"Face it, we've never seen anything like this before," I said. "I'd suggest not doing it, too."
"Astralan and Stellan say they can place a power-dome over something like that, but we need the dead army, for lack of a better term, all in one relatively small space to make it completely effective. If they're spread out, or the Prophet sends more than fifty, that will render useless any attempt at a power dome."
"That's the plan? To hope the Prophet puts them in a small enough space and only has fifty dead troops?"
"It's what we have right now. You had a group of people fighting those things on Cord'ilus, and the majority of that group were of the powerful variety," Teeg said. "We don't have an army of powerful troops, here. My warlocks are the only option I have to successfully combat these things for now. Fighting them with Regular Campiaan Alliance troops will release that green mist you keep talking about, and people will either fall under its influence or die from the blast when the dead explode."
"Have you asked for backup from King Rylend?"
"We've discussed it, yes. He's willing to provide as many warlocks as we need, but I have no idea how many that will be, and we're not even sure the Prophet will attack us that way. Besides, Astralan says we need Fifth-level warlocks, and there's a limited number of those available." Teeg's frustration was evident in his voice.
"What about your mother—has she offered help?"
"Of course she has. Dad wants to get in the middle of this, too, because he was on Cord'ilus, remember? He knows what these things are capable of."
"I've never known Gavin to shy away from a fight," I agreed.
"And he won't; you can bet money on that."
"My concern is how that army will arrive, if it does arrive."
"How did it get onto Cord'ilus?" Teeg asked. "The Prophet has power. Jett showed me the images when he went against Randl. I still don't know how Randl survived."
"We're not sure, either, but we're grateful. Randl may have talents that haven't been explored, yet. Let's hope we don't need them."
BlackWing X
Dori
"The cameras are working," I informed Travis. He, Trent and the others were inside Devarr's palace, setting up their defenses in case they were attacked. They'd placed multiple cameras throughout the palace, and the images from those cameras would be sent to recording devices aboard the ship.
This was for the official record and was standard protocol with all ASD ships, including the BlackWing fleet.
"Boots are on the ground," I heard Trent's voice coming from behind Travis. The CSD troops had arrived and were on their way to arrest the dissident leaders.
"Stay safe," I sent my last verbal message before breaking off that part of our communication. The vid images would be my information from now on.
"Maintain course," I told Nathan and James.
"Maintaining course, Captain," James replied.
King's Palace, Cloudsong
Randl
The surrogate had been brought to the small ballroom chosen by Captain Lenk as the best defensible portion of the palace—one that could hold the number of people who stood guard at both entrances.
Hulce knelt by the surrogate's chair and patted her hand while Devarr hovered—they not only cared for the child she carried, but for her as well.
Vik stood by the ballroom's large window, which overlooked the courtyard below the palace. He watched for any unusual activity. He and I were connected again; I could see what he saw, if I chose to do so.
Travis, Trent and Lenk were connected through com-links with squad leaders of the CSD troops, and they'd know when the ones targeted were captured.
"Two in custody," Travis informed us.
My breath froze in my lungs.
The Prophet couldn't have planned his next move better if he'd known about the Cloudsong maneuver ahead of time.
He hadn't known—I was sure of it, or he'd have capitalized in a bigger way. Pulling in a breath after seconds ticked by, I bellowed Vik's name and pulled him away with me to a planet none had visited for a very long time.
BlackWing X
Dori
"Where is he?" I shouted at James and Nathan, before realizing they were as much in the dark as I was.
We'd all watched as Randl disappeared from Cloudsong, taking Vik with him. Travis and Trent were pressed to reassure Devarr and Hulce regarding the disappearance of those two.
They had no real explanation for any of it, and Randl hadn't bothered to send a message. I sent mindspeech. Randl, you'd better have a fucking good reason for this, I growled into his mind.
Captain, if you could see what we see, you wouldn't be asking about a fucking good reason, he responded.
Where the hell are you? I demanded.
