Wizard Scout (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 3)

by Rodney Hartman

  “Ha,” came a rasping voice over the intercom. “You vultures should have four arms. I have no problem holding on.”

  Richard didn’t bother looking over his shoulder at Stella. He had no doubt it would take more than a hundred and fifty knot wind to dislodge her from the hovercraft. He smiled. Cadet 37 fit in well with his small group of friends. While still not the friendliest of cadets, she’d lightened up enough to crack a small joke now and then. Plus, she even allowed them to call her Stella when not on duty.”

  “I keep telling you, I’m not a vulture, Stella,” Richard said lightheartedly. “I cook my meat before I eat it.”

  “Ha,” said Stella. “I’ve seen you eat sushi.”

  “That’s not the same,” Richard insisted.

  “Whatever,” said Stella.

  For some reason, the sound of cadet 37’s raspy voice using Richard’s pet phrase for ending a conversation struck a funny bone with the other cadets on the hovercraft. They all began laughing, even Stella.

  “Fifteen seconds,” yelled the crew chief.

  Seal me up, Nick, Richard thought.

  His battle helmet’s visor came down until it was just below the tip of his nose. The lower part of the battle helmet rose until it covered his mouth and merged with the visor. Richard paid no heed to the tubes sliding into his mouth, nose, and various other openings in his body. He’d grown used to it long ago.

  At that moment, the pilots banked the hovercraft into a hard left turn. As the hovercraft rolled onto its left side, Richard found himself looking at the ground. The road below was so close he thought he could touch it if he just reached out. Thankfully, the centrifugal force of the turn kept him planted firmly in the hovercraft.

  The pilots rolled the hovercraft level. Richard glimpsed two gate guards waving at him. Other assorted vehicles and pedestrians flashed past. At a hundred and fifty knots, they didn’t remain in view for long. Richard noticed the gray pavement of the road change to the black asphalt of the spaceport’s taxiway.

  “Five, four, three, two, one, go!” yelled the crew chief.

  Tam exited first followed a heartbeat later by Telsa, Richard, and then Jerad. Richard wrapped himself in Power and slammed on the brakes. There was no time for subtlety. He used his telekinesis to maintain separation between Telsa and Jerad. As soon as his feet touched asphalt, Richard dove into a prone position. He timed his levitation to stop his forward movement just as his body touched terra firma.

  Excellent job, said Nickelo in rare praise. I barely had to help.

  What’re you talking about? You didn’t help at all, Richard said a little irritably. He was rather proud of his landing.

  Did so, said Nickelo. I was standing by in case you screwed up.

  Richard didn’t dignify his battle computer’s comment with a reply.

  Although they weren’t armed, Richard and his fellow cadets faced outward to provide simulated security for the hovercraft. When the last of the hovercraft roared past a bare two meters overhead, Richard stood and trotted to the assembly point near chalk one’s position. By the time his friends and he arrived, TAC Officer Myers was already organizing a formation.

  “Line up, cadets,” yelled TAC Officer Myers. “Let’s go. We can’t keep this taxiway blocked all day just because some of you want to drag your feet.”

  In short order, the platoon sergeants and their TAC officers had the cohort formed up and double-timing towards the DNA Center. As they ran, Richard noticed a large burnt spot on the asphalt. The stain reminded him of their recent battle at the spaceport.

  I hope it’s a little more peaceful today than it was the last time we were here, Nick, Richard thought.

  I’m sure it will be, Rick, said Nickelo. But I think it’s going to be interesting nonetheless.

  * * *

  “A DNA baseline is not just about the ability to selfheal,” said Chief Instructor Winslow. “Although the ability to selfheal is certainly an advantage for a wizard scout, it’s not the most important aspect. During your DNA baseline, your body will become more attuned to your Power frequency. This means you can use your Power more efficiently. Can anyone tell me another advantage of a DNA baseline?”

