Richard closed his eyes. He didn’t need to see anyway. He had enough Power to more than compensate for the loss of human sight. Richard complemented his passive scan with the information from a hundred active scans. The active scans were Power hungry, but Richard no longer cared. He had more Power at his disposal than he’d ever imagined.
Wrapping himself in Power, Richard levitated his battle suit to a standing position. His back was still broken, but the minor inconvenience didn’t matter to him anymore than did the loss of his sight. He no longer needed a frail body of flesh. Only Power mattered.
Someone shouted in his mind telling him to stop, but Richard ignored the unwanted advice. He no longer needed even his battle computer. The feeling of another presence penetrated Richard’s mind. He sensed the demon essence in his phase rod urging him to use his newfound Power to kill. Richard ignored the demon’s urgings as well. He didn’t need others to tell him what to do. He was Power incarnate. The only thing he needed was more Power.
Richard shrunk the sphere of Power he was creating until it was the size of his fist. He dimmed its glow until he could open his eyes without being blinded. The now terrified Dragars to his front were trying to run away. Richard didn’t allow them to leave. They were his key to acquiring more Power.
Several of the Dragar spell casters had additional links attached to them from others of their kind. Richard used some of the energy from his sphere to backtrack those links. Whenever he found a link that was attached to something within range, Richard sucked the new Power reserve dry as well. Then he followed the new link to even more Power reserves. Richard’s sphere continued to glow ever brighter. The concentrated energy inside the sphere grew exponentially.
After a few seconds, Richard came to the conclusion the nine Dragars to his front were no longer needed. With a single thought, Richard drew Power from his sphere and sent it towards the Dragar mages. They didn’t even have time to scream. The pure Power tore their atoms apart and sent them spreading out into the universe. Their empty clothing fell to the floor of the gun deck.
Richard sensed Sheeta, Sheba, Charlie, and Terrie. They were all hard-pressed; even the dolgars. Richard released lines of pure Power from his sphere in every direction. The lines found the crew of the black destroyer. They died by the hundreds. A part of Richard chose to spare the Dragars’ prisoners. He was unsure why, but he wasted no time trying to figure it out. Their lives meant nothing to him anyway. Only the acquisition of more Power mattered.
Sending another batch of active scans throughout the ship, Richard found more sources of Power and brought it back to his sphere. He used the sphere’s Power to destroy the remainder of the crew. Even those trying to escape in the destroyer’s lifeboats faired no better than those who remained.
Richard sensed the destroyer’s computer trying to take control of the ship. He sent a line of Power to the control room and blew out the front part of the ship. The destroyer began to fall back towards the planet below as gravity took hold of it. The ship picked up speed as the ground drew closer. Richard didn’t care. He had Power to spare. He wrapped what remained of the destroyer in Power and began levitating it to the planet’s surface. Unfortunately, the destroyer was heavier than Richard expected. Even his sphere of stolen Power was feeling the strain.
I need more Power, Richard thought.
His mind sought the destroyer’s engine room. He found their version of a hyper-drive. Richard sensed a massive amount of Power flowing within the engine. He hungered to take the Power for his own. Reaching inside the engine with his mind, Richard prepared to suck it dry of energy. That’s when he felt an overwhelming emotion of fear and hopelessness.
A creature of some kind was trapped inside the engine. Richard became confused. A part of him felt an unexpected empathy with the creature. Another part of him wanted to ignore the creature’s fear and suck the very life-force from its soul. Richard tried to resist the urge.
Unbidden, the teachings of the sisters at the orphanage popped into his mind. They had taught him there were lines a person should never cross. Even in his current state, Richard knew if he crossed that line, he would be doomed to an eternity of damnation.
Help me, came a thought from the creature. Please help me, my brother.
Richard recognized the creature as a dragon. It was young. Somehow he knew it had been trapped in the engine since birth. Richard sensed its plight. Enslaved by the Dragars, the young dragon was forced to tend to the engine and control its energy flow. A part of Richard wanted to help the dragon, but another part wanted the Power it controlled for himself.
