Grimms knew the anger of impotence, of not being able to do the right thing because of circumstance. He felt for the knight. “We will do what we can to reestablish the throne. Getting the prince to safety is our first priority.”
Sir Reitus gave a curt nod. “Thank you, Colonel.”
They waited in silence for another five minutes before anyone spoke.
“I have a signal, sir,” Mezner reported with disappointment. “It just went out.”
“I caught it, too. It was weaker than the transmission from the yacht, which suggests a mage without amplification, but the message will still get back to the Teifen,” Cora said, surprising Sir Reitus, who was obviously having a hard time remembering she was watching.
The view of Earth disappeared and was replaced with open space. The holo projector switched its display from the Sol System to a view of an unidentified system with a much smaller and brighter star.
“What is happening? Did we jump again?” Sir Reitus asked.
“Gonders, a transmission went out thirty seconds ago. Did you or your men see anything?” Grimms asked into his comm, ignoring the Elif’s question.
“Yes, sir. One of the soldiers slipped away a few minutes ago. I had Deej follow him, and he just reported that the soldier was hiding in a supply room. I had him arrest the soldier, sir,” Gonders replied.
“Cora, do you have any video of the supply room in question?” Grimms asked, sure they had their man.
“Yep. Give me a second, I’m reviewing it now… Oh, yeah. That’s him. The time matches perfectly with the message. We have him.” Cora announced this last over the bridge speaker.
Sir Reitus looked around in confusion. “Have who? What is happening, Colonel?”
“Sir Reitus, I’m sorry to say you had a traitor in your midst. Captain Cora and I were concerned that the Teifen may have put a second system in place to track the yacht; now we know they did. We have your man in custody, and I would like you to go down and meet Specialist Gonders in the brig. Maybe you can shed some light on the situation,” Grimms said, standing and motioning toward the door.
“Are you not coming?” Sir Reitus asked, his eyebrows raised.
“No, I’ve arranged for a Marine to escort you, and Captain Cora will be able to monitor the situation. I have to wait and see who shows up. Hopefully the Galvox took care of our problem, but I doubt it.”
Sir Reitus bowed. “Very well, Colonel. I shall get to the bottom of this, you can trust in that.”
“I hope so. This is not something we will take lightly. That soldier’s actions put my planet at risk. I cannot allow that,” Grimms decided seriously.
An hour and thirteen minutes later, a fleet of Teifen ships warped into the system. At first, it was one… then two, but they just kept coming until there were well over a hundred drifting through the abandoned system. Grimms watched as his worst fears were realized.
“They’re after us,” he said, leaning over the projection table and watching the swarm of Teifen circle like sharks.
They had positioned themselves next to a large asteroid, and Cora was masking their presence with the engines.
“They could just be after the prince,” she said hopefully.
“No. He was the bait. They let him go, knowing he would call for help. They knew humans were out here, but had no way of finding us except through the Elif. This was a trap for humanity from the start,” Grimms growled.
“Sir, we’ve received word back from the UHFC. They are ordering us to return to Earth immediately, now that we’ve arrested the traitor,” Mezner said, relaying the message.
“Great. Now they want us to bring the whole mess home. What if we didn't get them all? There could be another traitor,” Cora said.
Grimms shook his head. “I don't think that’s likely. It must have been incredibly difficult just to get one in.”
“But it could happen,” Cora argued.
“It doesn’t matter, the UHFC ordered us back. It’s their problem now,” Grimms said, shaking his head. “Connors, plot me a course for home. Captain, let’s make this trip a short one; how do you feel about pumping a little extra Aether into the engines?”
“Sounds good. I’ll take off as soon as the coordinates are loaded.”
“Sir. There is a new contact. It’s the dreadnought,” Mezner said, looking up from her console, her eyes wide.
Grimms zoomed in on the behemoth. It was damaged badly, but seemed to be mostly in one piece. There were several places where it was burnt, and large sections of armor had been blown off, but it still looked like it could take on the entire fleet back home.
He wondered how it survived the Galvox so well. The last they had seen of the dreadnought, it was under heavy fire, and there were more reinforcements coming.
“Let’s get out of here,” Grimms said darkly.
“Warp in three, two, one.”
26
“Me and Boon here are the only War Mages modern humans have, so far,” Sara told the image of Alant. “We don't know the limits of casting yet, but Boon’s familiar, Silva, told us that we can mitigate the rage that fighting for too long produces. Is there anything else we can do to protect ourselves and those around us?” she asked. While we’re here, I may as well learn some tricks of the trade from an actual War Mage.
Alant nodded. “Your twin will be able to absorb some of the feedback and lessen the effects of overcasting. You may also bond guards that will do the same, though to a much lesser extent. The most effective form of mitigating the rage is your familiar, since they have ultimate say on whether a spell is cast. It takes training and a thorough understanding of their Mage’s emotions, but it is a skill they will hone with time. However, even they can become overwhelmed easily, so it is important that you recognize your own limits.”
