Wizard Omega (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 4)

by Rodney Hartman

  “There was something else in the wound,” Richard said unsure how to explain it to his fellow wizard scout. “I had to take it into myself. Once I did, my resistor ability handled it from there.”

  “You’re saying because you’re an emp-healer you were able to heal the damage?” said Shatstot.

  Richard shrugged his shoulders. “There may be other ways. That’s just how I did it.”

  “Well are you ready to do it again?” said Shatstot, “Or do you need to recover first?”

  “Again?” Richard asked.

  “Yes, again,” said Liz who’d walked closer to them. “Chloe is my youngest sister. She was also hurt. And, two of her fellow cadets also have wounds from that phase rod of yours.”

  The pain from healing Tianika was still fresh in his mind. Richard wasn’t sure he was ready to take on another wound so quickly. His thoughts must have appeared on his face. Apparently, Liz noticed his reluctance.

  “Chloe’s shoulder is crushed, Rick,” said Liz in a strained voice. “She’s been in extreme pain for the last few days. I only got here on emergency leave last night, but just seeing her suffer tears at my heart. And you broke one of the other cadet’s back. He’s completely paralyzed and can’t even talk. However, you can still see the pain in his eyes.”

  “Now I see why I was brought to Trecor,” said Richard. “You expect me to take all the injuries onto myself. That’s a lot to ask, Liz. You know I’m an emp-healer.”

  Liz was silent. Richard knew she wouldn’t beg. He didn’t want her to. Silence caused him to look to his left. The duke along with his wife and teenage daughter were watching him.

  “Fine,” Richard said. “Where are they? I’ll see what I can do. But…, I may not have enough Power. It just depends on their injuries.”

  “Thank you, wizard scout,” said the duke’s wife, Kristen.

  “I’ll take you there,” said Wizard Scout Shatstot. “It’s not far.”

  Richard turned to follow his former TAC officer. Before he’d made it two steps, a youthful voice shouted at him. “Hey, wizard scout!”

  Richard turned back around. The duke’s daughter, Tianika, held up her right arm and wriggled it in the air. “Thanks.”

  Tianika gave him a half smile. Richard returned the smile and nodded. He was always amazed by the resiliency of youth. Turning, Richard followed Wizard Scout Shatstot.

  As it turned out, he had more than enough guides. The duke, his wife, and both of their daughters accompanied him as well. Richard’s first stop was the duke’s other daughter, Chloe. She was a cutie at only eight years old. And Liz had been right. While Chloe tried to be brave in front of her family, Richard sensed her pain. She was in agony. Fortunately, the healing went quickly. Before long, the girl’s mother and father were helping her out of bed and giving her all the hugs she could handle.

  The next healing was the hardest. Richard had broken one of the cadet’s back, and the demon essence was firmly lodged inside the boy’s spine. It took the remaining Power in Richard’s healing reserve to heal the boy. The pain was agonizing, and Richard passed out for several minutes after the deed was done

  Because his secondary healing reserve was emptied from the healing of the cadet’s back, Richard was forced to use Power from his primary reserve to heal the final cadet. The last cadet he’d hurt with his phase rod had a shattered kneecap. The boy was in bad shape. Richard didn’t like using Power from his primary reserve for healing. He’d promised himself long ago to only use it for offense and defense. However, one look at the demon essence eating away at the cadet had convinced him not to wait until his healing reserve recharged. The boy was in agony. What choice did he have?

  When all was finished, Richard had an awkward few minutes while the duke and his family thanked him. It was a strange situation. Yes, he’d healed their wounded, but he’d been the one to harm them in the first place. He supposed his saving grace was that during the heat of battle, he’d taken the time to heal the young boy he’d hit in the side and belly with his phase rod. As he came to find out, the young boy was Duke Bistoria’s and Duchess Kristen’s son, Daniel.

  It came as a shock to Richard when he realized Liz had been right. He really had almost killed her entire family.

  Fortunately, Liz told him she forgave him, and she eventually apologized for breaking his nose. However, Richard sensed a difference in their relationship. He had a feeling it was going to take a while for her to forgive him completely.

