Wizard Omega (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 4)

by Rodney Hartman

  “Oh,” Richard said suddenly understanding why the duke’s daughter was with them. “So you live there too? I just assumed you lived at the palace.”

  Both Tia and Terrie laughed. They were friendly laughs, so Richard forced himself not to be insulted. A part of him had never liked being laughed at. However, Richard had gotten a lot better over the years at controlling that part of his ego.

  “What I’d say?” Richard said. “Why are you laughing?”

  “Well,” said Tia. “I’m laughing because I’m trying to figure out what palace you’re talking about. Didn’t you read up on Trecor before you came here?”

  “Uh…, only a little,” Richard admitted. “I was a little busy for too much in-depth research.”

  “So we heard,” laughed Terrie. “Between preventing Councilwoman Deloris’ assassination and breaking Sergeant Hendricks out of Diajor, I suppose you had a pretty full schedule.”

  “You did what?” said Tia.

  Richard got the impression she was more impressed than shocked.

  “Now wait a minute,” Richard said confused how he’d gotten put on the defensive so quickly. “Don’t go making accusations you can’t prove. I’m not admitting to anything.”

  “I doubt you’ll have to,” Terrie said still laughing. “Half the galaxy saw the IEN videos of you coming out of the ground last year on that demon horse of yours. I don’t think it’s going to take an astral physicist to determine who broke Hendricks out of prison.”

  “What videos?” demanded Tia. “I didn’t get to see any videos. Mother and Father never let me see anything good.”

  Richard remained quiet, but Terrie laughed playfully.

  “I’ll let you take a look at them tonight,” said Terrie. “I was deployed off planet at the time of the attack on Velos, so I didn’t personally see it happen. However, I’ve talked to a couple of the other wizard scout instructors who were there. Between the dimensional-shifting wolves and the demon horse, I think some of the Conglomerate soldiers probably had to put on clean underwear afterwards.”

  Tia giggled. Her blue-steel eyes sparkled, and the freckles on her nose became darker. Richard realized she looked a lot like her older sister.

  “Whatever,” Richard said. “What about my question? Why’d you guys laugh?”

  “Because if my parents have a palace tucked away somewhere, they forgot to tell me about it,” Tia said grinning. “I grew up in a six room bungalow. Mother and Father live there now with my younger sister, Chloe, and my brother, Daniel. When I lived there, I had to share a bedroom with Liz until she left to join the Empire. Then I got stuck with Chloe. I’ve got a lot more room at the barracks than I ever had at home.”

  “Trecor doesn’t have royalty in the sense you’re thinking, Rick,” said Terrie in an apparent attempt to clear up Richard’s obvious confusion. “Duke Bistoria was voted into office twenty-two years ago. He can be voted out just as easily. I guess you could think of him more as a CEO than royalty.”

  Scratching his head, Richard said, “So he’s a duke? Is there a king?”

  “No,” answered Tia. “We Trecorians only elect kings in time of full-scale war. We haven’t had a war-king in over a hundred years.”

  “But you’re fighting Balorian pirates, aren’t you?” Richard said.

  “Ha!” said Tia. “We’re always fighting pirates of one kind or another. It’s been more of a century-long skirmish than an actual war. We haven’t needed a war-king to unite the various Trecorian systems in recent memory.”

  “I thought the systems in this part of the galaxy were all in the Trecorian Planetary Alliance,” Richard said.

  Richard normally didn’t like politics, and he was already starting to lose interest in the direction of the conversation. But, he forced himself to understand at least a little more while he had Tia and Terrie with him. He wasn’t sure when or if he’d see them again.

  Tia and Terrie looked at each other. They seemed to exchange unheard words. Finally, Terrie nodded.

  “All right, Rick,” said Terrie. “You asked for it, so here it goes. The Trecorian Planetary Alliance consists of twenty-two permanently inhabited star systems with Trecor being the most populated. Each of those twenty-two star systems has their own autonomous governments, and each of those governments is loosely headed by a duke or duchess. You noticed I said loosely. Things can get plenty rowdy on some planets during their political meetings. Do you understand so far?”

