the room. I had no choice but to use some power to move them. I reached forward with both my arms together and quickly snapped them apart, which sent a wave of power down the center of the pile of sentries and slammed them into the walls, clearing a path between two piles of broken robots.

  Once the way was cleared, I could see into the room and saw men fleeing out the back door. Across the way I could see Ferran’s smashers ready to enter the room.

  “This is much too easy. Do not enter yet. Ferran, send your creatures in to explore,” I sent over our telepathic network.

  “Master, I could summon more if you want,” sent Ferran.

  “No, just have those two spread out and walk around. Try to set off any traps,” I sent.

  “Yes, Master,” he replied.

  I watched the creatures walk around through the extended vision that our telepathic network created. Nothing happened.

  “Very well, it looks as if we will have to do this the hard way. Rigal and I will go in. Flame, you and your team stay out of the room and be ready to assist. Ferran, keep your smashers at hand,” I sent.