“Two of the dreadnoughts were caught in the battle, unable to escape to their new homes, while the Exitium, and Clipeum were successful in their retreat. However, we did not have the resources onboard to provide for an advanced colony. We arrived here on Earth and found that it had been colonized by our ancestors, long before faster than light travel had been discovered; the people who had come before us were from a sect of humanity that, for religious reasons, forsook magic and their connection to the Aether.
“Upon our arrival, it was decided that integrating with our now primitive human ancestors was our best course of action. It let us hide ourselves from the Aether and therefore become more difficult to detect. We built our society out here on this peninsula, and called it Alantis, after me and my brother.
“We soon discovered that a meteor shower was coming that would influence the climate and start melting the great ice floes. We calculated that Alantis would sink into the ocean, and we took this as a sign to abandon the old ways and merge with the human societies that had established themselves here. So we edited our genome to repress our Aether receptors, and went out to live amongst our predecessors.”
Boon had stepped up next to Sara during the tale. “Holy shit, Captain. Atlantis was real? This is too much.”
Sara laughed. “Really? We’re mages who are able to fight off starships, and this is too much for you?”
Boon shrugged. “I mean, Atlantis? Come on.”
“Look around, Boon. This had to get here somehow. Why not call it Atlantis?” Sara asked.
“I guess,” Boon said, shrugging. Then she hopped up and down a few times in excitement. “Does that mean we’re Atlantians?”
Sara frowned. “I don't think so. If we are, then so is everyone else, at this point.”
Boon frowned, then grinned. “Fuck it. I’m calling myself an Atlantian.”
“You do you, Boon,” Sara chuckled.
Chapter 25
“We have arrived in the Sol System. We ask that our Elif guests prepare for departure to the embassy,” Cora announced over the ship’s intercom.
Several Marines were stationed throughout the ship, watching their guests—not interfering, but being sure to catch any odd behavior. Grimms had ordered them to look for any Elif that sought out privacy when they reached their destination. The crew had been informed that they were going to make a decoy stop, to test if any of the Elif were sending signals to the Teifen.
On the bridge, Grimms sat in his command chair looking at a view of the Sol System, faked for the sake of their guest, Sir Reitus. The view swung around to show that they were in a high Earth orbit. They went through the motions of approaching the orbital space station that served as the launch point of all Navy personnel.
“How long has it been since you were home?” Sir Reitus asked, making small talk with Grimms as the crew went through the motions. He was standing beside the colonel in a parade rest stance, his hands clasped behind his back.
“Only a day or so. We were testing a few new systems when we picked up your signal. In truth, we still have a few tests to run after we drop you and your people off,” Grimms said, having trouble with the deception.
While he and Sir Reitus were talking in the ready room, Cora had contacted him through his comm, letting him know her plan in detail. She was going to drop them out of warp in the uninhabited system they were currently headed for and fake the readings to show they had arrived in Sol. She had informed the Marines and the bridge crew of the deception, and told them to look for any transmissions or odd behavior from the Elif. She was not convinced the tracking device on the prince’s yacht was the only thing the Teifen had planted.
Grimms agreed, but had to keep a straight face as he and Sir Reitus continued their conversation. Grimms knew he was a terrible actor, but was relying on the fact that Sir Reitus had never met a human, and therefore wouldn’t know how to recognize one’s odd behavior.
“Anything, Mezner?” Grimms asked, wanting this to all be over.
Mezner looked a little surprised at his question, and flicked a glance in Sir Reitus’s direction before saying, “No, sir. Nothing yet.”
Grimms stroked his beard distractedly, watching the faked image of his home begin to grow as they ‘approached’.
“It is a beautiful planet, Colonel. It reminds me of Effrit long ago, before the city began to cover the continents,” Sir Reitus said, seeing the way the blue and green planet reflected the sun.
“It’s a good planet. We want to keep it. Other than three small colonies, this is our entire presence in the galaxy. It’s a vulnerable place, protected by its anonymity more than its Navy,” Grimms said. He worried he might be laying it on a little thick, but he also believed what he was saying, more than he liked to admit.
Sir Reitus nodded. “I understand the feeling. Losing Effrit was a blow the Elif may not recover from, and we have a thousand worlds to fall back on.”
Grimms thought about what a thousand planets would mean for a fighting force. “How can there be no Elif ships left? If there are a thousand worlds in the empire, shouldn't there be the makings of a fleet? They were not all in the Effrit system, surely.”
“They were not, but the leadership was. The Teifen governor that was leading the war on behalf of his emperor must have been monitoring us much closer than we thought; they waited to strike until there was a meeting of the High Council and the admirals. We had nearly ten thousand fighters in the system when they attacked, but the Teifen flooded in with three times our number. Though they took heavy losses, in the end, they were too many and far too aggressive for us to stop them. There are still small Elif fleets that were on other missions throughout the empire, but their home leadership is smashed. The garrison of ships the Teifen left behind will take a large force to defeat, though, and it will take time for the remnants of the Elif navy to organize,” Sir Reitus said, his eyes hard, and his slim jaw set.
