Wizard Betrayed (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 6), page 8
Fleet Admiral Oswan rose and stood beside the governor. “My Conglomerate fleets will be covering the flanks of the first wave. The core of my warships will be composed a hundred and twenty-two of the Conglomerate’s finest dreadnaughts and heavy cruisers as well as a thousand other combat starships. I have thoroughly reviewed the governor’s attack plan. The Empire’s regular navy dreadnaughts and cruisers will decimate the heart of the Crosioians’ fleet during the first wave. The remaining Crosioian starships will be unable to counterattack without exposing themselves to my Conglomerate reserve. The Empire’s regular navy starships have nothing to fear.”
The same Empire general who’d spoken previously rose again. “I don’t know navy tactics, but I do know ground fighting. Three and a half billion soldiers are a force to be reckoned with in anybody’s databanks. We’ve assembled a half billion of the Empire’s best soldiers in our assault force. Even after we get them on the ground, we’ll be outnumbered seven to one. I’m confident I can establish a solid foothold on the planet, but if the navy doesn’t obtain space superiority, we’ll be at the mercy of the Crosioians on Estos. They’re bound to be well equipped.”
Secretary Reaster replied before the governor could open his mouth. “You would think so, but you would be wrong, General. Our recon teams have guaranteed us the Crosioians are only partially equipped. Thanks to Wizard Scout Shepard, most of the equipment they were expecting has been destroyed.”
“What?” Richard said out loud. “I never said that.”
“Ah, Wizard Scout Shepard, the Hero of Velos,” said Governor Jenkins through a smile that was more a snarl. “It has been a long time.”
Not long enough, Richard thought. The last time he and Jenkins had met was when the bald man was an ambassador on Trecor. Their parting hadn’t been cordial.
“You are too modest,” continued the governor. “For those who don’t know, this is Wizard Scout Shepard. Thanks to him, our victory on Estos is assured.”
Richard remained standing and glared at the bald man. “I fail to see—”
Secretary Reaster didn’t give Richard time to finish. “Did you or did you not discover a major Crosioian supply depot?”
“Yes, but—”
“Did you or did you not say the Crosioians had stockpiled enough experimental equipment to supply an entire army?”
“Yes, I did, but I didn’t sa—”
“And did you or did you not set explosive charges to destroy said depot?”
“I set a single charge,” Richard corrected. “I had no idea how large an explosion it would make or if it would even go off.”
Turning to her right, Secretary Reaster faced Admiral Donovan and Liz. “Admiral Bistos, you were responsible for the follow-up recon of the asteroid to assess the damage. What did you find?”
Richard noticed Liz give a quick glance in his direction before replying to the intelligence secretary, and thought it seemed almost like an apology.
“Madame Secretary, I conducted a recon in force of the asteroid’s location. We found only atomized debris. Whatever was there was completely obliterated. I also sent two quads of wizard scouts to the nearby asteroids and planets. They found nothing. But I think—”
“Thank you, Admiral,” said Governor Jenkins. “The Crosioian troops on Estos were expecting to be equipped with the advanced experimental armor and weapons stored on the asteroid. Even the combined Crosioian fleets were depending on experimental missiles and bombs located on the asteroid. Thanks to our intrepid wizard scout, the Crosioian fleet and their ground forces are short on supplies and equipment. Now is the time to achieve victory!” Governor Jenkins raised his fist in the air and looked around the room.
The room remained silent.
“I calculate he was expecting a different response,” said Nickelo.
“No doubt,” Richard replied. “It’s easy to talk tough when you’re not the one doing the fighting.”
“Now try not to say anything that will get you in trouble,” cautioned Nickelo. “The governor is not your biggest fan.”
Following his battle computer’s advice, Richard tried to speak in what he thought was a calm voice. Due to the thick silence, his words reverberated off the walls. “I’d like to know who guaranteed you the Crosioians are ill-equipped. Were they wizard scouts?”
The governor’s eyes narrowed. “Who they were does not matter.”
“Were they wizard scouts?” Richard repeated raising his voice.
“No,” said Secretary Reaster. “They were Conglomerate scouts. I assure you they were the best. Their information has been confirmed by over twenty million tele-bots sent to the Criterion system.”
Richard shook his head. “I’ve seen tele-bots fooled before. Only wizard scouts are reliable enough for a mission this important.”
“I am glad to hear you say that,” said Governor Jenkins.
Richard wanted to ask why but refused to give the bald man the satisfaction. When he remained silent, the governor’s face darkened.
“What the governor is trying to say, wizard scout,” said Secretary Reaster, “is that you and fifteen other wizard scouts will be landing on Estos thirty minutes before the first assault wave hits the ground. If our intelligence is wrong, I am sure you will let us know.”
“Thirty minutes?” asked Admiral Donovan and Liz together.
When Governor Jenkins and the secretary turned and stared at them, Liz said, “Thirty minutes isn’t enough time to abort the assault. We should’ve sent in ten quads of wizard scouts weeks ago to recon every planet and major asteroid in the Criterion system.”
