Wizard Omega (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 4)

by Rodney Hartman

  “They’d probably trust you more if you didn’t go off playing pirate so often,” said Dren.

  Turning to Jeena and holding out her hands, Dren said, “Please give me the staff, Jeehana.”

  When Jeena hesitated, the girl said, “It’s already broke, right? Obviously, you can’t take the staff back to your high priest this way. We can fix it. We may be young, but we do know what we’re doing.”

  “Actually, it’s not really broken,” said Brachia. “The gem had to come off in order for us to check out the internal electronics. I suspect one of the circuit boards just needs adjusting.”

  “I know it’s not broken,” said Dren. “I’m just trying to get Jeehana to give the staff to me so we can run a diagnostic’s check.”

  Facing Jeena, Dren said, “Won’t you trust us, Jeehana. We’re on the same side, remember? I’m sure the Oracle told you we’d fix it.”

  With little choice in the matter, Jeena passed the Lady’s staff to the girl.

  After all, Jeena reasoned, it’s already broken. What further harm can she do?

  Once Dren had the staff in her hand, Jeena noticed the girl give the staff a hard twist in the middle. After a loud click, the staff split into two halves with the girl holding a half in each hand.

  “No!” Jeena said aghast.

  Jeena was almost ready to take the two halves out of Dren’s hands when the girl turned the bottom half downward. A long piece of quartz-looking material with dozens of flashing lights inside it began sliding out.

  Brachia reached past Jeena and caught the quartz tube in his hands.

  Jeena stared at the tube of quartz. So did Dren and Brachia. The flashing lights were hypnotic in a pleasant way.

  “Our parents made this,” said Dren in a near whisper as she gestured at the quartz-tube. “They died protecting it. Brachia, Sam, and I placed it in the staff. Rem used it to close the gate before the necromancer’s army could destroy everything.”

  “Rem? Sam?” Jeena said. “You mentioned Rem before. Who are Rem and Sam?”

  “Rem and Sam are gnomes,” said Brachia. “Or, I guess I should say they were gnomes. They died a long time ago.” After a pause, he said, “I like gnomes.”

  “Rem was a high priestess for the elves,” said Dren ignoring her brother. “I never could pronounce her name. She let us call her Rem. Sam was a mage. He helped our Uncle Rick hold off the undead army long enough for Rem to use the staff.”

  “We were told Rem was an Elf Friend,” said Brachia looking at Jeena. “You’re an elf. Have you ever heard of her?”

  “Are you talking about Elf Friend Remozorz?” Jeena asked.

  “That’s her,” said Brachia smiling. “Why do gnomes and elves have such hard names?”

  Ignoring her brother, Dren said, “Yes. That’s her. Our uncle brought us the blue gem. It’s the primary Power source for the device Brachia holds in his hands. Sam, Brachia, and I put the device in the staff and hooked it up to the gem. By combining the energy of the device and the staff, they can close gates.”

  “If what you say is true,” Jeena said doubtfully, “then you’d have to be almost eighty-nine thousand years old.”

  “No,” said Brachia. “I’m just seven.”

  “We’re time travelers,” said Dren as if that explained it.

  Dren paused as if giving time for a reply, but Jeena chose to remain silent.

  “I’ve read some of the history scrolls in the Oracle’s library,” continued Dren after a few moments. “Brachia, Uncle Rick, and I were here about eighty-nine thousand years ago. And we’re here now. I think we were brought here so we could repair your staff.”

  Placing the two halves of the staff on a table, Dren reached out and placed both of her hands on Jeena’s.

  “The Oracle says you have a purpose as well,” said Dren. “He says we need to repair the staff and give it back to you so you can fulfill your purpose. Won’t you let us help you?”

  Both Brachia and Dren looked at Jeena. She saw only honesty in their eyes. They were humans. She knew she should probably hate them after what their kind had done to her family. But she didn’t. They weren’t evil. They hadn’t harmed her parents.

  With a nod of her head, Jeena handed the blue gem to Dren. The girl smiled in thanks before holding out the gem to Brachia.