My mind was suddenly filled with visions—Randl had found a way to send what he could see. I went still with shock.
ASD Headquarters, Le-Ath Veronis
Kooper Griff
You're where? I was ready to explode from pent-up anger at Randl after hearing from Travis that he and Vik had disappeared from Devarr's palace.
Kev'Ril, Randl replied. See? I was suddenly linked with him and with Dori Anderson, aboard BlackWing X.
Kev'Ril? I did explode this time. Get the hell out of there, I began, before cutting off my sending.
Randl and Vik had to be shielded, otherwise the people surrounding the hole filled with liquid concrete would surely have attacked. Kev'Ril was a world destroyed by radiation—not from a nuclear plant meltdown, but from nuclear warfare. They'd built so many weapons, and employed all of them in a great war that killed nearly everything on the planet long ago.
Trees and plants were slowly growing back, but it had been a long, weary process. Currently, Kev'Ril was off-limits to anyone from either Alliance, because of the contamination still present.
What are you planning to do? I sent, my words wary.
We're waiting for the victims to arrive, Randl replied.
And then what?
You'll see.
I cursed aloud, sending several underlings running in my direction to see if I needed something.
King's Palace, Cloudsong
Travis
Lenk had taken Vik's place at the window, to watch for attackers. "There's a crowd pouring into the courtyard," Lenk shouted.
Jerking my head at Astralan, he folded us to the window.
"They're carrying weapons and don't look friendly," Astralan advised.
"They're coming," I announced. "Be prepared. Backup troops are on the way."
Kev'Ril
Randl
Here. I tossed my ranos pistol to Vik, who caught it without blinking. It was the weapon Sabrina made for me, but I'd modified it somewhat with power. It would allow someone I designated to fire it.
What are you going to fight with? Vik's sending was dry. Across the wide square of liquid concrete, the people lining three sides of that filled excavation began to chatter.
Their victims were approaching.
With these, I held up my hands. We just have to wait until the sacrifices get here.
He wanted to ask about sacrifices, but wisely kept his question to himself. He'd see soon enough, as would Kooper and Dori.
King's Palace, Cloudsong
Travis
"Our troops are coming in behind the enemy, but the enemy will reach us first," I warned the others. They were already past guards posted on the lower levels of Devarr's palace, and I wasn't optimistic about the guards' survival.
"Bro," Trent nodded to me and pulled his ranos pistol from its holster.
"Yeah. Weapons at the ready," I snapped. "For King, planet and Alliance." Trent and I killed the first enemies who broke through the door.
Kev'Ril
Randl
The scene was eerily familiar to me. Don't fire yet, I warned Vik. I'm hoping the Prophet is here with them, and we can get a clear shot.
They're coming, Vik said. I could see them almost as easily as he could�
��the victims chosen for this sacrifice.
I only had to read the first few to realize who they were and that they were infected with the growing disease. They hadn't been infected long, and although their appearance was no longer the same, there were remnants of their former selves still there. The Prophet had no idea that I could temporarily tell this about his victims.
That made my work much more difficult. Kooper, we'll need a safe place for these, away from anyone else, I sent.
Looking now, he replied. There's an abandoned village on Karathia—I just have to clear it with Rylend, he returned. Got it, he said after a few seconds passed. They're placing a heavy shield around Didge, now.
All right. Things are about to get weird in a hurry, I informed him.
I'm watching. I can bring help if it's needed, he began.
Stay away from this mess, Director, I told him. I have us shielded, but I can still taste the poison in the air.
You know I can take care of myself, he began.
Sir, the Prophet isn't here, but I feel him watching.
Ah. Kooper finally understood my reluctance to bring anyone else to this fight.
Ready? I asked Vik. The first of the sacrifices had almost reached the pool of liquid concrete.
Ready.
King's Palace, Cloudsong
Travis
If we hadn't had Astralan and Stellan with us, the fight would have gone on longer and more would have died.
