No, Richard growled using the dolgar’s language. Stay. I return soon.
The stallion sent Richard an emotion letting him know it wasn’t happy.
Too bad, Richard thought making sure he wasn’t sending his words to the stallion. You’ll just have to deal with it.
The stallion and Richard had fought as allies on several missions over the years, but that didn’t mean they were friends. As Richard had come to find out from one of the dolgar pups, the spirit-horse only condescended to carry him as a favor to Sheeta. He had no doubt if the stallion had its druthers, it would quite happily leave him stranded on Diajor.
As the guard passed overhead, Richard sent out lines of Power to deactivate the prison’s video and audio equipment monitoring the hallway. He also disabled all of the monitoring equipment for the hallway’s cells as well as that of the nearest control room. Simultaneously, Richard rose through the hallway floor. When his feet were clear, he shifted back into the physical dimension directly behind the guard.
Although the guard was a large, burly man, he went down easily enough with a single hand chop to the side of his neck. Richard grudgingly gave a silent thanks to the hundreds of hours his Academy TAC officer had spent training their cadets in hand-to-hand combat. Wasting no time, he grabbed the stun rod on the guard’s belt before the unconscious man even hit the floor. In the blink of an eye, Richard was halfway down the hall and running hard for the locked door to the control room for this section of the prison.
Reaching out with his mind, Richard coaxed the locking mechanism’s energy to complete the circuit necessary to open the control-room door. Pneumatic pistons started sliding a thick metal panel to one side. Before the door even completed opening, Richard twisted his body sideways and fairly flew into the room beyond. Three guards were inside. Two of them were fiddling with an array of video screens which were currently showing static instead of what Richard assumed would be their normal views of the hallway and cells. The third guard was standing a couple of meters away holding a multi-barreled riot gun. Richard sensed stun rounds inside the magazine of the guard’s weapon.
The armed guard raised her riot gun. Richard could tell from the confused look on her face she was having trouble picking out a target. While Richard’s camouflage suit didn’t make him invisible, from experience, he knew his form would only appear as an indistinct blur against the background behind it.
Before the armed guard could fully react, Richard was on her. A blow to the side of her head with his confiscated stun rod dropped the woman to her knees. The riot gun fell from her limp hands. Scooping up the riot gun, Richard turned towards the remaining guards.
The two guards near the video displays were scrambling to separate. One of the guards grabbed for a hand blaster on his hip. Richard didn’t give him time to complete his move. He pulled the trigger on the riot gun. The weapon’s six barrels coughed a hand length of fire out its tubes as its stun rounds separated into a hundred and twenty individual pellets of energy. The guard was knocked back into the wall behind. His handgun remained in his holster as he fell to the floor.
The remaining guard didn’t try for her weapon. Instead, she dove for a red button on a nearby control panel. Richard intercepted her and threw her against the wall. The guard pulled a stun rod from her belt and swung at Richard’s head. Thanks to his camouflage suit, the guard’s aim was off. She hit Richard’s right collarbone instead of his head. A flash of pain shot up his shoulder as he heard the sound of a snapping bone.
Semi-blinded from the flash of pain, Richard reached out to where his passive scan told him the guard was located and punched her in the solar plexus. He heard a whoosh of air. As his vision returned, he saw the guard bending over holding her stomach. He gave the guard a quick chop to the back of the neck. She joined her two companions on the floor.
Glancing at his passive scan, Richard made sure the three guards weren’t seriously injured. They weren’t his enemy. From their energy flows, he could tell they were just unconscious. They’d be hurting when they woke, but they’d be alive.
Using his passive scan on the instruments in the control room, Richard let their energy fill his mind. He found what he sought. Moving to a nearby console, he flicked off a switch over a label reading cell 24.
Without wasting anymore time, Richard ran back into the hallway. The roving guard was trying to raise himself into a sitting position. Richard put him back on the floor with a half kick to the side of the head.
