I realized it must be some kind of intelligent computer; or someone playing a joke on me. “Ah. So you said you can run this checklist?”
“Yes, if you teach me what to look for, I can,” said Nemesis.
“Don’t you have a checklist of your own?” I asked.
“Maybe somewhere in the databanks there might be,” he said. “Should I look?”
“You don’t know?” I asked.
“No, I never looked for one before. What should I look for?” he asked.
I heard a chuckle behind me. I spun around and saw Jade. “Are you playing me?”
“No, that’s Nemesis. He is the spirit that has made this ship his body,” said Jade.
Jade was big for a human male and seemed to take pride in his physical form. He walked with confidence and, like everyone else on the craft, wore perfectly-tailored body armor.
“A spirit? So this ship is alive?” I asked.
“In a sense, yes,” said Jade.
I looked back at the computer. Kymberly said the ship was special. I guess this is what she meant, I thought to myself. “Nemesis, how closely have you been watching me?”
“Closely enough; I could repeat every check you have done so far, but I don’t know what you are looking for,” said Nemesis.
“So if I teach you what to look for, you can do this checklist?” I asked. I disliked the idea of being watched, but if I was climbing around in his body, I suppose it was his right.
“Sure! How often should it be done? Daily?” asked Nemesis.
Great! Another over-eager apprentice, I thought to myself. “Oh, no, this one is just an initial check. Monthly would be fine for that, but there are other things we need to check every day.”
“Just let me know, and I will make sure you have reports ready every morning when you start,” said Nemesis.
I looked over at Jade who said, “That’s what he does. He takes care of most of the ship functions for us.”
“That explains how you could go so long without an engineer,” I said.
“Yes. Master Spectra asked me to come down here and tell you about the training schedule,” he said.
“What training schedule?” I asked.
“First thing in the morning, we start with physical training,” he informed me. He went on to tell me how they cycle through the magic training and other skills. It was a full regimen of training; one I would expect for navy personnel, but not myself.
“But I am just a hired hand,” I said.
“Maybe, but as long as you are a part of this crew, you are a part of this crew,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
He reached into a locker and pulled out a suit of armor. “Welcome aboard, Seventh Rank Battle Wizard Chrimson,” he said as he tossed me the suit.
I was so surprised by his comment I barely caught the armor. “I am to be trained as a wizard?”
“Yep. See you bright and early,” he said and then left.
Wow, I thought to myself as I admired the armor. Real training! I was not sure what that would even consist of.
“Try it on,” suggested Nemesis.
“You know, I think I will,” I said and quickly slipped into it. The armor stretched and grew as I pulled it on, and as I locked the last piece in place it adjusted itself to the perfect size for me.
“How does it feel?” asked Nemesis as I walked around in it.
“Like a perfect second skin,” I said.
“That’s how my armor felt when the wizards upgraded me. It’s nice, isn’t it?” he said.
“Yeah, but I guess it’s time to get back to work,” I said.
“Sure! What next?” he asked.
I looked around again and said, “Well, since you’re inside there, maybe you can find the manuals that came with the engine. There should be some kind of standard maintenance schedule in there, with instructions for all the normal stuff. Hopefully some advanced technical schematics too.”
“I’ll see what I can find,” he said.
“Great. Now where …?” I started and then cut myself off as I saw a big plate full of food on the table. “Well, I was going to ask where I can find some dinner, but it looks like you got me some already. Thanks!”
“Oh, that wasn’t me. Nanny came in and dropped that off a few moments ago,” he said.
“Nanny?” I didn’t remember being introduced to her. “Well, please thank her for me. I am going to take a break and eat this before it gets cold.”
The meal was surprisingly good, considering it was synthesized meat. It still paled next to the real thing, but it was by far the best meal I had ever had while underway. “Ah, feels good to eat.”
“Did you get enough?” a grandmotherly voice asked.
I almost fell out of my chair when I saw the source of the voice. It simultaneously resembled a blob of nothing and a grandmotherly ghost. I could not make out what species the ghost had been when it was alive, but it somehow gave the impression of being a loving grandmother.
“Sorry, I did not mean to startle you,” she said.
“It’s okay,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I guess you’re Nanny?”
“Yes,” she replied.
It is a ship with a crew of spiritualists, I thought to myself. You should have expected things like this. After another steadying breath I said, “Well, thank you. The food was wonderful.”
“Oh, I’m glad. I know it’s not as good as the real thing, but it is the best I could make with what I have to work with. Would you like some blood cream?” she asked.
“You have blood cream?” I asked. It was a traditional Zalionian dessert, rarely found outside our home empire.
“Of course I do,” she said.
“I would love some!” I said.
As she flew off, Nemesis said, “Nanny can make just about anything, it seems.”
“Oh?” I asked.
“Yeah. I have watched her prepare a unique meal for every person she meets. Somehow she knows exactly what they want even before they do.”
Before I could respond Nanny came back in carrying a large bowl of the reddest, juiciest-looking blood cream I had ever seen. “I hope it’s okay. I really don’t have a lot to work with here.”
