Stella gave Richard a look that seemed to say, ‘We may be the ones getting the surprise’. But she said nothing.
With that, Richard turned and ran for the DNA Center’s main door with his friend trailing behind him.
* * *
Integrating with the rest of the cohort went surprisingly easy. TAC Officer Myers had apparently teleported in ahead of them. Richard’s TAC officer noticed their arrival, but he said nothing. Richard kept expecting his Myers to lower the boom, but it never happened. Richard wasn’t sure why.
The rest of the morning was spent in testing. Although Richard went through some testing specifically tailored for cadets, about half of the testing was targeted at both the cadet and their battle computer. According to Nickelo, the testing was part of the prep work for their shared space.
After one set of particularly invasive testing, an elderly technician took Richard to one side for a consultation.
“Do you remember me?” said the technician.
“Yes, sir,” Richard replied. “You’re John, right? You were with Chief Instructor Winslow when she introduced me to Nickelo during my freshman year.”
John smiled. “That’s right. I’m impressed you remembered.”
“I have my moments, sir,” Richard said.
Not many, interrupted Nickelo, but a few.
“Well, anyway,” continued John. “You may remember I explained how you had two Power reserves.”
“I remember, sir,” Richard said. “You told me I had a primary Power reserve for normal wizard scout stuff, and that I had a second, smaller reserve for healing others. And you were right. I’ve used the second reserve to heal others several times over the past three years.”
“I’m sure you have,” said John nodding. “Do you remember we mentioned you might have a third Power reserve?”
“Ah, no sir,” Richard said. “Not really.”
“No matter,” said John. “We weren’t sure at the time, but we’re sure now. The testing yesterday and today confirms you have three Power reserves.”
“It that good or bad, sir?” Richard asked. On the surface, having a third Power reserve sounded good, but based upon past experience, Richard figured there would be a catch. There always was.
“We’re not sure yet,” admitted John. “Chief Instructor Winslow wants to conduct additional testing during the next few days. We need to find out additional information before we set your DNA baseline.”
Great, Richard thought. More testing. Will it never end?
I’d say it’s going to end one way or the other by the end of the week, said Nickelo. Once you get your DNA baseline, it will be too late for additional testing.
Nick, Richard asked. Do you know anything about me having a third Power reserve?
No, Rick, I don’t, said Nickelo. There’s nothing in my databanks about you having one. I could have Jonathan research it on the tele-network, but it would draw attention.
No, Richard said. Maybe you better hold off. We’ll get our DNA baseline in three more days. I don’t want anything to screw that up.
Chapter 39 – Approving the Plan
_____________________________________
The Crosioian admiral strolled down the length of the bridge of the massive flagship. She was troubled. The invasion fleet was almost ready. But she had two problems. The assassination attempt on the cadet had failed. Because of its failure, the Empire was doubly alert. Even now, they might be assembling additional military forces to send to Velos.
Another problem was just as serious. They were still short special assets. The human mages could not summon the special assets fast enough. They claimed they needed four more days to summon enough of the demons to get the entire first wave in undetected. But the fleet couldn’t wait four more days. The invasion needed to take place in two days. The invasion had to take place before the Empire’s latest class of wizard scout cadets received their DNA baselines. A hundred newly-minted wizard scouts on Velos would cause serious problems for the invasion. The invasion would have to be put on hold for another month until the wizard scouts were shipped out. The admiral doubted her fleet could remain hidden in deep space for that long. They’d already had several close calls with Empire reconnaissance ships.
As the admiral paced the deck, enlisted sailors and officers alike discreetly cleared out of her way. Even on a good day, the admiral was not one to be trifled with. The admiral’s scowl left little doubt this was not a good day.
The admiral stopped in her tracks and faced the communication’s officer. “Any word from the elf?”
The communication’s officer didn’t need to ask what elf. The admiral had asked often enough about Lord Crendemor’s status.
“The dark elf’s last communication indicated he hadn’t yet acquired the items, sir,” said the communication’s officer.
When the gray around the admiral’s eyes darkened, the communication’s officer hurriedly added, “But he’s confident he’ll get the items in time to return and lead the task force attacking the spaceport.”
The communication’s officer waited for a reply. When the admiral just stood there saying nothing, the communication’s officer asked, “Is there anything else, admiral?”
The admiral still didn’t answer. She wasn’t in the habit of wasting time on underlings. Besides, she was thinking. The idea the elf thought he’d be leading Crosioian soldiers bothered her. If it was up to her, the uppity elf would have been killed long ago. But, the Master computer was adamant the elf was needed for the plan’s success.
“I’ll be in my cabin,” said the admiral to no one in particular.
She turned and headed for an elaborate door off the side of the bridge. Once inside, the admiral continued her pacing. They’d been here too long, and she didn’t like having their plan depend on magic users and demons. Her Crosioian shock troops didn’t concern her. They would perform their duties admirably as always. The problem was the others. She’d requested additional armored units from the tribal council. However, instead of battle-proven Crosioians, they’d sent her an armored division of human mercenaries. The admiral was definitely not in a good mood.