  Richard nodded his head affirmatively. Terrie gave a nod of his own and continued to proceed with his explanation.

  “The Alliance also consists of a hundred and twenty-six planets that have light or temporary populations. A lot of them are mining planets where the population increases or decreases dramatically depending on shift changes. We also have between eight hundred and eleven hundred asteroids with mines or outposts of various types. Each of those mines and outposts consider themselves autonomous. The majority of the Alliance is of Trecorian stock, and we’re a pretty independent bunch.”

  “Then how–” Richard started.

  “How do we operate?” interrupted Tia. “We may be independent, but we make allowances for the common good. We have elected commissions to handle the details of trade, mutual defense, and various legal whatnot.”

  “Sounds confusing,” Richard said. He liked the Empire’s way of doing business. The Imperial High Council could be a little heavy-handed at times, but all in all, they did a good job of running the 4,300 plus star systems which formed the Empire.

  “Confusing?” laughed Terrie. “You can’t begin to imagine. But…, in times of war, things change.”

  “That’s right,” said Tia. “Such a loose organization of governments would be easily defeated by a determined enemy. Fortunately, whenever a war looms, the Alliance votes for a war-king or war-queen. Gender doesn’t matter. In times of war, the best leader as determined by a majority vote of the various governments takes absolute control of the Trecorian Planetary Alliance for the duration of the crisis.”

  “And when the crisis is over?” Richard said. “Then what? Sometimes it’s harder to get someone out of Power than it is to get them in.”

  Both Tia and Terrie laughed.

  “You really don’t know Trecorians very well,” said Terrie. “We’re simple people for the most part. Who in their right mind would want the job? It would be a thankless task trying to control eighty billion cantankerous Tercorians. If you ever get a chance to read some of our history, I think you’ll see most of our war-kings couldn’t wait to get rid of the job.”

  Richard wasn’t convinced, but he nodded his head in what he hoped might be construed as a sign of agreement.

  The three of them made small talk for the next ten minutes. As they did, Richard sensed the hover-tram gradually making its way upwards. Before long, the windows of their car were flooded with bright sunlight as the hover-tram exited its tunnel. Shortly thereafter, the hover-tram pulled into a station teeming with lifeforms. Most were humans of Trecorian stock, but about ten percent were other species. Richard recognized many of the races, but a few were unfamiliar.

  If Nick was here, he’d have them cataloged and identified in nothing flat, Richard thought. But he ain’t, so I’m not going to worry about it.

  Not for the first time, Richard had a momentary regret he’d left his battle computer and dimensional pack on the Defiant. But logic told him he’d made the right decision. Margery needed Nickelo to help with her indoctrination to the Defiant. Besides, carrying his dimensional pack would have positively identified him as the culprit in the prison break.

  No, the best thing was to leave my equipment behind, Richard thought. And if it wasn’t, then it’s too late to change it anyway. What’s done is done.

  When the hover-tram came to a complete stop, Tia and Terrie jumped to their feet and rushed out the cabin door. Richard followed in their wake. The corridor was crowded, and Richard lost sight of his two guides. He wasn’t concerned. In wizard scou
t jargon, he had both of their scents. Every living creature gave off Power, and the frequency of each creature’s Power was unique. Richard had both Tia and Terrie marked on his passive scan. He had no doubt he could easily track either one of them out to a distance of several kilometers.

  Once he was off the hover-tram, Richard elbowed his way through the crowd of people trying to get onboard the car he’d just exited. As he made his way forward, the crowd thinned somewhat. He found Tia and Terrie waiting for him near one of the station’s exits.

  “Are we catching a cab?” Richard asked.

  “Nope,” said Terrie with a contagious grin. “We’re hoofing it. The barracks is only four kilometers away. The exercise will do you good.”

  Terrie gave him a wink. Richard gave a subdued smile back. They were both wizard scouts. Their selfheal kept their bodies at whatever condition they were in when their DNA baselines were taken. No amount of exercise would ever change that. They were what they were. Tia on the other hand was a cadet in the Trecorian’s military. Richard had a feeling Terrie had been a TAC officer so long he just naturally assumed Tia would benefit from the exercise.