  “Get it done, Brachia,” said Dren. “Our window’s closing. We need to finish this before Jeehana loses her chance. The Oracle says the fate of three galaxies hang in the balance.”

  “The equipment’s all ready,” said Brachia as he grabbed the blue gem from his sister. “Just give me a few minutes.”

  Jeena watched the boy run over to a corner full of equipment while carrying the gem and the quartz-tube along with the staff. Once there, he began arguing with the disembodied Omar.

  Jeena shook her head. She had a feeling nothing would ever be simple in her life again.

  Chapter 38 – The Green Sphere

  _____________________________________

  As Richard ran down the tunnel, he kept a close watch for any signs of lifeforms. He sensed nothing.

  This doesn’t make sense, Richard said. There should be something alive down here, but there’s nothing. I’m not even picking up rodents or snakes or spiders.

  Well, I suppose those kinds of creatures could be around but are just out of range, said Nickelo. But even so, I’m with you. The lack of life isn’t logical. Do you want me to do a sweep with the battle helmet’s electronics?

  Richard weighed the options; risk versus reward. Finally he shook his head.

  No. Not until we’ve done an initial sweep I’ve got my best stealth shield up. Still, I don’t want to risk an active scan at this point.

  The tunnel floor in which Richard was walking was relatively smooth. However, he could see a buckling in the floor about fifty meters ahead. When he got there, Richard’s advance was stopped by a large crack in the tunnel.

  Actually, the crack works to our advantage, said Nickelo. Down will save us some steps.

  Without hesitating, Richard did a quick bunny-hop into the crack. The fall was short; only about fifteen meters. For such a short distance, Richard didn’t even bother using telekinesis to slow down. Once the battle suit’s legs took the initial shock, he tucked and rolled to dissipate the momentum. He was up on both feet almost at once.

  Glancing around, Richard noticed this part of the tunnel was different. He noticed marks on the walls which resembled claw marks more than they did marks left by tools.

  The tunnel above appeared to have been cut by standard plasma drills, Richard said into his shared space. This part looks like a bunch of kids were clawing in mud which has turned into stone.

  Hmm, said Nickelo. I’ve a feeling your analogy may be closer to the truth than you might think. Based upon what readings I can get with my electronics, this part of the tunnel is ancient. I’d say those marks were made tens of thousands of years ago; possibly hundreds of thousands of years.

  Richard sensed a large source of Power ahead. The frequency reminded him a little of the seed parts he’d helped the elf Shandria find. Those seed parts had given off an aura of good. This Power source did not. While not evil per se, the Power source didn’t register as good either.

  If this Power source is a seed part, Richard said, remind me not to look directly at it without a filter. I’ve got a feeling it wouldn’t take my mind to a very nice place.

  I hear you, brother, replied Nickelo.

  While his battle computer was replying, Richard turned the next corner of the tunnel. The source of the Power came into view. The Power was in the shape of a round sphere about half the size of a human head. Due to the visor on his battle helmet, the sphere looked red. Although he couldn’t tell the sphere’s true color, he did recognize the swirling molten-lava look he’d seen before. The sphere ahead looked the same as the seed parts he’d seen on his first mission for ‘the One’.

  Color? Richard asked.

  Green, answered
Nickelo.

  Richard stopped about twenty meters from the sphere. It was hanging in midair in the middle of the tunnel.

  Green? Richard said. The three seed parts we encountered before were red, blue, and yellow. I wonder why this seed part isn’t a primary color.

  Well, for starters, said Nickelo. I calculate the sphere ahead isn’t a seed part. It’s something different.

  What? Richard asked.

  I’m not sure, said Nickelo. I need additional information before I can even hazard a guess.

  Continuing to hold his distance from the green sphere, Richard looked closer at the tunnel near the sphere. The tunnel was littered with broken pieces of stone.

  Look at those stones, Richard said. It looks to me like they were cut with a plasma drill.

  I calculate you’re correct, said Nickelo. In fact, there’s a discarded plasma drill to your rear. According to Angela, all three anomalies were embedded in solid rock when they arrived. The O’Reilly miners were trying to free the anomalies when the black ship attacked.