  “Maybe we can get together later,” Richard said to Liz after her parents had left with their youngest daughter. “I’ve got a lot of things to tell you. A lot has been happening.”

  “Sorry, Rick,” said Liz shaking her head. “There’s a war on, remember? I’ve got to get back. My family emergency is over. My fleet needs me now.”

  “But–” began Richard.

  “It can’t be helped, Rick,” said Liz. “Sorry.”

  Liz placed a hand on Richard’s shoulder. “But, if I hear you harm any of my family again, I swear I’ll come back and personally kick your ass from one end of the galaxy to the other. I won’t hold my punches this time.”

  Richard was unsure whether she was joking or not. He’d always had trouble discerning subtle humor. Finally, Liz smiled.

  “It’s a joke,” said Liz. “I keep forgetting you tend to take things too literal.”

  Richard relaxed a little and smiled. “I would never knowingly harm your family. I swear it.”

  “I know,” said Liz. “But you can be very deadly at times. I’m just glad we’re on the same team.”

  “So am I,” Richard said honestly. Liz was a hell of a soldier. No one knew it better than him.

  Another awkward silence followed as Liz and Richard looked into each other’s eyes. They’d been very close at one time.

  “Well, are you guys done saying goodbye?” asked a young, feminine voice. “Or do you want me to find you a room somewhere?”

  Richard glanced to his right. The voice belonged to Tianika. Richard felt his face flush.

  “Uh…, we haven’t formally met,” Richard said trying to normalize the situation somewhat. “My name’s Richard. My friends call me, Rick.”

  “Oh, I know all about you,” said Tianika with a mischievous grin. “Liz’s holo-mail used to gush with Rick this, and Rick that.”

  Richard was surprised by the girl’s playful attitude. Only an hour ago, she’d been in excruciating pain. He decided to ignore that for the moment and concentrate on her comment.

  “Used to?” Richard said with a side glance at Liz.

  “Uh…, I’ve been busy, Rick,” said Liz.

  Richard thought he detected a slight pink on her cheeks.

  “I had my hands full as captain of the Raven,” Liz said in explanation. “And since my promotion to commodore, I’ve had even less time. I’ve been saddled with a hodgepodge of ships damaged from earlier battles. The Imperial High Command has given me one month to retrofit them and get them combat ready. I just don’t have any free time anymore.”

  “Oh, that’s not what I hear, big sister,” said Tianika. “From what I hear, Admiral Donovan and you–”

  “That’s enough, Tia,” said Liz gritting her teeth in an apparent attempt to control her voice. “You’re not so big I can’t turn you over my knee and spank you.”

  “Ha!” said Tianika grinning even wider. “You can try. You’ve gotten soft in your old age, Sis. I’m still young and agile, while you’re stuck behind a desk all day growing fat.”

  Richard found himself forgotten as the two women reverted back to an apparent sibling rivalry. Liz’s tone and attitude was no longer that of an Empire fleet commander.

  “Well, at least I wasn’t taken out of action by a lone foe when I had him outnumbered three hundred to one,” said Liz.

  Her point struck home. Richard saw the sparkle leave Tianika’s eyes. Suddenly, she was no longer smiling.

  “That’s not fair, Liz,” said Tianika. “We didn’t know
we were up against a wizard scout. Besides, you weren’t there. He popped up out of nowhere and took out half my squad before we could react. Even old Cremos was caught by surprise.”

  Tianika looked at Richard. “I don’t mind saying you scared the crap out of us, Rick. We’re all very aware you could’ve killed all us if you’d wanted.”

  “I’m sorry, Tianika,” Richard said. “I–”

  “Tia. Please call me Tia.”

  “All right, Tia,” Richard said. “I’m sorry we got pitted against each other.”

  “Hmm,” said Liz. “It looks to me like you’re making it a habit of fighting Bistoria women. Heck, you even put poor Chloe out of action. Of course, she’s never been much of a fighter.”

  “I–” Richard started.

  “Ignore her, Rick,” said Tia getting some of the sparkle back in her eyes. “She’s still irritated you got her kicked out of the Academy.”

  Richard had a feeling Tia meant her comment as a joke. However, one look at Liz told him she took it seriously.