“Ha!” laughed Governor Jenkins. “You have obviously been out of the loop, Admiral. The Empire only has a hundred and sixty-five active duty wizard scouts remaining. I am afraid once those hundred and sixty-five are gone, their time in the Empire will be over. We no longer have enough wizard scouts to depend upon for all of our recon needs. We will be lucky to scrape together four quads to go in ahead of the first wave. Even your fleet’s wizard scouts were reassigned to other deep recon missions after you completed investigating the supply depot. They are already conducting recons for follow-up attacks after we conquer Estos. Shep… err, Wizard Scout Shepard and his companions are only being used to confirm landing zones.”
“But—” started Liz.
“Enough,” said Governor Jenkins. “Orders have already been sent to everyone’s staffs. I expect all of you to give your full support to the plan. If you don’t, I can assure you heads will roll.”
With those words, the governor and his entourage left the room. Once the door closed behind them, everyone began talking at once.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” said Nickelo.
“So do I, buddy,” Richard said.
Richard caught Liz’s eye across the room and nodded in the direction of the rear door. She nodded back. Richard smiled. She knew exactly what he wanted. They needed to talk.
“I calculate it is going to take more than talk,” said Nickelo. “It’s going to take action.”
“The only question is what action?” Richard replied.
“I guess we will soon find out,” said Nickelo.
“I guess we will,” Richard replied as he headed for the door.
Chapter 8 – Giants
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A black figure slunk between massive stone columns supporting the weight of an entire mountain. The figure was very hard to see. The material of the figure’s black armor appeared to change shades in order to blend in with its background. At the sound of footsteps, the black figure froze.
Three humanoid creatures nearly ten meters tall passed within a few steps of the black figure. They appeared unaware of the presence of an intruder in their midst. Their swords remained in their sheaths as they continued walking down the underground corridor.
Once the footsteps of the roving guards faded into the distance, the black figure began moving once more.
“You should have killed them,” hissed a feminine voice in the figure’s mind. “It would have been so easy.”
“It wouldn’t have been easy,” said Wizard Scout Gaston Myers. “My mission’s to destroy the crystal. It’s not to kill every giant I come across.”
“As you say,” said the voice. “You are the wizard scout. I am just your battle computer.”
“I know what you are,” Gaston said, “and you’re no battle computer. Now plot me a route to bypass any other patrols. I’m feeding the results of my passive scan to our shared space.”
“Compliance,” said the voice. “Remember to call me Wanda. We must keep up pretenses, mustn’t we?”
Gaston involuntarily winced. Even after all his years of service as a time-commando for the Dalinfaust, he still had regrets about destroying his old battle computer, Wanda. In a strange sort of way, he missed her.
I had to do it, he thought in his private space. I had to do it for Diane.
“Route is plotted on your heads-up display,” said the demon who’d taken Wanda’s place.
Gaston followed the modified route. As instructed, the demon was avoiding the life forms identified by the passive scan. After thirty minutes of sporadic movement, he arrived at his destination. Two sets of bronze doors suitable for giants were inset into the wall at the end of a ‘T’ intersection. Two giants wearing chainmail and carrying spiked clubs stood on either side of the door.
Reaching out with his mind, Gaston found a loose stone along one side of the tunnel. Wrapping the stone with Power, he sent it skittering down the rightmost tunnel. Both guards turned to face the noise raising their clubs into defensive positions.
As soon as the guards turned, Gaston shifted into the void and began running toward the guards using a combination of levitation and reverse telekinesis. He drew his phase rod and extended the brerellium steel shaft with its creallium core, but didn’t activate the rod.
“Smart,” said the demon in their shared space. “Creatures can sense your phase rod when it has been activated.”
One of the guards started to turn back to the front.
Gaston immediately shifted out of the void and activated his phase rod. A feeling of intense hunger swept over him. He’d felt it many times before. The demon essence in his phase rod was demanding to be fed.
A look of surprise crossed over the giant’s face.
Gaston wrapped himself in Power and levitated into the air, straight toward the giant’s exposed neck. Swinging his phase rod, Gaston sensed the subatomic explosions as the phase energy tore the giant’s throat apart. At the same time, he sensed the demonic essence in his phase rod drink deep from the giant’s life force.
“More,” said the demon which was Gaston’s battle computer. “The Dalinfaust requires more energy. Feed him so he will feed me.”
Gaston could care less about feeding anything. He was more concerned with the second guard. Instead of attacking with her club, the second giant grabbed a large bull’s horn from her waist and raised it to her lips.
Reaching out with his mind, Gaston found the giant’s spinal cord at the base of her skull. Just as the giant sucked in a gulp of air and puffed out her cheeks, Gaston twisted hard with telekinesis. The giant’s spinal cord was surrounded by hardened bone, but it wasn’t a match for his Power. Gaston sensed the bone crack and the spinal cord snap. It wasn’t a pretty kill, but the brute force attack worked. The horn fell out of the giant’s hand unblown.
“You are lucky your Power reserve is so large,” said his battle computer. “Your brother is more efficient than you.”
“It worked,” Gaston said. “That’s all that matters. Now check the door for traps.”
“Compliance. I exist to serve.”