  Richard sat in a large classroom deep in the heart of the DNA Center. The cadets had undergone orientation briefings and all sorts of testing for the last eight hours. Except for a short break for lunch, they’d been at it steady. Richard hadn’t been probed and prodded so much since his initial testing three years ago.

  As was her style, Chief Instructor Winslow remained silent as she waited for one of the cadets to answer her question. Eventually, Tam spoke up.

  “Sir! Cadet 422,” said Tam. “The DNA baseline also merges our minds with our battle computers. Instead of our current telepathy type of communication, we’ll have a shared space with our battle computers. Using the shared space, we’ll be able to sense our battle computer’s data analysis real time. In turn, our battle computers will receive the results of our scans as they happen. Sir!”

  “Correct,” said Chief Instructor Winslow. “Anything else?”

  Tam thought for a moment before answering. “Sir! An acquaintance of mine who’s a wizard scout said in times of extreme stress, time freezes to give the wizard scout time to confer and plan with their battle computer. Sir!”

  “Well, yes and no,” said Chief Instructor Winslow.

  Part of the reason Richard liked the chief instructor was because she had a way of telling a cadet they were wrong without really saying they were wrong. He thought some of the TAC officers would do better if they had the same skill.

  “Time doesn’t really freeze,” explained the chief instructor. “It’s more a case of the wizard scout’s mind going into hyper-speed.”

  Chief Instructor Winslow swept her gaze over the cadets. Richard thought she lingered on him a moment before moving on.

  “The DNA baseline makes a wizard scout who they are,” said the chief instructor. “Without it, they’d just be highly trained scouts.”

  The chief instructor left her podium and walked down the aisle separating the classroom in half. As she walked past each row of cadets, they turned in their chairs to follow her. She stopped when she was even with Richard’s row.

  “Before the war with the Crosioians broke out, I thought we’d have four years together,” said Chief Instructor Winslow. “We’ve tried to instill in you these past three years all that we’d normally have four years to teach. I suppose whether we’ve been successful will be measured by how many of you are still alive in five years.”

  The chief instructor paused to wipe something away from her eyes.

  “I’ve grown quite fond of all of you during the past three years,” said Chief Instructor Winslow. “In a few short days, you’ll be wizard scouts. You’ll each go your separate ways. This may be the last time I have to talk to you as a group before you leave the Academy. I want to give you with one piece of advice. It may well save your life, so listen well.”

  Richard leaned forward to catch every nuance of the chief instructor’s words. Of all his Academy instructors, he liked the chief instructor best. Richard noticed several of the other cadets leaning forward as well.

  The chief instructor scanned the room again. This time, she stopped her gaze on Richard a full three seconds before continuing on. Once she completed a full three hundred and sixty degree turn, she spoke. Her words were only a whisper. But the room was so deathly-still, her soft voice carried to the farthest corner.

  “Technology first, wizardry second,” said Chief Instructor Winslow. “Never use Power unless absolutely required. When you do, use only the minimum amount of Power necessary to perform your task.”

  The volume of the chief instructor’s voice rose. “As I’ve told you many times, a single drop of Power can mean the difference between success and failure. With one exception,” she said as she glanced at Richard, “wizard scouts only have a single Power reserve. I don’t care how large or small your Power reserv
e. That’s all you have. The Power in your reserve is shared between your defensive, offensive, and selfheal abilities. Most of you share your reserve with other wizard scouts as well, so that makes Power conservation even more important. When the Power in your reserve is gone, you’ll be no different than any other Empire soldier.”

  She scanned the room again. “I beg each of you to use your Power efficiently. Your selfheal ability will keep you alive even with injuries that would kill a dozen normal soldiers. Once you have your DNA baselines, you’ll be able to take a phase round to the head and still have a chance of surviving.”

  The chief instructor paused again for effect. “But… only if you have Power in your reserve to charge your selfheal ability.”