  Just as well, Richard thought. I don’t have any credits on me anyway.

  The three of them exited the station onto a busy street beyond. As far as Richard could tell, they were near the city’s center. Richard noticed the sidewalks were divided into lanes. One lane was full of people walking. The second lane was less crowded. The people on it were jogging or even running in some cases. Most of the people in the running lane wore various versions of military uniforms. While the street did sport a variety of vehicular traffic, Richard noticed the number of pedestrians far outnumbered the vehicle occupants.

  Tia and Terrie stepped into the running lane and took up a fast jog. Richard fell in behind. He’d never been all that fond of running. As a wizard scout, running wasn’t physically demanding since his selfheal considered any fatigue as an injury and healed it appropriately. But even so, running wasn’t all that fun either. Besides, running was boring, and Richard got bored easily. It was one of his faults.

  “Hey,” Richard said. “Can I use my Empire credits here? Until the Defiant gets here next month, I don’t have any extra clothes. And I’m a little hungry. I wouldn’t mind buying a snack.”

  “Sure,” said Tia who was starting to breathe hard at the pace Terrie had set. “The Trecorian’s main computer is tied into the Empire’s financial network via the tele-network. It’s not like our governments are at war with each other or anything.”

  “But I doubt you’ll need to use any of your credits,” said Terrie. “You’ll be issued gear when we get to the barracks. You’re already on the regimental roster. You can grab something at the mess hall if you get hungry. It’s open twenty-four seven.”

  “Plus I heard Father say you’ve been set up in the computer system with an expense account,” said Tia. “My understanding is you’re on temporary assignment. Trecor has to pay you. It’s not the other way around.”

  By this time, Tia was beginning to pant even heavier. “Hey you guys. How about slowing the pace a little? I’m a normal Trecorian. I actually get tired, you know?”

  Terrie gave Richard a knowing smile as he slowed his pace some. They ran for several more minutes. By the time they arrived at their regimental barracks, Tia was sweating profusely. Neither Terrie nor Richard had broken a sweat. Tia gave them both a nasty look before muttering something about needing a shower.

  Tia ran ahead and entered the building. Richard sensed her turning left. The barracks was huge. Richard sensed several thousand lifeforms in the nearby buildings. When Terrie and he entered their building they passed some guards who waved them through. Terrie turned right at the first intersection.

  “Tia turned left,” Richard said. “Is that the female section?”

  “Nope,” Terrie said. “We’re co-ed. However, Tia stays in the fighter pilot’s section. You’ll be in the part of the barracks designated for cat pilots. I’ll show you around before I leave you to the wolves.”

  True to his word, Richard’s ex-TAC officer gave him the grand tour of his part of the barracks. Once Terrie was satisfied Richard knew his way around, he left. After a small meal in the regimental mess hall, Richard made his way back towards the small room where he’d been assigned. The room contained four bunks, but Terrie had told him he’d be the lone occupant. Richard was glad. He hated trying to get to know new people. For the most part, he preferred being left alone.

  Even before Richard got to his room, he sensed he wasn’t going to be left alone. Three lifeforms were already in his living quarters. Richard recognized one of them. It was Colonel Santos of the 147th Mechanized Regiment.

  Chapter 26 – Game of Bongo

  _____________________________________

  The door to Richard’s room was already open. As expected, he found Colonel Santos inside conferring with two other soldiers dressed in the blue jumpsuits of Trecor’s mechanized forces. Richard noticed an insignia of a comet with a large 147 emblazoned on its tail over the left-chest pockets of all three jumpsuits. One of the soldiers with the colonel was a male with master sergeant chevrons pinned to his collar. The other soldier, a dark-skinned female with penetrating black eyes, wore officer bars on her jumpsuit. The female reminded him of his friend Tam a little.

  As soon as Richard entered the room, his three uninvited guests immediately stopped talking. Richard didn’t have to guess too hard who they’d been talking about.

