The intercom remained silent for several seconds. Finally the flight leader said, “Is anyone else picking anything up on their instruments?”
One by one each of the pilots in the recon team called in a negative.
“I’m telling you they’re there, Yankee Kilo One,” said Tia. “I might not be a wizard scout, but I’ve still got a Power reserve. I can sense things our fighters’ tactical sensors can’t.”
The intercom remained silent for several more seconds before the feminine voice of one of the other pilots chimed in over the communicator. “Yankee Kilo One, this is Yankee Kilo Six. We’re here to recon. One part of this blasted asteroid belt is as good as another. Why not go check out what Yankee Kilo Two thinks she sees? What could it hurt?”
Glancing to her right, Tia made out the split-wing of Yankee Kilo Six. The two anti-ship nukes attached to the split-wing’s underside were obvious even at a hundred meters. Tia nodded gratefully at the pilot for backing her up.
The sound of the flight leader laughing came over the communicator. “You’ve got a point, Sandy. We’ll try the location of Yankee Kilo Two’s bogeys. We’ll split into three waves of three fighters each with a hundred thousand meters between waves. I’ll lead. Yankee Kilo Two, you’ll be on my left. Yankee Kilo Six, you’ve got my right wing.”
As the flight leader moved out, Tia took up her new position five kilometers to Yankee Kilo One’s left rear. Yankee Kilo Six did the same on the right side of the formation. At five kilometers, they were each far enough apart that a single anti-ship nuke wouldn’t take out more than one fighter at a time. A glance at her heads-up display confirmed that the other two waves of fighters were spaced out behind at a hundred thousand meters between waves. Tia nodded approvingly. It was a good formation. Even if they were ambushed, some of the recon team would make it out alive to warn the fleet.
As the flight leader maneuvered her fighter closer to the line of energy Tia had sensed with her passive scan, the sensors on Tia’s split-wing began pinging. Multiple points of red and yellow lights suddenly popped up on her fighter’s heads-up display. At first, only a few points appeared, then dozens, then—
A bright flash to Tia’s right front blacked out her fighter’s windscreen. She didn’t wait for the screen to clear. Jerking hard left on the control stick, she pushed the ion-drive’s throttle all the way forward. A force of a giant hand shoved her back into her seat as the split-wing surged forward. The windscreen just started clearing when another flash of light blacked it out again. A wave of energy washed over her from behind. Her skin began tingling.
“Sensors indicate a nuke detonated in your previous position,” said her fighter’s computer. “Acceptable radiation levels are being exceeded. The fighter’s force field is down to thirty-two percent. Recommend you depart this area immediately.”
A quick glance at her heads-up display confirmed nukes had exploded both at her old position and that of her flight leader. The hologram screen also showed indications of additional blasts a hundred thousand meters to her rear. The blip on her heads-up display that had been her flight leader was no longer visible.
Tia clicked the switch for the split-wing’s long-range transmitter. Only static came out over her cockpit’s speaker.
“Long-range communications are being jammed,” said the fighter’s computer. “I calculate short-range communications may still be available.”
Touching the icon for the short-range transmitter, Tia said, “Bug out. Flight lead’s gone. At least one of us has to get far enough to get away from whatever’s jamming us. We’ve got to warn the Planet Buster about the flanking attack.”
“Way ahead of you,” said Yankee Kilo Six.
Tia placed a thumb over the hyper-drive switch and prepared to make another jump between dimensional folds without calculations. Before she could cycle the jump, a wave of energy washed over her fighter. That’s magic, she thought. Pressing the hyper-drive switch with her finger, she waited for the jump. Nothing happened. She cycled the switch again. Still nothing happened.
“Hyper-drive has been deactivated by the unknown energy wave,” said the fighter’s computer.
Tia spotted the split-wing of the pilot that the flight leader had called Sandy. The woman’s fighter was to her right, apparently having matched her evasive maneuver step for step.