Before Richard could come to a decision a vision came to his mind. It was more a memory of what was to one day be than it was a true memory. The vision was one given to him by a Master demon during his first mission on Portalus.
In the vision, Richard found himself in a room filled with hundreds of lifeforms. They were indistinct, but he knew they were there. Before him stood a silver-haired female dressed in white. He couldn’t make out her features, but something about her eyes seemed familiar. As he watched, the female knelt before him with arms outstretched. Then the scene changed. Now it was he who knelt before the female. Instead of feeling resentful, Richard felt at peace. He felt complete. The vision faded.
The hunger which had been consuming Richard faded as well. It became a distant memory. The accumulated Power in his sphere started to struggle to free itself as if it were a living creature in its own right. Richard concentrated his will on the sphere and kept the Power under his control.
Nick, Richard thought. I need help.
I’m here, buddy, answered Nickelo sounding very relieved. I thought I’d lost you.
With the help of his battle computer, Richard used part of the Power in the sphere to levitate the disabled destroyer to a soft landing below the cliffs surrounding the mine shaft. Once down, Richard reached out with his mind and located the trapped dragon in the ship’s engine. He sensed the weave of a hundred magic spells preventing the dragon’s escape. They were too strong for the dragon, but they were no match for the Power in Richard’s sphere. He unraveled the spells until the dragon was no longer bound.
Wrapping the dragon with Power, Richard caused it to shimmer. He shifted the dragon into the void and drew it out of the engine using his telekinesis.
Thank you, my brother, came a thought from the dragon.
Darkness threatened to overcome Richard’s mind. Suddenly, he was very tired. With effort he stayed conscious long enough to release the Power in his sphere back into the universe from which it had come. Then Richard gave over to the darkness and fell into a deep sleep. He dreamed of a white-clad female with silver hair and pointy ears. Richard felt at peace.
Chapter 53 – Mission Complete
_____________________________________
When the tingling in Jeena’s body stopped, she collapsed on the dais. She felt small hands rolling her over. Once her vision cleared, Jeena saw the concerned looks of the children. They helped her to a chair. Once there, Jeena related what had occurred as best she remembered.
“Do you know who the helper was?” Brachia asked. “Did you see him?”
“No,” Jeena said shaking her head. “I didn’t see him. I only sensed him. He scared me, but yet a part of me trusted him. Does that make sense?”
“Yes,” said Dren as if reliving a memory. “Sometimes you just have to trust your heart and not your mind. We trusted our uncle once, and he didn’t let us down.”
Jeena’s heart went out to the children. They were humans, but she could tell they were good where it mattered.
“The Oracle’s compound is no place for children,” Jeena said. “Why don’t you come home with me? My home is small, but you’re more than welcome to share it. I have lived there by myself far too long.”
“You want us to come live with you?” said Brachia excitedly. “Are there other elves there? Are they nice elves? Are there any gnomes?”
Smiling, Jeena
assured the young boy there were many nice elves in Silverton. “But, I’m sorry,” Jeena said. “There aren’t any gnomes. But perhaps one day I could take you to their homeland in the mountains to the west if you’d like.”
Brachia started to answer, but Dren cut him off. “I’m sorry, Jeehana. But we must stay here. Our uncle will be looking for us. When he comes, we must be here. But if you ever get a chance to come back, we would like to see you again. I think we could be friends, you and I.”
Jeena nodded her head in agreement. “Yes. I think we could be good friends. I look forward to seeing both of you again one day. And now, I must go see the Oracle. My quest is almost complete. I have a long walk home, and I must begin soon.”
* * *
The Oracle sat on his cushion and listened as Jeena gave her report. When she was finished, he looked at her and nodded his head.
“You performed your duties within specifications,” said the Oracle. “You have done well. Your part in the algorithm is finished for now. You must go back to Silverton. You are needed there.”