After the first few had fallen, the enemy rushed the wide doorways, coming through in a huge mass. It was designed to get at least some through to kill the King, the Prince and the Heir.
Astralan and Stellan, fifth-level warlocks that they were, prepared for such an onslaught and together, formed a river of flame that engulfed the dissidents. Trent threw a shield around the King and those close to him, blocking out the sight and sounds of screaming, dying men and women.
There were only a handful of dissidents left alive outside the ballroom doors, and they dropped their weapons immediately after the burning slaughter, raising their hands in surrender.
We had casualties, however. Three of our guards died and Lenk was injured when the backup troops arrived to secure the palace.
Devarr, Hulce and the surrogate were whisked to Devarr's suite, where they were checked by med-troops and guarded closely by hand-picked member of the CSD. Someone else tended Lenk, who'd taken a laser-shot to his shoulder.
Kev'Ril
Randl
Understanding that something significant could happen when I pulled the Prophet's intended sacrifices away, and the actual experiencing of such an event turned out to be an incident outside the realm of my imagination.
The moment I transferred more than three hundred sacrifice victims to Didge on Karathia, Kev'Ril exploded around Vik and me.
Chapter Eight
BlackWing X
Dori
"Astralan and Stellan are with Devarr," Travis announced as he flopped onto a chair in the Captain's cubby. "They'll transport him and the others straight to Campiaa. Teeg gave permission for them to bring the surrogate with them, because they don't want her out of their sight."
I hugged myself as I listened to Travis' rambling. He knew something was wrong right away.
"What is it?" he demanded. "Tell me."
"I was linked to Randl. Kooper, too. He took Vik with him to Kev'Ril."
"What? That place is almost as bad as Tiralia," he snapped. "Trent," he shouted.
Trent, looking tired and out of sorts, folded into the room. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Dori says Randl and Vik went to Kev'Ril."
"Bloody, nose-wiping hells," Trent swore. "What happened?"
"I think they're dead," I hugged myself tighter. "Kooper and I were linked with Randl and suddenly, Kev'Ril blew up. I've already had James and Nathan double check. Kev'Ril isn't there anymore, and we lost contact with Randl."
"Because we were in Didge, making sure the survivors were all right, and recording their real names on a comp-vid for Kooper," Randl said as he and Vik appeared just inside the door. "They're all scared to death, in addition to having that filth in their bodies," he added. "Travis, I know you're tired, but we need a meeting with," he didn't get any farther than that, because I'd launched myself into his arms and scared the hell out of him by kissing him. Hard.
Travis
Kooper folded aboard the ship roughly an hour after Randl arrived. He'd been to Didge, too, and he and Ry had arranged to have food, water and other necessities delivered to the Prophet's intended victims.
"Do you think the Prophet knows where they are?" I asked.
"I hope not, but Randl knows better than I do, I think."
"He and Trent went to clean up," I explained. "They'll be here shortly. Vik's available, too, if you need him."
"I need his report," Kooper sighed and took a seat in the Captain's cubby. "And coffee or tea—whatever's ready and available."
"I'll have it delivered," I said and sent mindspeech to Susan.
Avii Castle, Le-Ath Veronis
Sabrina
"It's just not possible." I dropped my head in my hands, resigned to the fact that miniaturizing the scanner just wasn't to be, and it all came down to the amount of power needed to make it effective.
"What's wrong?" Quin and Dena arrived, bringing lunch for Karzac and me in a basket.
"The power source," I said. "It takes so much power for the new scanner to work, and something tiny enough to fit inside the other scanners just can't handle it."
"Too bad Quin or Randl can't just fly overhead, looking for the people you want," Dena said, setting the basket on my desk. "We have soup and roast-beef sandwiches for you."
"No joke," I lifted my head to blink at the two winged women. "Flying over the crowds would solve everything, except it wouldn't be uh, practical—wait."
"Do you have an idea?" Karzac asked.