  Well, looks like they freed this one at least, Richard said. The sphere’s floating in midair. I wonder why the miners didn’t remove the sphere when they got it free.

  Hmm, I’m not so sure it’s free, Rick.

  What do you mean? Richard asked. I can see it with my own eyes. If you know something I don’t, just spit it out. It would save us a lot of time.

  Fine, replied Nickelo who sounded like he was getting perturbed at Richard’s impatience. If you look with your senses and not your eyes, you’ll see the sphere isn’t really here. It’s somewhere else. Based upon the data we acquired on our mission with the elf, Shandria, I calculate a seventy-two percent probability the sphere is in a time-bubble. The sphere’s here, but it’s not here, if that makes any sense. Or to make it even more confusing, it’s in a point in space in all times at the same time.

  Richard didn’t like what his battle computer was saying. He’d nearly died the last time he’d messed with time-bubbles. Plus, he’d made an enemy of a powerful demon to boot. He’d come to this mine in the hopes of finding a gate to the magical dimension. Anything to do with time-bubbles was useless to him.

  When Richard didn’t reply, Nickelo said, If you think I’m wrong, then check for yourself.

  Richard decided to do just that. He moved closer to the green sphere until it was only an arm’s length away. He sensed the same type of Power he’d sensed from Shandria’s spheres. He also felt an odd sensation he’d felt once before. During the battle to acquire Shandria’s spheres, Richard had grabbed onto a demon-dog. The demon had created a time-bubble around both of them. The sensation he was feeling now reminded him of the demon-dog’s time-bubble.

  See what I mean? said Nickelo.

  Yeah, I see it, Richard admitted albeit grudgingly.

  “Hey, what’s going on down there?” said Sergeant Ron over the communication channel Margery had set up for the Defiant’s crew. “I’m getting tired of circling this chunk of rock. I’m coming in for landing on my next orbit.”

  “Negative,” Richard said in a tone he hoped indicated the subject wasn’t up for discussion. “Not yet. Something’s strange about this anomaly.”

  “No kidding,” said Sergeant Ron. “That’s why they called it an anomaly. I don’t like you being down there all by your lonesome.”

  “I’m not by my lonesome,” Richard said. “Tia and Daniel are covering me. Aren’t you kids?”

  “Roger that,” came Tia’s voice. “We’re circling over the mine’s entrance at five hundred meters. And, we’re not kids. I can do things in this zipper people twice my age can’t do.”

  Touchy, isn’t she? said Nickelo. Reminds me of you.

  “Understood, Tia,” Richard said while choosing to ignore his battle computer. “Climb to one thousand meters and keep circling. This anomaly is a sphere. I’ve dealt with something like it before. I’m going to take a few minutes to check it out. Once Nick and I are sure everything’s safe, the Defiant can land.”

  “But–” started Sergeant Ron.

  Richard was ready for his old maintenance officer. “No buts. You’re the Defiant’s captain, but I’m the wizard scout. No one lands until I give the word. Got it?”

  “Yeah, I’ve got it,” said Sergeant Ron. “But I don’t have to like it.”

  “Anybody else want to argue?” Richard asked “Or can I get on with the task at hand?”

  No one else said anything.

  Well, that went over better than I would have calculated, said Nickelo in their shared space. So, oh wizard scout extraordinaire, what do we do now?

  Now? Richard said. Now we get down to business. I’m setting up an active scan, and I’m giving you control. I want you to scan this bad boy. Make me proud, little buddy.

  Don’t I always? laughed Nickelo. Wrap the scan with a stealth shield please. The sphere may not appreciate being probed. Oh, and follow along with your mind. You may sense something I don’t.

  In short order, Richard intermeshed a stealth shield with the active scan. Once completed, he followed along as his battle computer used the active scan to delicately probe the area around the green sphere. Although Richard knew he could’ve handled the scan himself, he also knew he could never do the scan as well as his battle computer. To be honest, Richard knew he would never be as patient as Nickelo.