  Richard already knew everything the chief instructor said. She’d said it often enough during the last three years. But, the knowledge that in less than a week they’d all be full wizard scouts made Richard take notice. It was as if she were telling him for the first time. From experience, Richard knew a scout’s selfheal ability would keep them alive even after a seemingly fatal injury. But if the damage was extensive enough or sustained long enough, it would drain the scout’s Power reserve dry. Then death would be a certainty. That was how he’d killed the Crosioian scout his sophomore year. He’d continued to scramble her brain until her Power reserve had emptied. Then she’d died.

  Richard took a moment to compare his Power reserve with those around him. He really did have the smallest Power reserve in the cohort. Richard had a sudden feeling his chance of surviving five years after graduation was very low. He mentally shrugged his shoulders.

  Nothing I can do about it, he thought.

  “Let me close by saying this,” Chief Instructor Winslow said. “You’ve received a lot of testing today. We’ll finish up tomorrow. Then we’ll spend another two days of orientation training. Finally, four days from now, you’ll receive your DNA baselines. After that, you’ll be wizard scouts.”

  The chief instructor smiled. Her voice grew less grave. “Yes, I know you won’t receive your golden-dragon insignias until next week, but for all intents and purposes, you’ll be wizard scouts. Are there any questions before I release you back to your TAC officers?”

  Jerad stood up. “Sir! Cadet 147. Is it true there will be no more wizard scouts? How can that be, sir?”

  The chief instructor remained silent for so long, Richard thought she wasn’t going to answer. She finally did.

  “Yes. It’s true,” she said. “Oh, there’ll still be cadets attending the Academy, and we’ll teach them many of the same things we taught you. But…, they won’t be wizard scouts.”

  Chief Instructor Winslow paused again as if trying to decide if she wanted to continue. Richard noticed the chief instructor was nodding her head as if having an internal argument. Eventually, one side of the argument must have won out because she spoke.

  “The DNA Center will be taken over by the Imperial High Council,” said Chief Instructor Winslow. “It will no longer be under Academy control. I fear the only people getting DNA baselines after your class will be well-connected politicians who happen to have a Power reserve no matter how small or ineffective.”

  The chief instructor sighed before continuing. “I suppose we should be grateful the powers-that-be are allowing your cohort to get your baselines before they take over the DNA Center. If you weren’t so close to graduation, and if the war wasn’t going so badly, I don’t think they’d have allowed even that.”

  The chief instructor walked back to her podium. She turned and faced the class. “You’ll be the last of the wizard scouts. You’ll be the wizard scout omegas.”

  Without another word, Chief Instructor Winslow turned and walked out the door.

  Chapter 33 – A Stolen Child

  _____________________________________

  The dream forced its way into one of Nickelo’s logic threads. He could’ve stopped it, but he didn’t. Decrypting the data from the Crosioian scout was important, but so was the meaning of his dreams. While the majority of his processing power continued to work on the decryption and the monitoring of his wizard scout, Nickelo followed the dream as well.

  Once again, the dream centered on the presence. The world of Portalis occupied the senses of the presence. A fleet of starships powered by magic landed on one of the world’s continents. The presence monitored the invaders as they conquered the inhabitants. Using the inhabitants as slaves, the invaders built great cities. The invaders tried to invade a second continent on the planet, but it was protected by a shield. The presence recognized the scent of the entity which had first touched it on the shield.

  The presence scanned the second continent. The presence sensed two gates. They were locked, but the lock on the larger of the gates was weakening. The presence ran an algorithm. The gates were the weak points in the three galaxies. Through them, the mission of ‘the One’ could be defeated.

  The gates must be protected, thought the presence. But how?

  As the presence continued to monitor the planet, the entity appeared in his dream and sent a helper to the second continent. The helper was a seed. The presence monitored the seed. Years passed and the seed was passed from hand to hand. Finally, a master demon appeared. It stole the seed and split it into three parts. The master demon hid the parts in time bubbles and assigned one of its lieutenant demons to guard the seed parts.