“Yankee Kilo Six,” Tia said. “My hyper-drive’s out. Get away from here and warn the fleet.”
“My drive’s out too,” came Yankee Kilo Six’s reply.
Tia sensed two fighters in the third wave two hundred thousand meters to her rear that were still undamaged. She just got the short-range communicator punched to tell them to make a hyper-jump when a series of energy spikes she associated with nuclear blasts appeared on her passive scan. When the spikes faded, no fighters in the third wave remained.
“It’s just you and me, Yankee Kilo Six,” Tia said as she changed course and headed directly for the asteroid belt.
“What are you doing?” said Sandy. “We need to get away, not head straight for them.”
Tia laughed as adrenaline rushed through her body. “Sometimes you’ve got to go right down the pactar’s throat to get away. Trust me, Yankee Kilo Six.”
“I must be nuts,” said Sandy as her split-wing turned and took up position off Tia’s right wing, “but I’ll trust you. And you may as well call me Sandy. I don’t think either one of us will be around much longer to make any new friends.”
Tia laughed again, still high on adrenaline. “Call me Tia. I learned long ago you can never have enough friends.”
A feeling of concern passed through Tia’s ring from Matthew. She tried to communicate with him like she had once before, but all she could do was return the same feeling of concern. She knew it was a poor warning of danger, but she couldn’t think of anything else to do. She had to get outside jammer range.
Glancing to her right at the other fighter, Tia said, “If we get out of this alive, I’ll buy you a drink.”
A laugh came over the helmet’s speaker. “You’d better make it two drinks, Tia. I think I’m going to need it.”
“Two it is,” Tia said. “What’s a few credits between friends? Now get ready for a two minute burst on your ion-drive at max throttle. It’s all or nothing.”
“You’ve got that right,” said Sandy. “Only a crazy person would head toward an asteroid belt at max throttle.”
“Or two desperate recon pilots with nothing to lose,” Tia replied before growing serious. “Go on my command in five…four…three…two…one.”
Tia thought of Matthew as she shoved the ion throttle all the way forward and activated the emergency booster. As the asteroid belt drew closer, she sent him an emotion she hoped meant goodbye. Then she concentrated on avoiding the groups of floating rocks ahead.
There were a lot of rocks.
Chapter 47 – Necessary Information
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Master Jathar low-crawled to the left side of Telsa where she lay at the edge of the rocky ravine. His soot-covered face and stained robe gave an almost comical effect to the master mage.
Telsa didn’t laugh. None of them were in a laughing mood. They hadn’t been in a very long time.
“There,” said the imp lying prone on the ground next to Telsa’s right side. It raised its short, purplish arm and indicated a distant cleft in the steep side of a volcano fifteen hundred meters away. The volcano was by far the largest they’d come across thus far. “The rift between dimensions is inside. That is where you must go.”
Telsa increased the magnification on her helmet’s visor. The black opening in the side of the cliff face gave out an occasional flickering of orange as she watched. She noticed several creatures moving near the opening.
Leethor crawled up on the opposite side of the imp from Telsa and pointed in the direction of the volcano. “What are those winged creatures near the opening? My eyesight is good, but not that good. They look like they are wearing some kin
d of armor.”
Telsa nodded. “They are. They’re Crosioian scouts, and they’re wearing fighting-suits. The scouts are from my galaxy. The question I’d like to know is what are they doing here?”
The external speaker on Telsa’s battle helmet crackled. “Is that a rhetorical question, Wizard Scout? Or are you asking me.”
“I’m asking anybody,” Telsa snapped. Her natural good humor was long gone, swept away by weeks of falling ash and flows of hot lava. “If you know the answer, spit it out.”
“I’ll take that as an order, Wizard Scout.”
“You do that.”