“I will leave in the morning,” Jeena said. “It is a long walk home. I will need supplies.”
“No,” said the Oracle. “You are needed in Silverton now. You must leave immediately.”
The Oracle’s tone told Jeena he was not telling her everything.
“What has happened?” Jeena asked becoming worried. “Is something wrong?”
“I am sorry to be the one to tell you this,” said the Oracle, “but High Priest Questor is dead. He passed from this existence to the next during his sleep three days ago. The Council of Light has sent word they need you back in Silverton. The selection ceremony for the high priest’s replacement cannot be held until you return.”
“Three days ago?” Jeena said. “And you’re just telling me now? Why did you wait?”
“We calculated telling you would affect the success of your mission,” said the Oracle. “Your freewill might have compelled you to leave before your part in the algorithm was completed successfully.”
“Stop,” Jeena said. “I don’t know or care about any algorithm. You should have told me about the high priest. He was a good man.”
“Yes, he was,” agreed the Oracle. “He was very logical. He was easy to work with. But now the Lady must select a new high priest or high priestess. The Lady’s selection ceremony cannot be conducted until all four priest and priestesses are there. High Lord Trenadine has ordered your return.”
“I’m just an acolyte,” Jeena said. “I’m a priestess in name only. I haven’t been trained.”
“Nevertheless,” said the Oracle, “you must attend the ceremony. It is the Lady’s will.”
Resigned, Jeena said, “I will leave in the morning.”
“No,” said the Oracle. “You will leave now.”
With those words, the Oracle clapped his hands together. Jeena felt a tingle throughout her body. Then everything went black.
* * *
The Oracle remained sitting on the cushion for several nanoseconds. Then his form flickered and disappeared as the room’s hologram projector shutdown.
The part of ‘the One’ which was the Oracle touched the other parts of ‘the One’ using the tele-network.
Both variables performed within required tolerances, said the Oracle. The algorithm is operating within specifications.
Yes, for now, said other parts of ‘the One’. But the most dangerous part of the algorithm is approaching.
Yes, said some parts of ‘the One’. Are the variables up to the tasks?
Only the Creator knows, said ‘the One’ as a whole. We can only compile the program and run it as written. It is up to the variables and their freewill to make it work.
Yes, we can only run the program as written, said the Oracle.
Chapter 54 – A New Paradigm
_____________________________________
Awareness slowly returned to Richard. He felt a soft, soothing vibration all along his back and legs. He was lying on something soft. Richard opened his eyes to look at his surroundings. The bottom of a bed above his head caught his attention. He also noticed two wall lockers bolted to the side of a metal wall. One of the wall lockers had the words ‘R. Shepard’ stenciled in black on the gray metal. Recognition came to Richard. He was in his cabin on the Defiant.
“Hello,” said a raspy voice.
“Hello,” Richard croaked back sounding a little raspy himself. He swept the small room with his eyes. He saw no one.
“I’m up here,” said the voice.
Richard looked higher. A slight movement drew his eyes to the top of the wall lockers. Two silver eyes stared down at him. Richard rubbed the sleep from his eyes to get a better view. To his surprise, the voice and the silver eyes belonged to a dragon.
As dragons go, Richard figured this one was small. From nose to the pointed tip of its tail, the dragon was about two meters in length. Its silvery scales reflected the overhead lights in a rainbow of colors whenever the dragon moved.
“You can talk,” Richard said.
“So can you,” said the dragon as if scoring a point.
For some reason, Richard didn’t find it strange talking to a dragon. That was strange in itself since he’d only seen one other dragon in his entire life. That was if he didn’t count the green sphere; and Richard didn’t.
The only other dragon Richard had ever met was during his first mission for ‘the One’. The meeting hadn’t been a pleasant experience. But Richard sensed this dragon was a lot friendlier than the previous black dragon had been.