The ship had been coming online slowly over the past few minutes, with clangs and humming thumps deep within the structure. Alant had told them that it would be prepared for travel in a few days, after the reactors were trimmed, and maintenance was performed by the core. When asked how they were supposed to get the ship out from under the mountain it was currently encased in, he laughed and said they just needed to take off, insisting that a mountain was not nearly enough to stop the Exitium.
While the ship did its thing, Sara had been asking questions about control of her and Boon’s powers, trying to get a feel for what a War Mage was capable of, and what they were missing.
“What if you don't have a twin?” Sara asked, looking to Boon, who gave her an appreciative smile.
“It is exceedingly rare for a War Mage not to have a twin, but it has happened over the millennia. In that case, it is imperative that the single bond with a guard who will stay close to them. The stronger the emotional link, the more effectively their rage will be siphoned. This puts much pressure on the guard, though, and they will start to decline along with their Mage, so the War Mage needs to split their abilities between constructive and destructive magic to give them both more time. As their bodies become more and more sensitive to the Aether flowing through them, there will come a point when one spell will be enough to push them over the edge,” Alant said, folding his hands into his robe’s sleeves in a way Sara thought was rather pretentious.
“How long can a War Mage go without any checks?” she asked, trying to determine the baseline.
The image of Alant shrugged. “That depends on the War Mage. We are not all created equal; some are more powerful than others, and some are able to fight off the effects of Aether fatigue better than others.”
“So we need to test ourselves without making the mistake of going too far. Great, that sounds safe,” Sara muttered.
“It is not as dangerous as you might guess. There are tactics you can use in your training that will let you push the limits without spilling over.” Alant gestured to the base of the podium he stood on. A section slid open, revealing a row of headbands whose design Sara recognized from the dampeners she had used in her final ex
am back on Earth. She didn't realize at the time that the tech was of ancient human origin. “With these, you will be able to use your powers to their fullest extent, without channeling so much Aether that endanger yourself. There are physical indicators that you’re going too far, and you must recognize these in yourself before testing those abilities in a real-world situation.”
Sara reached down and picked up three of the devices, handing one to Boon and, beckoning Baxter closer, handing him the third.
“Why do you want me to have one? I’m not a War Mage,” Baxter asked through his armor’s speakers.
“True, but you’re my bonded guard. So my abilities are going to affect you; plus, in a real battle, you will be adding to the overall effect by using your own Aether. So I want you to do a little practice with us.” Sara smiled up at the black faceplate.
“You would like to practice now?” Alant asked, not surprised.
“I was thinking we could just cast ‘til we start feeling whatever it is we’re supposed to feel. Why, do you have something in mind?” she asked the projection.
“It is much more efficient to practice in a simulation. Real-world objectives are a better stress test,” Alant explained.
“True, and if we had a holo room, I would use that,” she agreed, then gestured to the desolate park. “But I don't see one, so—”
She was cut off, as the entire park changed from the barren, dusty landscape to a city street.
“This park was a multi-use room. It provided a place for the pixie travelers to hide, along with an open area for relaxation and entertainment. In addition, it was used as a training ground for the legions onboard,” Alant said, waving a hand at the near-perfect holo projection all around them.
“Okay. This is pretty cool,” Boon said, taking in the alien street.
They were standing in an intersection in a metropolis. Looking up, some of the buildings disappeared into the clouds overhead. The construction was mostly of glass and polymers that reflected the light of the sun down into the canyons between the towering buildings. Sara could see vehicles parked on the street, but unlike most street vehicles, they did not have wheels, instead hovering over the metal-like pavement. The design of the buildings had the impression of natural formations, with sweeping twists and lines. There were skybridges made of glass, letting the pedestrians see down to the street below. There were shops full of alien wares lining the ground level, but the city was abandoned, frozen in time; even leaves and the little litter there was hung suspended in the air.
“Where is this city?” Sara asked, trying to take everything in at once.
“This is an intersection in the capital on the planet Asgard, our homeworld.”
Sara wrinkled her brow, and turned to Alant. “Asgard? As in the home of the Norse gods?”
He gave her a blank stare, trying to understand what she was referring to. “I am sorry. I do not understand the question. Who are the Norse?”
She waved a hand. “We can come back to that. So what are these physical tells we should be looking for?”
“The first sign that you are pushing yourself too far will be a buzzing in the head, similar to something vibrating lightly against the base of your skull. If that is ignored, the second sign will be a loss of hearing; not complete, but enough that it will sound as though there is a plug in your ear. The third will be hallucinations. You will see things as you wish them to be, not how they are. For example, when looking for the enemy, if none are to be found, you may replace them in your mind with your own men, seeing them as the enemy. By the time you are this far gone, it is usually too late for you to recognize the danger you are in, and you will be lost to the rage,” Alant said with a frown.
Sara shuddered. She had experienced all three of those on Colony 788. If it were not for Alister, and their then weak, empathic connection, she would have been too far gone, lost to her rage.
“Right. So I guess we just need some enemies to battle,” she said, stepping back into her armor and letting it close around her.
Alant smiled all too cheerily. “They are already on their way.”