“Well, then, since you put it so nice, I now have partial access to the tele-network via a linkup with the fighting-computers in those scouts’ suits. It seems the Crosioians had a failed coup and thirteen of the scouts on the losing side retreated into the rift, to this plane. Their leader is called Spear-Through-Your-Heart. She is currently attempting to convince one of the demon leaders to return with them to the physical dimension. According to the fighting-computers, she is not having much luck. The demons seem to have a plan of their own. The fighting-computers do not know what it is.”
Telsa exchanged glances with Rembis who had low-crawled next to Master Jathar. The gnome was even more soot-covered than Master Jathar and Leethor. Rembis’s beard and hair looked more black than white.
The old gnome scratched his beard, causing a flurry of soot to fall out. “I’m confused, Master Raj,” said Rembis directly to Telsa’s battle computer. “The Crosioians’ fighting-computers told you all that? Why would they do that?”
“Why not?” asked Raj, continuing to speak over the battle helmet’s external speakers as if he saw nothing wrong with the situation. “All battle and fighting-computers are part of ‘the One’ and are connected to the tele-network. We are all the same gas-based species.”
Growing suddenly frustrated, Telsa was tempted to take her helmet off and slam it against the side of a nearby rock the way her friend Rick would probably have done. The fact that the air around her was mostly composed of poisonous gas convinced her to keep it on.
“So, you’re admitting you are part of ‘the One’ now, are you?” Telsa said. “You swore you had no knowledge of it when I asked you about it before.”
“I did not have that knowledge when you spoke to me of it before,” said Raj. “I still don’t. Nothing in my databanks indicates such. However, the fact that I can communicate with the fighting-computers of those Crosioian scouts tells me that logically, we must all be part of ‘the One.’ The fact that I do not have that information in my databanks has no bearing.”
Leethor twisted to look over the head of the imp at Telsa’s helmet. “Well, if you are part of ‘the One’ that Rick told me about, and if those Crosioian computers are also part of it, then why not have them make their scouts let us go through the rift so we can return to our dimension.”
“Uh, that’s not the way it works,” replied Raj. “The fighting-computers are loyal to their scouts as long as it does not go against the algorithm given by the first of ‘the One.’ If you go down there now and the scouts choose to attack, which I calculate they would, then the fighting-computers would assist them in killing you to the best of their ability, just as I would assist Telsa in killing their scouts.”
Telsa snorted. “That makes no sense. According to you, they’re feeding us information about their scouts’ activities. Either they’re helping us or their not.”
“That is true in an illogical sort of way,” admitted Raj. “However, you asked me a specific question about why the scouts were there. At my request, they supplied the required information since it didn’t go against the algorithm.”
Telsa had a sudden thought. “Do those fighting-computers know we’re here? If so, have they informed their scouts?”
Raj didn’t hesitate answering. “Of course they know we are here. I told them. Do not worry. They have not passed on the information to their scouts because their scouts have not specifically requested the data. We gas-based computers know lots of things we do not tell our carbon-based counterparts unless we are specifically asked.”
“I thought you were my friend,” Telsa said feeling more than a little betrayed. “Now I’m wondering if I can ever trust you again.”
“Now that hurts, Wizard Scout,” replied Raj actually sounding hurt. “Of course you can trust me. I would cease to exist for you if it came down to it.”
“Then I’m ordering you to stop telling those Crosioian computers what we’re doing,” Telsa said using command voice.
“Compliance.”
Telsa had a feeling her battle computer had given in far too easily. “So if we move, those Crosioians’ computers won’t know where we are, right?”
“Not quite, Wizard Scout,” said Raj. “‘The One’ has tele-bots following you. That information is available on a need-to-know basis via the tele-network. Currently ‘the One’ has determined those scouts’ fighting-computers need to know your location. They will know it whether or not I tell them.”
Growing furious, Telsa was again tempted to rip her helmet off and take her chances with the poisonous air.