  “Glad to see you finally decided to show up, Shepard,” said the colonel.

  Richard immediately stiffened and went into defensive mode. He didn’t have to be an empath to detect the hostility in the colonel’s voice.

  “I just came from the mess hall,” Richard explained fairly certain no one in the room really wanted to hear his reason.

  Why does everyone always act like they hate my guts? Richard wondered.

  He knew that wasn’t really true. Most people treated him fairly. But he was a soldier, and as such, he liked to complain at times. Richard was pretty sure it was an unwritten-law of soldiers the galaxy over.

  “Well, while you were lollygagging around,” said the colonel, “we’ve been wasting our valuable time waiting on you. I’m not sure how you’re used to operating in the Empire, but you’ll soon find out we expect a little more discipline. Maybe you’re used to getting special treatment in the Empire because you’re a wizard scout. However, you’re just another soldier to us. You’ll get no special treatment here. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Perfectly, sir,” Richard said.

  This is just great, Richard thought. I’m stuck with a female version of Myers.

  A trace of a smile must have crossed his lips because Colonel Santos stood up and said, “Have I said something to amuse you?”

  “No, sir,” Richard said. “On the contrary, I’m just trying to figure out why I’m still on Trecor. I’ve healed the duke’s soldiers. I doubt there’s much I can do here training wise.”

  Instead of being angry, the colonel nodded her head. “Well, in that we’re in agreement. The 147th is the personal guard of Duke Bistoria. Every one of our soldiers is handpicked. From the newest mechanic to the most-experienced cat pilot, they’re the best the Alliance has to offer.”

  Richard didn’t argue. If the 147th was who he’d fought on planet X3321, he had no complaints about their proficiency. They hadn’t made many mistakes. They just hadn’t been prepared to deal with a wizard scout.

  When Richard said nothing, the colonel pointed to the man. “This is Master Sergeant Stover. He’ll be your chief trainer during your indoctrination into the unit.”

  The colonel pointed to the woman. “This is Commander Leander. She’ll be your squadron leader. From what I understand, you’re being temporarily assigned to Trecor for the next six months. I don’t know if you’ll be with the 147th the whole time. However, while you’re assigned to us, I’ll expect you to conform to our rules an
d standards the same as every other member of the 147th. Do I make myself clear, Shepard?”

  “Yes, sir,” Richard said. Hmm. Definitely a female version of Myers.

  “Very well,” said Colonel Santos. “Then I’ll leave you in their capable hands. The duke wants a demonstration in the near future to ascertain our progress. I don’t intend for you to mar the 147th’s reputation. Master Sergeant Stover and Commander Leander are going to personally see to your training.”

  The colonel gave a smile which was anything but friendly, “Maybe you thought your training at the Empire’s vaunted Academy was hard. But by the time these two get done with you, you’ll think the Academy was a five-star vacation resort.”

  Looking at the others, Colonel Santos said, “Carry on!” Then she left the room.

  Richard said nothing, but he thought plenty. My life sucks.

  * * *

  As it turned out, the 147th did train hard. About twenty-five percent of the unit was cadets in training while the other seventy-five percent were experienced soldiers. Most of the unit, including the cadets, had seen at least some combat. From what Richard gathered, about a third of the unit was deployed to fight the Balorian pirates at any one time.

  Master Sergeant Santos soon learned physical training came relatively easy to Richard. Since wizard scouts didn’t get fatigued, the sergeant decided to switch Richard’s training emphasis to cats. Consequently, Richard began spending most of his time training in medium and heavy cats. They were the mainstay of the Trecorian military, and Richard was impressed with the unit’s cat pilots. They were good. Unfortunately, he was not.

  While he’d been in the larger cats a few times, Richard normally depended on his battle computer to do the heavy lifting. He’d only received introductory training to the larger cats during his junior year at the Academy. The advanced training in cats which should have happened during his senior year never came to pass thanks to the Crosioian’s surprise attack on the Academy. He’d been forced to graduate as a wizard scout a year ahead of schedule. As a result, a lot of advanced training had been missed.