27
Baxter threw up a shield, falling to one knee, and gave Boon and Sara a clear shot over the barrier and himself. Sara stepped close, her thigh bumping up against his shoulder, and took aim at the twelve Teifen soldiers leaping over a burning vehicle. She sent a blast of raw force, razor thin, and sliced through their armor as if it were tissue paper, splashing blue blood and guts across the dull gray metallic pavement with a sploosh that made her own guts twist in disgust.
“I’ll get the right,” Boon shouted, sliding on one knee and slamming her shoulder into Baxter’s shield, then popping up and extending her arm, sending a blast of Aether to super-chill the air in a tight cone.
There were three Teifen running from behind a vehicle, trying to take cover behind a concrete pillar. She caught the last one fully, freezing him solid in his armor, and the back leg of the one in front of him. The two Teifen kept moving forward with their momentum, falling to the ground. The one in the back shattered to small pieces, sending shards skittering across the ground to pile up against his comrade’s prone form. The leg shattered with the impact as well, but the Teifen was not dead; his screams of pain were loud enough to be heard through his armor. The third made it to cover and, in an impressive show of speed, raised his coilgun and began sending slivers of metal at them on full auto.
Sara dropped behind the shield along with Boon, as it flared with the unending barrage of shards.
“You holding up okay?” she asked Baxter, scanning the area in front of them through the sparking shield.
“This is nothing. Even before we bonded, I had enough power to hold off one rifle. How are you doing? We’ve been going at this for an hour, and I’m getting some strange feelings from you.” He wasn’t looking her way, but scanning the field himself.
“I’m starting to get the buzz Alant was talking about, but it’s pretty faint. What about you, Boon? You hanging in there?” Sara asked the small figure beside Baxter.
“Yeah, but I have the buzz for sure. And my ears are starting to get a little fuzzy.” She checked behind them, throwing up a shield with a yell.
Sara spun and saw the shield that Boon had thrown up sparking with several rifles’ worth of ammo. They had been so focused on the front that they had let the enemy get behind them.
“I’m calling it. Boon is already starting to feel the second effect. Alant, end program!” Sara shouted the last through her speaker.
The gunfire stopped instantly, and the cityscape fell deathly quiet. Then the city itself faded out, leaving them kneeling on a dirt patch a hundred meters from the podium where Alant was standing.
Sara stood, brushing dust from her armor. “Let’s take a break. I wish we’d brought some food with us, I’m starving.”
“Yeah, I could eat,” Baxter said, dropping his shield and standing along with Boon. “I could really go for a turkey melt right about now,” he added, noisily taking a sip of water from the straw in his helmet.
They made their way back to the podium and sat down on the relatively clean deck plates, resting quietly for a few minutes. They all had their helmets folded back to get some fresh air. Alister and Silva crawled out of Sara’s and Boon’s hip pouches, where they had been kept during the simulated battle, and met between the two women to curl into a mutual ball and promptly began to nap. Eventually, Sara started the conversation she knew she and Boon needed to have.
“We need to get you a guard. You were way more susceptible to the effects of that amount of Aether than I was—at a lot faster rate, too,” Sara said, leaning back on her extended arms and crossing her ankles.
Boon was sitting cross-legged, and hung her head. “I know. I wasn’t casting half as many spells as you were, either. I think the fact that my sister is gone is going to make this a much more difficult prospect.”
“I don't know about that. I think you’re just going to have to get creati
ve,” Baxter said, leaning back in a similar pose as Sara.
“What do you mean?” Boon asked, looking up at his smiling face.
Baxter waved a hand at the still figure of Alant. “You heard what he said. I know you’re new to this whole mage thing, but trust someone who went through the academy; magic is more than the sum of its parts. If you can start using creation magic along with destructive, you’ll be better balanced, and able to fight longer. Maybe take the chance to heal others while in battle, or mend stuff.”
Boon thought about that. “How would I use mending in battle?”
Baxter shrugged. “I don't know, repairing armor? It was just an example. If you want, we can work on a game plan? I’m sure Gonders would be willing to work with you; she’s pretty good at the constructive uses of Aether.”
Boon’s cheeks flushed red at the mention of Gonders, and she looked down at her hands.
Sara raised an eyebrow. “You okay?”
Boon nodded rather vigorously. “Yeah. I’m good. It would be nice if she could help me out.”
Sara cocked her head. “Of course she would.”
“Maybe…” Boon started, but broke off to bite her lip before continuing. “Maybe, she would be my guard?”
Baxter scratched at his buzzed, white hair. “You could ask her. She’s a good choice to have by your side.”
Boon smiled, her face half hidden as she watched her hands wringing together “Yeah, she is,” she said dreamily.
Sara's eyes widened. “Really? Gonders?”
Boon’s head snapped up, a shocked look on her face.
Sara laughed lightly. “Boon, I had no idea you liked her. You seem so…” She waved her hand around in a nebulous way. “Conservative. I figured with your religious background, you wouldn’t swing that way.”
Boon frowned. “Not having pretty dresses wasn’t the only reason I left, you know.”
Sara held up her hands in surrender. “Hey, I didn't mean anything by it. You’ve just never mentioned it before.”
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