Without stopping, Richard continued running until he was even with cell 24. He pushed on the door. It was still locked.
Damn, Richard thought.
Reaching out with his mind, Richard spotted the problem. A backup locking mechanism had activated when he’d turned off the primary lock. Although the energy flow in the secondary lock was less complex than many of the locks he’d disabled during his life, Richard didn’t think he had the time to mess with it right now. He had no doubt other control stations were even now trying to figure out what was going on with the monitoring equipment in this section of the prison. They were bound to sound the alarm soon.
As if in confirmation of Richard’s thought, a loud clanging began reverberating throughout the prison. Ignoring his usual preference for conserving Power, Richard shifted into the void again. He was much more efficient at dimensional shifting than he’d once been, but his shift was still Power hungry nonetheless. Richard could feel his Power reserve draining at a pace much faster than he would like.
While the secondary lock had been activated to secure the door, the titanium in the cell’s door and walls was no longer energized. Consequently, Richard had no problem levitating himself through the door to the cell on the other side. The room’s lone prisoner was sitting on his cot looking confusedly at the solid door. The prisoner was Sergeant Hendricks.
Richard shifted back into the physical dimension as he thumbed the off switch for his camouflage suit. The focus of Sergeant Hendricks’ eyes shifted to the strips of camouflage cloth covering Richard’s face and eyes.
“Who are you?” demanded Sergeant Hendricks as he jumped to his feet and raised his hands into a martial-arts defensive position.
Although Richard had disabled the monitoring equipment in this section of the prison, he had no doubt technicians were even now trying to return all of it to working order. Plus, he figured the prison was probably inundated with tele-bots. Although certain individuals would undoubtedly guess he was the one responsible for the prison break, Richard had no desire to give them physical evidence which could be used during a court martial.
Pulling a card out of a pocket on his camouflage suit, Richard faced the card towards Sergeant Hendricks. The card read: Can’t talk; voice recognition. Do you want to be free? Yes or no?
Richard figured Sergeant Hendricks’ mind must work faster than his, because the ex-Academy armorer didn’t hesitate with his answer.
“Hell yeah, I want out of this stinkin’ place,” said Sergeant Hendricks. “How–”
Without giving the sergeant time to start asking questions, Richard wrapped both of them in Power and shifted them into the void. Sergeant Hendricks gave a half-scream, half-expletive, as Richard levitated both of them down into the floor. Richard felt sorry for Sergeant Hendricks. He knew the feeling of being encased in solid material was a terrifying experience. Richard wished he’d had the time to explain, but he hadn’t, so there was nothing he could do about it. He just kept levitating both of them downward until their heads disappeared into the cell’s floor. They were in the void.
Richard made a desperate call to his spirit-horse. Shifting himself into the void required a lot of Power. Shifting two people effectively doubled the Power requirement. Richard cursed when he realized the stallion had moved. Before he could think of a secondary plan, the stallion appeared next to him. Richard mounted on the spirit-horse as he pulled Sergeant Hendricks in front of him. Black tendrils came out of the stallion and wrapped around his hips and legs securing hi
m to the spirit-horse’s back. Richard noticed the stallion didn’t bother trying to secure Sergeant Hendricks. Richard clutched the armorer tight and sent the image of Trecor’s primary spaceport terminal to the stallion. Richard was thankful Nickelo had made him memorize the image earlier. He dropped his dimensional shift when he felt the Power from the stallion take over. Fortunately, the stallion condescended to shifting Sergeant Hendricks into the void as well as him.
The spirit-horse and its riders vibrated as the stallion shifted completely into a second dimension. Richard saw and felt a blur of landscapes as the spirit-horse jumped from one dimension to another. How it navigated was beyond Richard. But he’d ridden the stallion enough during missions for ‘the One’ to know it could find its way around multiple galaxies without any problem. Richard had confidence in his mount. Unfortunately, he had no idea how long it would take to reach Trecor.