"I went to a party once," I said, "and they had these mechanical drones flying over people's heads and dropping party hats," I said.
"The attendees will be very suspicious of drones," Karzac pointed out.
"But," I held up a hand, "If Quin, or something like Quin—say a bird or another creature that flies, can provide entertainment for the crowd and carry a scanner at the same time—would that work? Do you think Bel Erland can spell a replica of an exotic bird to fly overhead?"
My question was pointed at Quin, because Bel was her mate and a powerful warlock.
"He could make dozens of them fly overhead," Quin shrugged. "With no trouble."
"Let me get Lissa," Karzac breathed and disappeared.
"Dena," I said. "I think you earned ten years' wages today."
BlackWing X
Randl
I admit that I had to shove thoughts of Dori and her kiss out of my mind before meeting with Kooper and the others. By the time I arrived, I found Kooper, Wyatt and Jett Riffler in the Captain's cubby, waiting with Travis and Trent.
I barely had room to squeeze in and take a chair in front of the desk, which Kooper had commandeered.
"I've had time to get further identification on some of those people on your list," Kooper said. "You know who they are, don't you?"
"Yes, and I have a feeling the Prophet has arranged to have all of them replaced with his own, who now look exactly like them. I also think that the Prophet hasn't guessed that I can tell, at least at first, who these people were before he infected them. As for them and the Prophet's replacements, whoever they look like now is who they'll be in a few days to everybody, Quin and me included. Past that, we'd have to see images of the original to know there's a difference."
"You think this is what he did with Phorde Gaster, don't you?"
"It is what he did—there's no guessing about it in my mind."
"So, the logging industry is clueless about this?"
"I'd say yes, unless there are a few that he's gotten to since Quin looked at them last."
"That's worri
some," Jett said.
"It should come as no surprise that the number of sacrifices matches almost exactly the number of people who disappeared from Ba'Moru," I went on. "We may have forced him to act on this quicker than he planned, but things match up too well, Director."
"You're saying that those who disappeared from Ba'Moru are now acting as employees for the logging concerns?" Jett asked.
"Yes."
"Add that to the fact that the logging industry is having their conference on Campiaa, which coincides with the first few days of Conclave. That spells big trouble for us," Kooper grimaced.
"We can't force the issue," I said. "You saw what he did to Kev'Ril."
"How did he do that to Kev'Ril?" Jett wanted to know.
"I'm sending a robotic research pod to gather information," Kooper said. "No ships—he could be waiting to take those."
"I'm surprised he didn't take those freighters hauling food, instead of stealing their cargo," Trent spoke up.
"Last resort, I think," Kooper pointed out. "He wants faster ships with a decent weapons system, plus, taking the whole ship meant we'd be more diligent in searching for it and the crew he kidnapped. He wasn't ready, and the Conclave wasn't being held then."
"So, we're back to the Conclave. He really wants to disrupt or destroy it, take your pick," Jett said.
"We're also back to the logging industry and what, if anything, they have to do with it," Travis offered. "The Prophet infiltrated their ranks last time, and he's done it again, if what we've seen with the sacrificial victims is any indication. There must be a reason for that, or he'd pick another industry, don't you think?"
"I thought he was looking to grab the employees the loggers sent to abandoned planets and deserted places, to assess the quality of the trees available and how much trouble it would be to ply their trade in those places," Wyatt spoke up.
"That's possible," Kooper agreed.
"That may only be part of it," I said. Everybody turned in my direction, then. "Phorde Gaster was a frontrunner in this plan. How long ago was this set in motion? Phorde—the real one—died more than twenty years ago, and his replacement took his job with WildTree Industries. Vrak—the real one, disappeared thirty years ago or more. I haven't sensed his death, so the real one is probably under the Prophet's thumb. The version of Vrak sitting in Queen Lissa's dungeon? Because of his obsession I can't find his real name, but by his own admission, he has children that are under the Prophet's command."
MindMage: BlackWing Pirates, Book 2 Page 10