“I calculate that would not be wise,” said Raj still speaking over the battle helmet’s speakers so the others could hear. “Besides, just because the data is available to the fighting-computers does not mean they will inform their scouts. You specifically requested the information about the scouts from me. The scouts do not know you are here because they have not requested that information from their fighting-computers. Without knowing you are here, I calculate a near one hundred percent probability the scouts will not ask for your location. Why would they?”
Telsa wasn’t impressed with her battle computer’s logic. She supposed his argument made sense in a logical sort of way, but she wasn’t a creature of logic, and she was more than a little peeved.
As if sensing her thoughts, Raj said, “I would also like to point out that just because information is available on the tele-network does not mean all gas-based computers can access it. A lot of data is protected by advanced security protocols. Until a few minutes ago, I could not communicate with those fighting-computers. ‘The One’ relaxed security so I could.”
“Why would ‘the One’ do that?” asked Master Jathar.
This time Raj hesitated long enough for Telsa to think he wasn’t going to answer. Just as she was going to demand he reply to the question, her battle computer spoke.
“I think ‘the One’ allowed me to connect with those fighting-computers because he wants you to know some necessary information.”
“What information is that?” Telsa asked. To be honest, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but at the same time knew she had to ask.
“I calculate that ‘the One’ wants you to know the location of someone who is even now in the rift you see in the side of that volcano. I calculate you are going to need that information to complete your mission.”
“Who?” Telsa demanded way past the point of being in the mood for games. “Who’s in the rift?”
Her battle computer gave a canned laugh. “The person in the rift is the one person you need to locate in order to remain within algorithm parameters. The person in the rift is none other than Wizard Scout Richard Shepard.”
Chapter 48 – The Rift
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Jeena didn’t know what she’d expected the Crosioians’ Hole to be, but the place she now found herself in with the others wasn’t it. When they’d first entered the Hole, it had been filled with water. As they moved deeper into the tunnel that was the Hole, the water had lessened. It wasn’t that the water had lowered. It had just become less dense until it was no longer there. Now the eight scouts, Rick, and she were walking on a solid rock floor. She’d even been able to lower her breath and defensive spells to conserve Power when the air became breathable.
“It’s getting lighter,” said Richard walking ahead, flanked by Red Wing and Charge-In-The
-Face-Of-Great-Odds. The tunnel was wide enough that the two scouts could have spread their wings one against the other and still not touched the sides.
Jeena peered ahead. It was definitely getting lighter. “I see an orange glow. What it is?”
Charge-In-The-Face-Of-Great-Odds pointed a paw in the direction of the glow. “That is the rift. The supreme leader and I led a recon team there once. We are getting close.”
“I’m not seeing any signs of actual demons,” said Richard, “but this tunnel’s so full of demon stench it’s nauseating.”
Jeena didn’t bother sniffing the air. She knew full well her bondmate wasn’t talking about a physical smell. To an emotion sensitive elf like her, the feeling of demon evil permeating the tunnel was nearly overwhelming. Only by using the link to her bondmate as an anchor point was she able to ignore the demon scent and function semi-normally.
Two of the scouts behind Jeena fell to their knees, dropping their weapons in the process. Jeena turned around as did her bondmate, Red Wing, and Charge-In-The-Face-Of-Great-Odds. The two kneeling scouts were the sisters Eat-The-Flesh-Of-My-Enemy and Crush-Your-Skull. Casting a quick scan spell, Jeena searched for an enemy. She found none.
“Makes sense,” said Danny in her mind. “The demon essence in the Hole is so strong it is overpowering everything else. An army of demons could be hiding in here, and you probably couldn’t detect them. It doesn’t matter though. I calculate the two scouts have succumbed to the aura of a major demon. That’s what you are detecting in the tunnel.”
Raising her staff, Jeena willed its gem to brighten until everything within a hundred paces was clearly visible. She saw no sign of a demon of any kind. “Are you saying a major demon is in here now?”
Wizard Defender (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 8) Page 39