A hologram of a Crosioian head appeared above the admiral’s desk. “You don’t seem pleased, admiral. You don’t need to worry. My calculations are perfect. Everything is going according to plan.”
The admiral walked over to her desk and sat down. “And was your plan for the cadet to defeat our assassination team? You indicated a seventy-two percent probability of success, but you were wrong. Now our plans may be in jeopardy.”
“It does no good to cast blame,” said the Master computer. “But the assassination attempt was General Constance’s idea, not mine. I would have advised against the attempt if the Counselor had asked.”
The gray around the admiral’s eyes darkened. “I wanted to begin the invasion a month ago. We don’t need magic or demons to defeat the Empire. Now the Empire has been alerted. The planet will be reinforced. We should attack immediately.”
“Careful, admiral,” said the Master computer. “Remember your blood pressure.”
The gray around the admiral’s eyes darkened even more.
“Relax, admiral,” said the Master computer. “We are well within the boundaries of the algorithm. The Empire is on the verge of civil war. Our invasion and the resulting destruction of their DNA Center and two main teleporters will send them over the edge. Our victory is assured, admiral.”
“A fleet of ten Empire troop carriers are scheduled to arrive in orbit within twelve hours,” said the admiral. “If their troops are disembarked before our invasion, our task will be that much harder. We must begin the invasion now and destroy those troops while they’re still onboard their troop carriers.”
The Master computer laughed. “No, my dear admiral. We want those troops to disembark. Those so called troops are civilian security forces of the Deloris Conglomerate. As they land, the regular military forces on Velos will take their place on the troop
carriers. The military forces will then be sent to the frontlines. Only the civilian security troops will remain.”
The admiral was surprised and more than a little irritated. She hadn’t been informed of this part of the plan.
“In two days, you will invade Velos,” continued the Master computer. “The civilian security forces will fall easily before your soldiers. Your dreadnaughts will destroy the few paltry Empire fighting ships orbiting the planet. The demons will get the first wave of shock troops through their objectives’ defensive shields undetected. The plan is perfect.”
“As I’ve said before, we don’t have enough of the special assets to get the entire first wave to their designated objectives. Only two of the task forces will be fully staffed. The superiority of our forces will be in doubt at the Academy.”
“Not really,” said the Master computer. “The airfield and spaceport will have the strongest defenses. Task Force Alpha and Bravo will be fully staffed when they attack them. The main Academy will only be lightly defended. Even at half-strength, Task Force Charlie will overwhelm its defenses. Task Force Charlie will destroy the Empire’s primary teleporter along with the Academy’s instructors and cadets. As for the DNA Center, after Task Force Alpha subdues the spaceport’s defenses, they will acquire the existing stockpile of DNA gas. They will then destroy the DNA vent as well as the DNA Center. The Empire will never be able to create another wizard scout.”
The Master computer stopped his recap long enough to laugh at the perfection of his plan.
The gray around the admiral’s eyes darkened until her skin was almost black. “The airfield has the strongest defenses. They have a battalion of armor and over a hundred wizard scout cadets to pilot them.”
“As you say, they are only cadets,” said the Master computer. “Our invasion will occur the day before their scheduled DNA baselines are completed. As for the airfield’s cats, they are only equipped with training armaments. Once our static tele-bots awaken, they will guide the rockets of the shock troops directly to the airfield’s power stations. When the power stations are destroyed, the defensive shields around the airfield will come down. Your dreadnaughts’ gun batteries and missiles will then annihilate any remaining defenses. The second wave of our assault troops will wipe out the cadets at the airfield and destroy the Empire’s secondary teleporter as well. All will be well, I assure you.”
The admiral was not convinced. She’d seen the Master computer’s algorithm. It all looked good on a computer screen, but the admiral was too experienced to take things for granted. Things never went as planned. If the decision was hers to make, she would just nuke the targets once their defensive shields were down. But, the Master computer had convinced the Counselor they needed to remove the key components from the teleporters and the DNA gas from the DNA Center before they were destroyed. In the admiral’s opinion, they were trying to accomplish too much at once.
“Relax, admiral,” said the Master computer. “The plan is perfect. You shall see in two days all your worrying was for naught.”
“Yes,” said the admiral. “We shall see.”
Chapter 40 – Eavesdropping
_____________________________________
As the technicians at the DNA Center continued their testing of his wizard scout, Nickelo became increasingly bored. True, the continued decrypting of the Crosioian’s battle helmet was interesting, but he still had processing threads that were idle.
Jonathan, Nickelo said over the security communication channel they’d created. I think it’s time we did a little investigating.
Our wizard scouts may need us, sir, replied Jonathan.
They’re adults, Nickelo said with a little laugh. They can take care of themselves. Besides, we’ll still have threads here to monitor them. We can always pull our scan back if we need more processing power here.
Fine, sir, said Jonathan. Where should we go? Do you want to do something with the children?
Nope, said Nickelo. I want to see if we can find something interesting a little closer to home. Let’s head over to the commandant’s office. How about checking if any tele-bots are in the area we can hijack?
In spite of his continued inability to access the tele-network on his own, Nickelo found his newfound ability with Jonathan exhilarating. Between the two of them, they were able to access data neither of them was authorized to access on their own.