A series of numbers scrolled across Gaston’s heads-up display.
“The doors have a magic trap on them,” Gaston said.
“So it would seem,” replied his battle computer. “In my current form, I cannot help against magic. You’ll have to deactivate the trap yourself.”
Gaston let his mind touch the magic swirling through the doors. He was a diviner as well as a shifter. Twisting two of the flows of magic back on themselves, he circumvented the trap without setting off what he took to be an alarm.
Satisfied with the results, Gaston wrapped the edge of one door with Power and pulled. A flash of light shot out from both doors. Loud clanging noises sounded from every direction.
“You missed a trap,” said the demon that was Gaston’s battle computer.
Wasting no time arguing with his battle computer, Gaston dove through the opening between the two doors. He came up out of a roll with his phase rod in a defensive position. The chamber beyond the doors was dark and empty save for a lone table on which was set a glass case containing a translucent crystal the size of his head.
“What color is the crystal?” Gaston asked. “Everything looks red through my night vision filter.”
“The crystal is yellow,” answered the demon. “I calculate a ninety-seven percent probability that this is the stone you seek.”
The alarm bells were still clanging. With no time for subtlety, Gaston sent out a blast of pure Power. The case enclosing the crystal shattered. Reaching out with his left arm, he touched the tip of his phase rod to the crystal. Intense pain shot through his arm. Through sheer force of will, he continued to touch the phase rod to the gem.
Flows of Power shifted back and forth between the demonic essence in Gaston’s phase rod and the crystal. Just when he thought the crystal was going to win the battle, a wave of energy came flowing out of the demonic essence in the phase rod. The crystal’s defenses were overwhelmed. The demon essence in the rod began greedily sucking energy from the crystal all the while sending it back to the Dalinfaust.
Within seconds, the crystal was drained dry. It exploded into a thousand pieces, sending dull bits of the once beautiful gem into every corner of the room.
With his mission complete, Gaston ran back through the partially opened doors. The clanging had stopped, but he didn’t relax. He sensed life forms from every direction heading his way.
“Recommend you summon a 30mm auto-cannon with armor-piercing rounds,” said the demon. “Your Power reserve is still over ninety percent. You have Power to spare.”
Gaston silently thanked his parents for giving him a large Power reserve. While he and his deceased father had butted heads often enough, they still shared the same Power reserve. It was very large.
Agreeing with his battle computer, Gaston sent the specs for a 30mm four-barreled auto-cannon to his dimensional pack. Power left his reserve, barely making a dent in his remaining Power.
Opening the flap of his pack, Richard pulled out the envisioned weapon. After slipping the strap across his shoulder, he reached over his back and pulled out a chain of 30mm rounds. He stuck the free end into the auto-cannon and left the other end in his pack. He smiled. He was a wizard scout. It would take more than a few giants to stop him now.
Let my enemies beware, he thought.
Four giants came charging around a corner with clubs and spears raised. The lead giant launched his spear directly at Gaston’s head. Wrapping the spear point with Power, Gaston forced it aside using telekinesis. The spear passed an arm’s length to his left.
My turn, Gaston thought as he pressed the trigger on his auto-cannon.
Bam. Bam. Bam…
The rhythmic cadence of the 30mm rounds echoed through the tunnels. The first burst of rounds tore into the lead giant, knocking him back with blood spewing from his chest. The second giant wore chainmail, but his armor did no good. He fell to the floor alongside the first giant. Another burst of rounds took out the other two guards.
Gaston turned to run down the opposite tunnel. He needed to make it back to the extraction point.
“Wait,” said fake Wanda. “One of them is only wounded. Touch her with your phase rod.”
“Kiss off.” Gaston continued running down the tunnel. “I’ve already given the Dalinfaust plenty of energy today. He’ll just have to go on a diet. I’m getting out of here.”
While his battle computer said nothing, Gaston sensed the demon’s anger smoldering beneath the surface.
Tough, Gaston thought in his private space.
A half dozen giants formed a shield wall to Gaston’s front. He pulled the trigger of his auto-cannon. The rounds ricocheted off an unseen barrier in front of the shield wall.
“Magic user,” said the battle computer.
Gaston used his passive scan to spot an invisible life form right behind the six giants. “Got him.” Sending out a line of Power, Gaston drilled it against the unseen barrier the way his brother had taught him.
The magic user’s shield cracked enough to create a fist-sized hole.
Shifting the aim of the auto-cannon to the opening, Gaston sent three rounds that passed through. He noticed a splatter of blood as a body materialized and slammed against the wall of the tunnel.
The invisible barrier dissipated completely.
“Head shots,” Gaston ordered.
“Compliance.”
The arms of the battle suit shifted slightly. A stream of 30mm rounds tracked across the giant’s formation leaving a line of destruction behind.
“Plot me a path of least resistance,” Gaston ordered, suspecting his bloodthirsty battle computer was purposely leading him into enemy patrols.
“I exist to serve,” said the demon followed by a vicious laugh.
Using his passive scan combined with a liberal use of active scans, Gaston avoided further contact. Once at the extraction point, he spun and took a knee, raising the auto-cannon into a firing position.