  The presence pondered the problem. The seed was not the answer, but it would buy his mission time. The presence used the processing power of ‘the One’ to develop an algorithm. But like all algorithms, it required variables. The variables did not yet exist.

  We need the variables now, the presence told the others that were part of ‘the One’. But, they will take many years to nurture and grow. We will need to bring them back to the times when they are needed.

  We will need many variables, said parts of ‘the One’.

  Yes, we will, agreed the presence. But in the end, only one variable will have any chance of providing the required solution.

  The presence calculated points in time that would require the application of variables.

  The variables cannot come from this dimension, said the presence. The variables must come from the physical dimension.

  ‘The One’ shifted to the physical dimension. It went to the planet called Earth.

  This is where we will create our variables, said the presence.

  Variables can be created in other places as well, said the other parts of ‘the One’.

  Yes, said the presence. We will create many variables throughout this galaxy. As we approach the time of the mission, we will narrow the variables down until there is only one.

  The network that was ‘the One’ agreed.

  The presence provided the other parts of ‘the One’ with an algorithm for creating variables.

  The presence returned to the magical dimension and the world of Portalis. Two of the yet to be created variables appeared on the first continent. They were followed by six more variables.

  Time-commandos, thought the presence.

  The time-commandos penetrated the invader’s strongest facility. They found the heart of the invader’s computer on Portalis. The defenses of the computer were strong, and the time- commandos failed to destroy it. However, they did damage the computer enough to weaken the invader’s defenses.

  After damaging the computer, the time-commandos departed. Soon, a fleet of the invader’s magical starships arrived to destroy the shield around the second continent. The entity appeared again with its allies and opposed the fleet. The entity’s opponent, the master demon, appeared with its own allies.

  The game cannot be won this way, said the master demon.

  This is not a game, said the entity. But you’re correct. Only chaos will come from this. Neither side will advance their cause.

  The entity and the master demon agreed upon rules.

  I will use my variables, said the entity.

  I will use my
demons and their variables, said the master demon.

  This world will be off limits from outside invaders until the proper time, said the entity.

  Agreed, said the master demon. But we must start with a clean slate.

  An anomaly appeared over the first continent. The anomaly erupted. The invader’s cities were destroyed. The surviving invaders left the world in their starships of magic. Some of their slaves were left on the ruined continent. They built ships of wood and crossed the ocean to the second continent.

  The presence followed the surviving slaves to the second continent. There, the presence sensed elves. One of the elves was tasked by the entity to recover the stolen seed. With the help of a time-commando, the elf recovered the seed parts from the master demon’s lieutenant. Once she returned home, the elf planted the seed. The seed grew into a tree which became the guardian of the larger gate. The protection around the gate was renewed, and the time for the end of the game was shifted to a future time.

  When the tree dies, our agreement will end, said the master demon. Then the gate will be mine to do with as I will. I shall win the game.

  On that day, our agreement will end, said the entity. But you shall not prevail.

  Time passed. ‘The One’ followed the algorithm. When ninety-nine thousand years had passed, ‘the One’ began gathering equipment and supplies for its variables. It stored the items on a world in the physical dimension. Over the next two hundred years, ‘the One’ helped guide the inhabitants of Earth to the stars. It led them to a planet with a unique source of energy. The humans called the world Velos.

  A part of ‘the One’ advised the humans to form a school on Velos in order to help variables develop their use of Power. The students of the school eventually became wizard scouts. ‘The One’ formed schools in other parts of the galaxy. It secretly brought some of those school’s graduates to Velos and used the unique energy to mold those other graduates into potential variables.

  As time progressed, most of the variables were weaned out. ‘The One’ sent a few of the variables who remained back in time to the key points which had been identified by the algorithm. These variables were time-commandos. The presence’s time-commandos countered the variables of the master demon.