I smiled as I took the bowl from her and placed it on the table. I could taste the scent on the air and could not resist a quick lick. “Oh, Nanny! You have outdone yourself. This is the best blood cream I have ever tasted!”
I sat down with the bowl and did not speak for a long time as I slowly ate the dessert. Eventually I started educating Nemesis on how to finish the checklist and what to look for. He learned with all of the speed of a computer. I was confident that he could finish the checks, so I decided to turn in for the night. “I wonder where my quarters are?”
“I’ll get Nanny. She can show you. Almost everyone else is in bed already.”
Nanny came in and showed me first where to stash my dirty dishes and then brought me to my quarters. As I walked into them she said, “Now, these quarters are sealed, so once you close this door you will have complete privacy. Neither Nemesis nor I can come in unless you open the door.”
“Oh? That seems unusual,” I said. The room was about what I would expect on a military vessel. It had all the basic necessities, thankfully in Zalionian size, but not much in the way of luxury or decoration.
“In time, working in these close quarters, you will come to treasure this place of your own where no one can disturb you. Just a warning: telepathy does not work here either, so if you need something you will have to use the communication system.”
“Thanks,” I said and then, after saying ‘goodnight’, I closed the door and was alone. I really like it here. It is such a pleasant change from where I came from, I thought to myself. Then I remembered that I was here to betray these people. I suddenly hated my job.
Chapter Forty-Three
“Master Dusty,” came Jade’s voice over the comm. �
�We are ready to detach from the hauler.”
“Okay. Detach, cloak and head to the jump point. Hold steady when you get there,” I replied.
Spectra and I were relaxing in our quarters. She was lying under my sunlamp, and I was in my tub soaking in water. It would be hours before we reached the jump location, and the crew could handle the flight without us. We planned to relax for a while and do nothing. There had been little time to do that on this mission so far. All the training we were doing added quite a bit to our workload. As I soaked in the water I could feel the stress in my shoulders, neck and back. The warm jets of water that kept the tank aerated felt good on my scales, and I allowed myself to sink, becoming completely submerged. The warm water flowing through my mouth and across my gills caused a drowsiness to come over me as I finally started to relax.
I had just settled in at the bottom of my tank at the perfect spot to catch the jets on my back and shoulders when Greymere’s voice sounded in my head.
“Master Dusty, I am ready to come home,” he sent.
I considered ignoring him, but given that he was trapped in the Spirit Realm until we retrieved him, I decided against it. “Okay. Are you in a safe location?”
“Master, I am in the realm of the dead,” he sent back. “But it’s probably been at least an hour since I last had to kill someone.”
“I will be there shortly,” I sent and reluctantly came out of the water. I said, “Time to go fetch the butterfly.”
I admired her form as she sleepily lengthened out her body in one long, luxurious stretch. “I guess that means I should put some clothes on.” She came over to me and snuggled close, playfully scratching at my scales.
“Sadly, you probably should.”
“Okay, then let’s make this quick and get back to this,” she said as her tail slithered around my leg.
She pulled away ever so slowly, and we both dressed in our armor. “I should be able to Spirit Walk right to his location.”
Using the communication ring as a beacon, I cast Spirit Walk and traveled to the Spirit Realm. As I arrived I saw Greymere with both swords drawn, standing over the body of something that might have been a human but was too mangled for me to be sure. His swords were dripping with blood, and he continually scanned the area around us.
Spectra honed in on my location and appeared as Greymere said, “Sorry, he came after we spoke.”
Greymere’s armor was a filthy mess that spoke of numerous battles with a variety of creatures. He sounded tired, but with his helmet on it was hard to judge his condition. His armor appeared to have served him well, and looked like it had taken quite a beating. It was self-repairing but would need to be put back into its container first.
Spectra said, “Let’s get you home.”
“That would be good,” he said.
Spectra opened a gate just as several more creatures came into the clearing. “Go!” she said and pushed Greymere through the gate.
I spun round, releasing a hail of Spirit Bolts into their group, and backed through the gate while they were diving for cover. Spectra closed the gate from the other side, cutting off any chance of them following us through.
“Where is she?” asked Greymere.
“She will be along shortly,” I said. I suspected that, whatever those creatures were, they would not be alive when she returned. I would have to ask Greymere what had drawn them after him, but that could wait for another day. He had fallen into a chair and was not moving. “Nanny, we have a patient for you,” I sent.
I took off his helmet as Nanny came rushing into the room. “Oh, dear,” she said.
Spectra appeared and asked, “Everyone okay?”
“Yes, but poor Greymere is exhausted and famished. He needs to eat and get some sleep,” said Nanny. “I’ll make sure he does.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Greymere, you can give your report after you recover. It seems that you had far more trouble than any of us expected.”
“Oh,” he said. “It’s fine. Nanny, your father got your message and sends his love.” Then he pulled something out of his bag. “And this.”
“OH!” she said and took it eagerly. “Thank you!”
“It is good to see her happy,” I sent to Spectra.