  Well, Richard said five minutes into the scan. You were right. It’s definitely a time-bubble. But at the same time, this sphere is linked to two other spheres. Why? Shandria said she was going to merge her seed parts together. But these anomalies are linked together at a distance. Big question, buddy. Are they forming a gate into the magical dimension? Or, are they forming an entrance into a time-bubble?

  In all honesty, said Nickelo, I’m not sure. However, I’ve compared the results of our active scan against the data we gathered when we were in the other time-bubble. My best guess is the three spheres the miners found are forming a gate which gives access into the magical dimension. However, the gate also happens to be a time-bubble. You can see for yourself.

  A stream of data flooded the shared space in Richard’s mind. He ignored it for the most part. While he could catch the gist of the information since he shared some of his battle computer’s processing power, he couldn’t assimilate the data fast enough to make a full analysis.

  You said guess, Richard said. What do you mean by that? You’re always telling me computers don’t guess.

  And you’re always telling me to make a guess, said Nickelo sounding defensive. I used the word guess to please you. But if you must know, I calculate a twenty-eight percent probability the three spheres are forming an entrance into a time-bubble.

  Richard let his senses reach out to the sphere.

  Careful, said Nickelo. I’ve already sent you all the data from the scan.

  I know, Richard said. But that’s data. I’m trying to sense feelings and emotions.

  Oh, said Nickelo. You do realize these spheres aren’t living things, don’t you?

  How do we know? Richard said. Plus, I doubt they just magically appeared in these three points in space at the beginning of time. Someone put them here. If so, maybe they left some kind of emotional residue.

  When his battle computer didn’t try arguing further, Richard proceeded with his scan. He ignored the spots his battle computer had already touched. Instead, he concentrated on the overall feel of the sphere. He sensed nothing.

  Uh, I’m just a computer, said Nickelo, but I think you’ll have to open your mind up more. You’ve got too many defenses up.

  Richard hesitated. He knew what his battle computer meant. The problem was, if he lowered the defenses he’d carefully crafted around his mind over the years, he’d be making himself vulnerable.

  I’m not sure I’m ready to do that, Nick.

  Then don’t, said Nickelo. Call Sergeant Ron to come pick us up so we can leave. Maybe these spheres aren’t important anyway.

  Richard almost took his
battle computer’s words at face value; almost, but not quite.

  You know they’re important, Richard said after thinking about it. You know as well as I having anomalies similar to those seed parts popup in our lives is too much of a coincidence to be anything other than the handiwork of ‘the One’. We’re supposed to be here. This is important. My only question is whether it’s important to us or just to ‘the One’.

  You hate ‘the One’, said Nickelo. Normally, you’re fighting against any hint of manipulations by him. Why are you going along with him now if that’s what you believe?

  Because, old buddy, if this gate does simultaneously go to both the magical dimension and a time-bubble, maybe we can use it to travel back in time.

  Ah, I see, said Nickelo. You’re hoping to find a way to rescue your niece and nephew. I think you’re wrong on this. I calculate less than a one percent chance you’d be able to use a time-bubble with the degree of control necessary to travel 158 years back in time to find Brachia and Dren.

  You mean 157 years, Richard said correcting his battle computer. Are you getting forgetful in your old age?

  Not hardly, said Nickelo sounding not at all amused. The children traveled back in time 157 years, but that was a year ago in our time. Consequently, you need to add a year if you want to get them at the same moment they arrived in the magical dimension.

  Richard had forgotten to add the extra year, but he didn’t like having his mistake pointed out to him.

  It doesn’t matter, Richard said. If we can figure out how to control time-bubbles, maybe we can travel to anywhere in time we want.

  Don’t get your hopes up, said Nickelo.

  Stop reading my mind.

  Then stop thinking in our shared space, said Nickelo. Now, get busy if you’re going to do something. Otherwise, I calculate a ninety-seven percent probability Sergeant Ron will do something foolish.

  Fine, Richard said.

  Forcing himself to relax, Richard gently lifted part of the shield he’d created around his mind until a miniscule opening appeared. Tentatively, Richard reached out through the opening towards the green sphere. As his mind drew close, Richard began to sense… something.