  “No, I’m not, Rick,” Liz said very seriously. “I… well…”

  “Ahem,” came a noise from behind Richard. It was Wizard Scout Shatstot. He’d remained behind when the duke and duchess had left with Chloe.

  “Tia,” said Shatstot. “Why don’t we leave them alone for a minute? Then we can show Rick where he’ll be bunking down.”

  “I think I’d prefer to st–” started Tia.

  “Go!” said Liz in a no-nonsense voice. “For once in your life, don’t argue.”

  Tia got. So did Wizard Scout Shatstot.

  Richard waited as the two walked down the hallway until they were out of earshot.

  “Your sister seems to have recovered quickly enough. I gather she’s serious about not holding a grudge. Your parents have been more than fair with me as well, all things considered.”

  “Trecorians are warriors,” said Liz. “We always have been. I watched some of the videos from the battle. You fought with honor. My parents respect that.”

  Liz’s voice got quieter. “So do I.”

  Liz tentatively raised a hand to touch Richard’s face. “I’m sorry about your nose and mouth. My family means a lot to me.”

  “I didn’t even know you were a Trecorian,” Richard said. “You never talked about your family. I guess I never pushed because I didn’t have a family to talk about.”

  Liz remained quiet, so Richard tried to lighten the mood. “Heck, I’d probably have been more polite if I’d known you were royalty.”

  ‘See?” said Liz pulling her hand back. “That’s exactly why I changed my name. And just so you know, I’m not royalty. Things work differently here. My father’s a duke. My mother is a duchess. The rest of the family are just regular citizens. We have to earn our way in the world. Nothing’s given to us.”

  From the sound of his friend’s voice, Richard guessed he’d hit a raw nerve. He decided to change the subject. “I stand corrected. So…, who’s this Admiral Donovan; a friend?”

  Richard thought he noticed Liz turning a light pink again.

  “You know, one of these days I’m going to shut Tia’s big mouth in a way she won’t forget,” said Liz.

  Realizing he’d probably walked into another sensitive area, Richard beat a hasty retreat. “Sorry. It’s none of my business.”

  Liz looked Richard right in the eye. She’d never been one to walk away from danger.

  “Tia was talking about Timothy Donovan,” said Liz. “He’s a rear admiral in the Trecorian 9th Fleet. We did a lot of training together during our younger years. That was before I volunteered for Empire duty.”

  Richard was normally not a touchy-feely guy. Emotional situations had a tendency to make him uncomfortable. But in this case, he had a feeling he needed to slog forward. Otherwise, the relationship between Liz and him might never fully recover. At one time, he’d thought he’d loved her.

  Maybe I did at one time, he thought. But now?

  Richard realized while he would always have feelings for Liz, he really considered her a friend more than anything else. And, he really wanted to keep her as a friend.

  “You know, Liz…,” Richard said trying to be tactful but realizing he was probably already failing miserably.

  The heck with it, he thought, once a Marine, always a Marine. I prefer a direct frontal assault anyway.

  “Are this admiral and you still close?” Richard asked. “If so, I just want you to know I’m happy for you. You deserve a good man.”

  Liz seemed surprised. “Rick. Uh…, you’ve changed since I saw you last year. You’re different somehow.”

  “Well,” Richard admitted. “Time changes things. In one respect, it’s only been a year since we last saw each other. But if you count my missions for ‘the One’, the battle at the Academy was decades ago.”

  Liz gave Richard a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, Rick. I forget what you go through sometimes. Decades, you say?”

  “In theory,” Richard said shrugging his shoulders. “To be honest, it really doesn’t seem that long. Most of my time-commando stuff blurs together. Large parts of it have become more like a half-remembered dream than a reality. Heck, I’ve got large gaps in my timeline where I don’t even have a memory of what I did.”

  Richard leaned back against the wall. He suddenly felt tired. Every wizard scout had an internal clock which had their DNA baseline as its starting point. Richard had large gaps in his timeline where ‘the One’ had apparently totally erased his memory.

  “To be honest, Liz, those gaps scare the hell out of me. I’ve done some bad things during the missions I remember. Why do I have gaps? Did I do something so horrible ‘the One’ purposely erased it from my memory?”