When the stallion shifted onto a planet with breathable air, Richard took a moment to verbally explain what was happening to Sergeant Hendricks. All things considered, the sergeant took the news relatively well. Their respite didn’t last long as the stallion shifted them back into the void and dove into the solid rock below. Everything went black once again.
After another five minutes, Richard sensed the stallion shift into another dimension. This dimension felt familiar. Richard was fairly certain they were back in the physical dimension. Lifeforms registering on his passive scan told Richard the stallion had stopped a few meters below the surface of whatever world they were at. Richard sent an active scan overhead. He sensed energy flows he associated with starships and other heavy equipment. They’d reached their destination.
Wrapping both Sergeant Hendricks and himself with Power, Richard took over their dimensional shift in the void. He sent a thought of them getting off to the stallion. The tendrils securing him to the spirit-horse’s back withdrew, as Richard levitated upward. He sent a thought of thanks to the stallion. The ornery spirit-horse didn’t bother answering. Richard sensed him shifting into another dimension. Then he was gone.
Yeah, same to you buddy, Richard thought. After several missions with the stallion, he still didn’t have a good handle on their relationship.
Shrugging it off, Richard continued levitating Sergeant Hendricks and himself upward. They emerged through thick asphalt into bright sunlight. Richard sensed hundreds if not thousands of lifeforms around him. Someone screamed in fright. Before long, a score of armed security guards arrived. A few seconds later, both Sergeant Hendricks and he were lying on the ground with their hands secured behind their backs. Richard didn’t try to resist.
“Sorry boys,” Richard said in Empire standard. “Did we forget to pass through immigration?”
The guards were not amused. One of them gave Richard a kick in the ribs.
Tough audience, Richard thought as he suppressed a groan. He wondered if Nickelo would approve of the way he’d handled the prison break.
Richard doubted it.
Chapter 22 – Duke Bistoria
_____________________________________
The man standing before Richard was tall. He was at least a hands breath taller than Richard. The big man’s blond hair and penetrating blue-steel eyes met Richard’s as if he were trying to read his mettle.
“Leave us,” said the tall man to the two guards standing on either side of Richard.
The guards snapped to attention and saluted. “Yes, sir!”
With a precise movement Richard could appreciate from his years at the Academy, the guards made an about face and left the room.
Two other individuals were in the room as well. One was a female dressed in the uniform of a mechanized soldier. Richard recognized the rank insignia as the Trecorians’ version of a colonel. An older man in a naval uniform stood next to her. Richard was pretty sure he was some kind of admiral, but he wasn’t sure of the level. The two stood at parade rest in deference to the blond-haired man. The blond-haired man was Duke Bistoria, commander-in-chief of the Trecorian armed forces. According to Nickelo’s pre-mission briefing, the duke was also the interim political-leader of the Trecorian Planetary Alliance.
“When we were notified your scheduled teleport had been cancelled,” said the duke as he continued to eye Richard, “we assumed you weren’t coming.”
Richard stood at parade rest. The scene felt familiar. It reminded him of all the times he’d stood in front of the Commandant during his Academy days.
“Sorry, sir. I was inadvertently delayed. I had to make alternate transportation arrangements.”
For a moment, Richard thought he saw the corners of the duke’s lips twitch as if he wanted to smile, but that he was forcing himself to appear stern.
“And you brought company,” said the duke. “Admiral Formida, you look like you want to say something. Spit it out, John. I know you’re chomping at the steering levers to speak.”
“My duke,” said the older man in a voice hinting at years of familiarity. “In answer to our query, the Empire has informed us one of our prisoners is in fact an escaped convict from Diajor. They also hinted this prisoner, err… this wizard scout, is a prime suspect as an accessory to the escape.”
“These men are our guests,” corrected Duke Bistoria. “They aren’t our prisoners.”
“Uh…, of course, my duke,” said Admiral Formida. “But nevertheless, our second… err… guest, broke out of Diajor just a few hours before they showed up here. Our sources in the Empire say our second ‘guest’ is considered dangerous.”