“Wonderfully so,” she sent back, full of emotion. “Let’s leave them to talk. I am sure he has news for her.”
We slipped out while she read the scroll, and returned to our quarters.
“Should we tell Saraphym he’s back?” she asked.
“No. Let the poor guy get some rest first,” I said.
She stripped, climbed into our bed and lay under the sunlamp. I needed the sunlamp, as my race was from a world with multiple suns that never set, and that suited her fine. She loved to curl up under it and just bask in its light. I followed her into bed and she pulled me close to her …
~~~
The next morning we gathered the entire team into the mess hall to go over the plan for attack. “We will be at the station in two days. That should put us ahead of the attacking fleet by several hours, maybe half a day,” I said. “Chrimson, what is the status of the engines? Will they be at 100% when we arrive?”
“I would have to skip training tomorrow to make that target in time, but with Nemesis helping it can be done,” he said.
Chrimson had been joining us in our training sessions for the last few days, and we’d all learned pretty quickly that he was way behind even the least-trained among the battle wizards. Having him miss training was not desirable. “What if we send Jade to help?”
“Sir … Master, this close to the end of the job, adding someone would only slow me down. It would take too long to train him,” said Chrimson.
“We are about to fly into what will become a hot battle zone. We need Nemesis at 100% for it so, as much as I hate to say this, skip your training to get that done,” I said.
“Yes, Master,” he said.
“The goal is to get in, get the data, and get out, without being seen. We don’t want to get caught in the crossfire, so we will need to move fast. This means that all teams will be deployed,” I said. “Kymberly, I am giving you a field promotion to Sixth Rank Battle Wizard. Your team will be Jade and Chrimson. I want you three to board the station, get to engineering, and make sure they can’t activate the autodestruct mechanism until we are all clear from the station.”
“You want me?” Chrimson asked at the same time as Kymberly said, “Me, Master?”
I raised my hand to quiet them. “Yes. Kymberly, you will run this mission. If it goes well, which I am sure it will, your promotion will be official. Chrimson, I meant it when I said you were part of this team, and there is no one here more qualified than you to stop the autodestruct. How long do you think you will need?”
He stumbled around for a little bit and then said, “Honestly, I have no idea. Do we have any schematics of the station?”
“Yes. Nemesis, make sure he gets them,” I said.
“Sure, Master Dusty,” said Nemesis.
“Do you want me to completely remove their ability to use it, or just slow it down?”
“Whichever means we get off the station alive and undetected,” I said.
“Understood, Master,” he said.
“Greymere, I am promoting you also. You and Saraphym will fly over to the attacking fleet, board their command ship, and get all the data you can from their systems,” I said.
Saraphym’s face lit up as Greymere replied, “Understood, and thank you, Master.”
“Nemesis, we will need you to stay hidden, but inside Spectra’s gate range. You and Nanny will be the only ones left here, as Spectra and I will also board the station to complete our primary objective, which is to copy their entire database.”
“Me? Alone?” asked Nemesis.
“No, you will have Nanny,” said Spectra in a gentle voice.
“For how long?” he started, but Nanny cut him off.
“Oh, don’t worry about him. He will be fine, and we will be here when you are ready to return,” she said.
“There are a lot of moving pieces in this plan, Master,” said Greymere.
“Yes, but this might be our last shot at this data, and a lot is riding on our success,” I said.
“What exactly is that?” asked Chrimson.
“Two things,” I said. “First, we need that data to stop an entire race from being wiped out.” I filled him in on the broad details of our mission, which I had withheld until now. I didn’t know if he had a way to get information back to Henrick or not, but at this point we needed him fully on our side.
“You said two things?” asked Greymere when I’d finished.
“Yes,” said Spectra. “We must not forget: we are here to prove something to both realms. We are here to prove that we are not necromancers in training and that our art should not be banned. We have two dozen spiritualists back home who are depending on us to make this work. If we succeed in this mission, we will call them out to join us, and together we can grow and strengthen one another as the first dedicated spiritualist corps in history.”
Chapter Forty-Four
“The fools!” called out Jashier as he stormed into his command center. The room fell silent as he slammed the door shut behind him.
“Sir?” asked his aide.
The command center was filled with computer equipment of all kinds. The walls were covered with screens showing various reports, charts and maps. In the center of the room was a large, metal conference table with several humans gathered around it, all wearing sharply-pressed military uniforms. They fidgeted nervously as Jashier approached the table. None of them made eye contact with him, but looked at each other as if trying to decide who should speak first.
Jashier threw a datapad onto the table, hard enough to destroy its screen and send it skidding into one of the men. “The fools! They cannot see that Vydor and his ilk will destroy them and their precious bloodline!”
Jashier’s aide swallowed hard, stepped forward and asked, “I take it the meeting went poorly?”
Jashier cursed profusely and then said, “Their plan is to hide and bide their time again. They believe that Vydor, Shadow and the other Imperial Humans will steer the Wizard Kingdom back their way in a few generations, and then they will have the benefit of their power base to work from to rebuild their empire.”
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