Grimms knew the anger of impotence, of not being able to do the right thing because of circumstance. He felt for the knight. “We will do what we can to reestablish the throne. Getting the prince to safety is our first priority.”
Sir Reitus gave a curt nod. “Thank you, Colonel.”
They waited in silence for another five minutes before anyone spoke.
“I have a signal, sir,” Mezner reported with disappointment. “It just went out.”
“I caught it, too. It was weaker than the transmission from the yacht, which suggests a mage without amplification, but the message will still get back to the Teifen,” Cora said, surprising Sir Reitus, who was obviously having a hard time remembering she was watching.
The view of Earth disappeared and was replaced with open space. The holo projector switched its display from the Sol System to a view of an unidentified system with a much smaller and brighter star.
“What is happening? Did we jump again?” Sir Reitus asked.
“Gonders, a transmission went out thirty seconds ago. Did you or your men see anything?” Grimms asked into his comm, ignoring the Elif’s question.
“Yes, sir. One of the soldiers slipped away a few minutes ago. I had Deej follow him, and he just reported that the soldier was hiding in a supply room. I had him arrest the soldier, sir,” Gonders replied.
“Cora, do you have any video of the supply room in question?” Grimms asked, sure they had their man.
“Yep. Give me a second, I’m reviewing it now… Oh, yeah. That’s him. The time matches perfectly with the message. We have him.” Cora announced this last over the bridge speaker.
Sir Reitus looked around in confusion. “Have who? What is happening, Colonel?”
“Sir Reitus, I’m sorry to say you had a traitor in your midst. Captain Cora and I were concerned that the Teifen may have put a second system in place to track the yacht; now we know they did. We have your man in custody, and I would like you to go down and meet Specialist Gonders in the brig. Maybe you can shed some light on the situation,” Grimms said, standing an
d motioning toward the door.
“Are you not coming?” Sir Reitus asked, his eyebrows raised.
“No, I’ve arranged for a Marine to escort you, and Captain Cora will be able to monitor the situation. I have to wait and see who shows up. Hopefully the Galvox took care of our problem, but I doubt it.”
Sir Reitus bowed. “Very well, Colonel. I shall get to the bottom of this, you can trust in that.”
“I hope so. This is not something we will take lightly. That soldier’s actions put my planet at risk. I cannot allow that,” Grimms decided seriously.
An hour and thirteen minutes later, a fleet of Teifen ships warped into the system. At first, it was one… then two, but they just kept coming until there were well over a hundred drifting through the abandoned system. Grimms watched as his worst fears were realized.
“They’re after us,” he said, leaning over the projection table and watching the swarm of Teifen circle like sharks.
They had positioned themselves next to a large asteroid, and Cora was masking their presence with the engines.
“They could just be after the prince,” she said hopefully.
“No. He was the bait. They let him go, knowing he would call for help. They knew humans were out here, but had no way of finding us except through the Elif. This was a trap for humanity from the start,” Grimms growled.
“Sir, we’ve received word back from the UHFC. They are ordering us to return to Earth immediately, now that we’ve arrested the traitor,” Mezner said, relaying the message.
“Great. Now they want us to bring the whole mess home. What if we didn't get them all? There could be another traitor,” Cora said.
Grimms shook his head. “I don't think that’s likely. It must have been incredibly difficult just to get one in.”
“But it could happen,” Cora argued.
“It doesn’t matter, the UHFC ordered us back. It’s their problem now,” Grimms said, shaking his head. “Connors, plot me a course for home. Captain, let’s make this trip a short one; how do you feel about pumping a little extra Aether into the engines?”
“Sounds good. I’ll take off as soon as the coordinates are loaded.”
“Sir. There is a new contact. It’s the dreadnought,” Mezner said, looking up from her console, her eyes wide.
Grimms zoomed in on the behemoth. It was damaged badly, but seemed to be mostly in one piece. There were several places where it was burnt, and large sections of armor had been blown off, but it still looked like it could take on the entire fleet back home.
He wondered how it survived the Galvox so well. The last they had seen of the dreadnought, it was under heavy fire, and there were more reinforcements coming.
“Let’s get out of here,” Grimms said darkly.
“Warp in three, two, one.”
Chapter 26
“Me and Boon here are the only War Mages modern humans have, so far,” Sara told the image of Alant. “We don't know the limits of casting yet, but Boon’s familiar, Silva, told us that we can mitigate the rage that fighting for too long produces. Is there anything else we can do to protect ourselves and those around us?” she asked. While we’re here, I may as well learn some tricks of the trade from an actual War Mage.
Alant nodded. “Your twin will be able to absorb some of the feedback and lessen the effects of overcasting. You may also bond guards that will do the same, though to a much lesser extent. The most effective form of mitigating the rage is your familiar, since they have ultimate say on whether a spell is cast. It takes training and a thorough understanding of their Mage’s emotions, but it is a skill they will hone with time. However, even they can become overwhelmed easily, so it is important that you recognize your own limits.”