“Hmm,” said the duke as he switched his attention back to Richard. “Is your friend dangerous?”
“No, sir,” Richard said. “He’s just…, uh…, misunderstood.”
This time Richard was sure he saw the corners of the duke’s lips twitch. But the duke quickly got his emotions under control. “I suspect you’re wondering why we requested your transfer to Trecor, Wizard Scout Shepard.”
“Yes, sir,” Richard admitted. “I was told it had something to do with training. But…”
“But you think there might be more to it than that,” said the duke more as a statement than a question.
“It does seem strange,” Richard said.
The duke looked at Richard for several seconds as if struggling with an internal battle. Richard met the duke’s gaze straight on. Finally, the duke nodded his head as if coming to a decision.
“The truth is we do want your assistance in training,” said the duke.
Richard noticed the female’s lips twitch as if she wanted to disagree, but she remained silent. The duke must have noticed the twitch as well.
“This is Colonel Santos,” said the duke with a gesture towards the female. “She’s in charge of the 147th Mechanized Regiment. They’re the personal guard of the Bistoria family. You’ll be attached to her unit for the initial part of your assignment on Trecor.
Richard gave the colonel a nod of his head in acknowledgment. She gave a curt nod in return. The colonel gave Richard the impression she didn’t consider his assignment to her unit an honor.
“But, you’re correct,” said Duke Bistoria. “That’s not the only reason you’re here.”
The duke turned his attention back to the two officers. “Admiral, colonel, would you excuse us, please?”
“Sir?” said the admiral.
“I’d like to be alone with our guest.”
“Uh…, yes. Of course, sir,” said the admiral. “I’ll send the guards back in.”
“That won’t be necessary, admiral,” said the duke.
The admiral opened his mouth but immediately closed it. He glared at Richard giving him a non-verbal warning to behave. Then the admiral snapped to attention and saluted the duke. “Yes, sir.”
The colonel followed suit. Once the duke returned their salutes, the two officers left the room through a door to their rear. When the door slid shut behind them, the duke seemed to relax.
Sitting down, the duke leaned back in his chair and eyed Richard.
“You were outnumbered twelve to one on planet X3321, but you still took out four of our best crews.”
Richard said nothing. He’d been nervous about coming on this assignment in the first place. The two hours of interrogation he’d been subjected to before being brought to the duke’s office had done nothing to alleviate his uneasiness. Plus, he was unsure of the whereabouts of Sergeant Hendricks. They’d been separated shortly after their unannounced arrival. Richard figured his best option was to say as little as possible until he got a better lay of the land.
“What was your mission on planet X3321?” asked the duke. He was apparently not one to waste time beating around the galaxy.
“Uh…, sir,” Richard said. “I’m sure you know I can neither confirm nor deny missions.”
“Naturally,” said the duke. “I expected no less.”
The duke touched the side of his nose with a finger and then leaned forward as if sharing a confidence. “Then let me hazard a guess. You were sent to planet X3321 to acquire information about a recent anomaly in our sector.”
Richard tried not to give away his surprise, but based upon the half smile on the duke’s face, Richard had a feeling he wasn’t succeeding.
“Ah…,” said the duke. “Based upon your reaction, I’m guessing our information was correct. Would it surprise you to know we were warned someone would be coming? And, we knew the exact date and time?”
This time, Richard knew he wasn’t doing a very good job of keeping the surprise off his face. “Who gave you that information, sir?”
“Come now, wizard scout. Surely you don’t expect me to reveal my sources any more than you’re willing to confirm your mission.”
The duke gave a slight smile. “But I will tell you we didn’t know who was coming, only that someone would be. If I’d known it was going to be the hero of last year’s Academy battle, I’d probably have handled things differently.”
Richard was confused. Thanks to a few stories on the IEN station, he was not unknown in some parts of the Empire, but he was hardly famous in his opinion. “Me, sir?”
Wizard Omega (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 4) Page 23