  Seconds passed without Liz saying anything. Finally she spoke in a voice more tender than he’d ever heard her speak.

  “I can’t speak for what you’ve done elsewhere. But I do know what you’ve done here today was a good thing.” She paused before adding, “Hang onto the good. Don’t tear yourself apart worrying about bad things you may or may not have done.”

  Richard nodded his head. He knew she was right.

  But it’s easier said than done, he thought.

  “Look, Rick,” said Liz. Her voice almost sounded like she was embarrassed. “I’d like to stay and talk more, but I really have to go. A shuttle is waiting to take me to an orbiting transport. They’ve already delayed their departure for me.

  “I understand,” Richard said. He knew he wasn’t the only one with problems. “Stay careful. I’d hate to lose a good friend.”

  Liz smiled. “We’ll always be friends, Rick. And I’m depending on you to take care of my family while I’m gone. You owe me that for getting me kicked out of the Academy.” She followed her comment with a dazzling smile to let him know she wasn’t serious.

  Turning to look down the hallway, Liz raised her voice. “All right you two. He’s all yours. I’ve got a war to fight.”

  Chapter 25 – Tram Ride

  _____________________________________

  Wizard Scout Shatstot led the way to an underground hover-tram station. They lucked out, and a four-car hover-tram pulled into the station within thirty seconds of their arrival. They entered one of the cars and found an empty cabin. After they were seated, Richard commented on their good timing.

  “Oh, it wasn’t all that lucky,” said Tia. “It’s a shift change for the hospital, so hover-trams are pulling in and out every five minutes.”

  The once again jovial teenager had accompanied Wizard Scout Shatstot and Richard to the hospital’s underground hover-tram station. He wasn’t sure why.

  “You know, Tia,” Richard said. “It’s very kind of you to come with us, but I’m sure Wizard Scout Shatstot could’ve handled it fine.”

  “Terrie,” said Wizard Scout Shatstot. “Call me Terrie. I’m medically retired from the Empire now, so while I’ll always officially be a wizard scout, the title seems a little formal.”

&
nbsp; Richard was surprised at his former TAC officer’s claim to be medically retired. Physically, he seemed fit. Richard was momentarily tempted to run a scan of his former TAC officer’s Power link and reserve, but he refrained. It had been his experience most people with sizeable Power reserves took uninvited scans as a declaration of war.

  “You’re no longer on active duty, uh…, Terrie?” Richard asked. He assumed asking would get the same information he could get with an active scan without any of the potentially deadly consequences.

  “Does that surprise you?” said Terrie. “I’m sure Chief Instructor Winslow pounded it in your head when you were a cadet the life expectancy of a wizard scout is five years. I was on active duty for fifteen years, so I beat the law of averages.”

  “What happened?” Richard asked more than a little curious. “You look fit enough.”

  “Humph,” said Terrie with a snort of disgust. “That’s what I tried to tell the medical review board, but they wouldn’t listen to reason. I was too close to a nuke when it went off. My Power reserve was damaged. All I’m good for now is healing others. Offensive and defensive actions put too much of a strain on my reserve.”

  “So how did–” Richard started before he was interrupted by Tia.

  “Have you two about caught up on old times?” Tia said frowning and sounding perturbed. “I’m here too, you know.”

  Terrie caught Richard’s eyes and gave a wink. “Oh, Tia, you know we couldn’t ignore you for long. Why don’t you explain to our friend here what I’m doing on Trecor. I’ll bet he’s curious.”

  Richard was. It was exactly the question he was going to ask before he’d been interrupted.

  “Fine,” said Tia losing her frown. “Terrie’s a Trecorian. Where else do you think he’d go after he retired?”

  Richard shrugged his shoulders. He hadn’t really thought much about his former TAC officer’s background. Richard supposed his battle computer would tell him he should take more interest in people.

  “Before he volunteered as a wizard scout,” said Tia, “Terrie was assigned to the 147th Mechanized Regiment. That’s my unit as well. That’s also the unit where you’ve been assigned. All unmarried personnel live at the barracks. It’s an unwritten law.”