This is interesting, said Jonathan. We have multiple tele-bots in the commandant’s office to choose from. The tele-bots assigned to TAC Officer Myers are there as well as those assigned to the commandant. Do you want to stay with hijacking only a single tele-bot, or do you want to try for multiple tele-bots?
No, just one, Nickelo said. I calculate a lower risk level is advisable.
Affirmative, sir, said Jonathan. I’m prepared to access one of the tele-bots if you’re prepared to run the hijack program.
Let her rip, Nickelo said.
Rip what, sir? said Jonathan.
Never mind, Nickelo said. I’m prepared to run the hijack program. Open the channel to the tele-bot.
Once Jonathan opened the communication channel to the tele-bot, Nickelo bypassed its security with his hijack program. Once again, the logic of the tele-bot’s security was susceptible to emotional non-logic. It was almost as if the flaw had purposefully been embedded in the security program’s code.
The hijacking of the tele-bot was near instantaneous.
* * *
“– as you’ve said many times before, sir,” said TAC Officer Myers.
“Watch your manners, Gaston,” said the commandant.
“Sorry, sir,” said TAC Officer Myers.
Jonathan had targeted one of TAC Officer Myers’ tele-bots. It was positioned a couple of meters behind and to the right of the TAC officer. The commandant was sitting behind his desk staring at the computer screen built into the desktop. TAC Officer Myers was standing at a relaxed parade rest in front of the desk.
“Sir,” said TAC Officer Myers. “I respectfully request transfer to a frontline unit.”
“Your request is denied. Again,” said the commandant. “You’re more valuable here.”
“The Academy’s finished,” said TAC Officer Myers. “The Empire’s going to need every wizard scout on the frontlines, sir!”
Nickelo noticed a strange insolence in TAC Officer Myer’s voice. Nickelo wasn’t sure what was going on, but there seemed to be several emotional undertones occurring in the conversation.
“You know my plan is for you to take over as commandant of the Academy, Gaston,” said the commandant. “I’m hopeful your m… ah… Councilwoman Deluth can form a coalition within the Imperial High Council to countermand the order to shut down the wizard scout program.”
“I’ve no doubt Councilwoman Deluth and you will leave no stone unturned in your holy quest,” said TAC Officer Myers. “But I wonder. Do you pursue your self-assigned mission for the good of the Empire? Or, is it because you’re once again abandoning everything and everyone close to you in order to please ‘the One’?
The commandant jumped out of his chair. With clenched hands on his desk, he leaned forward and glowered at TAC Officer Myers.
“You forget yourself, sir,” said the commandant. “I’m your superior officer, and you will not forget it.”
“I have never forgotten it, sir,” said TAC Officer Myers. “You’ve never allowed me the luxury. But I do not hold ‘the One’ in the same high esteem as you. I’m no time-commando.”
The commandant held his position and continued to glower at TAC Officer Myers. Very slowly, the tension in the commandant’s face relaxed. Finally, he slumped back into his seat. Nickelo thought he suddenly looked old. His features and body were still that of a man in his late twenties, but his aura looked very old.
“I do not wish to argue, Gaston,” said the commandant. “Janice and I are what we are. I suppose we will be until the day we die. I’m sorry if our dedication to the mission of ‘the One’ has aff
ected you to your detriment.”
TAC Officer Myers motioned to a nearby seat with his right hand. The commandant nodded his head in permission. TAC Officer Myers took a seat.
“You know my feelings on cadet 832,” said TAC Officer Myers. “Under protest, I have followed my orders. But you’re doing him no favor by keeping him at the Academy. His Power reserve is too small to do any good. He’ll only hurt those around him.” After a pause, TAC Officer Myers added in a whisper, “As have you.”
The commandant said nothing for several seconds. Finally, he nodded his head slightly in an affirmative motion. “What’s done is done, Gaston. Hate me if you must, but don’t hold my mistakes against ‘the One’. More than our lives are at stake. The lives of everyone in three galaxies are more important than us.”
“So you’ve said before, sir,” said TAC Officer Myers in a tone indicating he didn’t agree.
“Be that as it may,” said the commandant. “You have your orders.
The commandant pushed a piece of paper across the desk. “I’ve put them in writing so you’ll not conveniently fail to understand. As discussed, they’ve been amended to take into account tomorrow’s events.”
“I don’t need them in writing,” said TAC Officer Myers. “I’ve never failed to follow your orders in the past, sir. I know my duty.”
“Nevertheless, take them,” said the commandant.
Nickelo maneuvered the tele-bot closer to TAC Officer Myers’ shoulder in the hope the TAC officer would unfold the paper and read it. But he didn’t. Instead, TAC Officer Myers crumpled the paper into a ball and shoved it into his pocket without even bothering to look at its contents.
“So what’s next?” said TAC Officer Myers. “Commander Stevens and her special operations troops are all due out by midnight. Seventy percent of the regular military will be gone within the next twenty-four hours. Are you sure you can trust the Deloris Conglomerate to keep their word?”
Wizard Scout (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 3) Page 40