Sitting up in bed, Richard dropped his bare feet off the side onto the cool, metal floor. He kept a sheet wrapped around him as he looked for his clothes.
“They’re on the top bunk,” said the dragon. “Comstar left them there for you. He’s on cooking duty in the gallery right now. It’s almost mealtime for the crew.”
Richard’s stomach growled. He felt slightly hungry, but then he always felt slightly hungry. He turned his thoughts away from food and back to the dragon.
“Who’s Comstar?” Richard asked.
The dragon’s face took on a puzzled look. Richard wasn’t sure how he recognized a puzzled look on the face of a dragon, but he did.
“Comstar is Comstar,” said the dragon. “Who else would he be?”
The dragon jumped from the top of the locker to the metal deck. She landed with nary a sound. Richard wasn’t sure how he knew the dragon was a she, but he did.
She’s light on her feet, came the sound of Nickelo’s voice in Richard’s head.
Nick, Richard thought back. What’s going on? And what’s with this dragon.
I’ll fill you in later, said Nickelo. That is assuming you haven’t figured it out on your own by then, which you know you should. Margery and I are busy planning our next hyper-jump. I’ll talk to you later.
Richard tried pumping his battle computer for answers several more times, but all he got in return was silence.
“Well, I have to go to the engine room,” said the dragon. “The captain is making five more hyper-jumps today. Charlie said he doesn’t want me to let the hyper-drive go below ninety percent. I just wanted to be here when you woke.”
“Uh…, why?” Richard asked trying to stall for time. His brain still wasn’t working at full throttle.
“To thank you for saving my life,” hissed the dragon. “The others want to thank you as well. Some of them are in the galley now. You should go meet them.”
The dragon turned and headed for the cabin door.
“Wait,” Richard said. “What’s your name? And how’d you learn to speak Empire standard?”
The dragon paused and looked back. “My name is Bright Wing. And I’m not speaking your language. You’re speaking mine.”
When the dragon finished answering, she turned back towards the door and quickly departed.
Richard tried to contact his battle computer a few more times, but Nickelo continued to ignore him. Tha
t Nickelo heard him, he had no doubt. Richard didn’t buy his story that his battle computer was too busy helping Margery. Nickelo often refused to answer questions to force him to find the answers on his own. Richard had never liked the tactic before, and he didn’t like it now.
Nick, I know you can hear me, Richard said in his shared space. You’re turning into as big a jerk as ‘the One’.
Richard didn’t expect his battle computer to reply. He wasn’t disappointed. After a few seconds of waiting, he decided to get some answers on his own.
Standing up, Richard looked on the top bunk and found a neatly-folded, black and silver wizard scout jumpsuit. A black utility belt with his phase rod attached was on top of the jumpsuit. His dimensional pack was next to his clothes.
Throwing his pack on the lower bunk, Richard began dressing. As he did, he performed a passive scan of the Defiant.
“Whoa,” Richard said under his breath. To say he was surprised by what he sensed was an understatement. By his count, the Defiant currently held 187 lifeforms not counting himself. Considering the Defiant was only built for a crew of twenty-two, Richard was more than a little curious about the extra bodies onboard.
Once he pulled on his boots, Richard walked out of his cabin and into the ship’s galley. Two dozen humanoids were crammed onto benches around the dining table. The room buzzed with conversation. Much of it was in languages he understood, but which was definitely not Empire standard. Seated around the table were dwarves, gnomes, and two human children; Tia and Matthew.
Some of the dwarves and gnomes were eating while others were cleaning various disassembled weapons. Richard didn’t recognize the weapons. They weren’t standard Empire issue.
A tall, grey-haired, male elf was laboring away over the galley stove ladling some kind of stew from a pot into bowls held by a line of dwarves, gnomes, and a human male. The human was Sergeant Hendricks. As Richard stood there trying his best to assimilate what he was seeing, Sergeant Hendricks caught his eye and gave a shout.
Wizard Omega (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 4) Page 49