The ship had been coming online slowly over the past few minutes, with clangs and humming thumps deep within the structure. Alant had told them that it would be prepared for travel in a few days, after the reactors were trimmed, and maintenance was performed by the core. When asked how they were supposed to get the ship out from under the mountain it was currently encased in, he laughed and said they just needed to take off, insisting that a mountain was not nearly enough to stop the Exitium.
While the ship did its thing, Sara had been asking questions about control of her and Boon’s powers, trying to get a feel for what a War Mage was capable of, and what they were missing.
“What if you don't have a twin?” Sara asked, looking to Boon, who gave her an appreciative smile.
“It is exceedingly rare for a War Mage not to have a twin, but it has happened over the millennia. In that case, it is imperative that the single bond with a guard who will stay close to them. The stronger the emotional link, the more effectively their rage will be siphoned. This puts much pressure on the guard, though, and they will start to decline along with their Mage, so the War Mage needs to split their abilities between constructive and destructive magic to give them both more time. As their bodies become more and more sensitive to the Aether flowing through them, there will come a point when one spell will be enough to push them over the edge,” Alant said, folding his hands into his robe’s sleeves in a way Sara thought was rather pretentious.
“How long can a War Mage go without any checks?” she asked, trying to determine the baseline.
The image of Alant shrugged. “That depends on the War Mage. We are not all created equal; some are more powerful than others, and some are able to fight off the effects of Aether fatigue better than others.”
“So we need to test ourselves without making the mistake of going too far. Great, that sounds safe,” Sara muttered.
“It is not as dangerous as you might guess. There are tactics you can use in your training that will let you push the limits without spilling over.” Alant gestured to the base of the podium he stood on. A section slid open, revealing a row of headbands whose design Sara recognized from the dampeners she had used in her final exam back on Earth. She didn't realize at the time that the tech was of ancient human origin. “With these, you will be able to use your powers to their fullest extent, without channeling so much Aether that endanger yourself. There are physical indicators that you’re going too far, and you must recognize these in yourself before testing those abilities in a real-world situation.”
Sara reached down and picked up three of the devices, handing one to Boon and, beckoning Baxter closer, handing him the third.
“Why do you want me to have one? I’m not a War Mage,” Baxter asked through his armor’s speakers.
“True, but you’re my bonded guard. So my abilities are going to affect you; plus, in a real battle, you will be adding to the overall effect by using your own Aether. So I want you to do a little practice with us.” Sara smiled up at the black faceplate.
“You would like to practice now?” Alant asked, not surprised.
“I was thinking we could just cast ‘til we start feeling whatever it is we’re supposed to feel. Why, do you have something in mind?” she asked the projection.
“It is much more efficient to practice in a simulation. Real-world objectives are a better stress test,” Alant explained.
“True, and if we had a holo room, I would use that,” she agreed, then gestured to the desolate park. “But I don't see one, so—”
She was cut off, as the entire park changed from the barren, dusty landscape to a city street.
“This park was a multi-use room. It provided a place for the pixie travelers to hide, along with an open area for relaxation and entertainment. In addition, it was used as a training ground for the legions onboard,” Alant said, waving a hand at the near-perfect holo projection all around them.
“Okay. This is pretty cool,” Boon said, taking in the alien street.
They were standing in an intersection in a metropolis. Looking up, some of the buildings disappeared into the clouds overhead. The construction was mostly of glass and polymers that reflected the light of the sun down into the canyons between the towering buildings. Sara could se
e vehicles parked on the street, but unlike most street vehicles, they did not have wheels, instead hovering over the metal-like pavement. The design of the buildings had the impression of natural formations, with sweeping twists and lines. There were skybridges made of glass, letting the pedestrians see down to the street below. There were shops full of alien wares lining the ground level, but the city was abandoned, frozen in time; even leaves and the little litter there was hung suspended in the air.
“Where is this city?” Sara asked, trying to take everything in at once.
“This is an intersection in the capital on the planet Asgard, our homeworld.”
Sara wrinkled her brow, and turned to Alant. “Asgard? As in the home of the Norse gods?”
He gave her a blank stare, trying to understand what she was referring to. “I am sorry. I do not understand the question. Who are the Norse?”
She waved a hand. “We can come back to that. So what are these physical tells we should be looking for?”
“The first sign that you are pushing yourself too far will be a buzzing in the head, similar to something vibrating lightly against the base of your skull. If that is ignored, the second sign will be a loss of hearing; not complete, but enough that it will sound as though there is a plug in your ear. The third will be hallucinations. You will see things as you wish them to be, not how they are. For example, when looking for the enemy, if none are to be found, you may replace them in your mind with your own men, seeing them as the enemy. By the time you are this far gone, it is usually too late for you to recognize the danger you are in, and you will be lost to the rage,” Alant said with a frown.
Sara shuddered. She had experienced all three of those on Colony 788. If it were not for Alister, and their then weak, empathic connection, she would have been too far gone, lost to her rage.
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