Rise of Shadows (34 page)

The station was massive, on the order of magnitude of a tiny moon. It had many layers of multiphasic shielding and would likely be able to completely withstand most attacks. Based on an external visual inspection, it was heavily armed with many weapons turrets. Our best guess is that it could withstand an attack against three complete battle fleets without any trouble. We could not probe for life signs, but the sheer size of the station meant there could be hundreds of thousands of people on board.

What we could not find was any sign of the massive power generators that would be needed to power the station. Any conventional generator on this scale would create a tremendous amount of heat as a waste product, and that heat would have to be vented somewhere that we could detect. Even if it was recaptured and used to heat the station, the heat should still be easy to detect on this scale.

“All right, everyone, we have around six days before the Aleeryon Navy bombers arrive. In that time we need to come up with a plan to take out this space station,” I said. “So I am opening the floor to all ideas. Speak freely, and let’s see what we can come up with.”

“Master Shadow, do we really want to destroy the station?” asked Darius.

“Why would we not?” I asked.

“Master, it seems that if we could disable it somehow it could be a great resource for Aleeryon Navy out here,” said Darius.

“True. They are completely lacking any bases out here, so this would be a boon for them,” I said.

A debate then sprang up about this. Flame was very excited about handing this over to the Aleeryon Navy, thinking that it would allow them to secure this region of space and possibly serve as a jump hub. Phoenix was leaning towards blowing it to bits to prevent it from being used by anyone, and Darius was trying to think in practical terms of what we would actually have a chance to pull off. Spectra and Dusty were largely quiet. I have come to expect this of Spectra. In large groups she clams up and does not interact at all. She will listen carefully to everything said and later in a smaller setting offer thoughts on what she heard, so it was still good to involve her.

Dusty, on the other hand, needed to speak up more. I had placed him as my second-in-command by giving him the second shift bridge. I felt that he would one day become the best person to be in that position because Phoenix was too hot-headed, and Darius was too new to our culture. Dusty was level-headed and had a great way with people. Everyone trusted and liked him, which was a great trait for a leader. He also knew when to ask for help, which was one of the rarest traits among command officers in all existence.

Dusty’s biggest weakness was his lack of self-confidence, but I did not think that was what was keeping him from talking just now. He seemed to be studying something on his datapad and was deep in thought. I wondered what he was thinking but, before I could ask him, he spoke up.

“It’s fake,” said Dusty almost under his breath.

“What, Dusty?” I asked in a loud enough voice to quiet the room.

“Sorry, Master, I did not mean to say that aloud,” he said.

“I believe you said, ‘It’s fake’,” I said. “What is fake?”

He took a deep breath and then said, “The station.”

“Forgive me, Master, but we have been all around it and scanned the exterior. How could it be fake?” asked Darius.

“When I was on the carrier, I found that the interior was a total mess, heavily damaged, and barely patched together. There were piles of garbage everywhere. In addition, the records we pulled showed it to be seriously understaffed. When your team captured that battleship from the Scorpion Gang, you found the same thing, didn’t you?” asked Dusty.

“Yes, Master, but what does that have to do with the station?” Darius asked.

“According to the reports from the Aleeryon Navy, most of the ships that they had boarded were in the same condition. Most of their systems were jury-rigged to be automatic and were in various states of disrepair. They were all completely understaffed for the size of ship they had,” said Dusty.

He paused and looked around the room, seeming concerned. I wondered over what; but I could guess where he was going with this, and I did not want to steal his moment to shine in front of everyone.

“Every ship we have come across has looked mighty and powerful from the outside, but on the inside was mostly dead. They have been bluffing out here for years, it seems, and now we come across a space station that is not generating nearly enough power to run, but looks really good on the outside,” said Dusty. He took a deep breath and said, “I think they are bluffing again.”

“Are you saying that you think that station is mostly nonfunctional?” asked Darius.

“Yes, exactly,” said Dusty. “If they only had a couple of hundred people on that station and if most of their power generation was used up by those shields, the heat signature of the generators would be to low for us to detect with passive scans.”

Brilliant!
I thought to myself. “If that is true, that means we could launch an attack and potentially take control of their command center. From there we could easily take the station out of the fight,” I said.

“If true,” started Darius. “Master, I admit your theory is compelling, but if it is wrong and we attempt to invade we would quickly be overwhelmed.”

“I can find out,” said Dusty.

“Master, how?” asked Darius.

“I can … ” said Dusty, and then hesitated for a brief moment. “I can go over there and look.”

“Dusty, how long can you keep Night Form up?” I asked.

“Perhaps a day, Master; long enough to find out if I am wrong,” he said.

“Even if you are wrong you can still get us good information while you’re there, but we risk your discovery by the sorcerers,” said Phoenix.

“We already face that risk, but they won’t find me if I don’t want to be found,” said Dusty.

I was amazed at the difference in Dusty. The last time we talked about him exploring an enemy vessel he was scared and unsure of himself. This time he was still nervous, but volunteering to go. I noticed something else too. Spectra looked up at him when he mentioned his idea, and he seemed to draw strength from that look. There was definitely something growing between them, and if they were the same species I would say it was love, but they are too far apart for that.

“It seems we need more information, and Dusty can get that for us. So go get some rest, Dusty, and be ready to go over in six hours. Once we have your report, we will know better what our options are.”

After getting some sleep, I went down to the mess hall to have breakfast. I was surprised to see Spectra waiting for me at the table. She had even prepared a plate for me with all of my favorite foods on it.

“Good morning, Dusty,” she said as I approached the table.

“Good morning, Spectra,” I said. I marveled at the plate of food she had made up. We had never talked about food in as long as I could remember, yet there on the plate were all of the treats I enjoyed eating. “Thank you, this looks delicious!”

“I am glad you like it. I wanted you to have something nice before your mission in case you decide to wander off again,” she said.

“Yeah, about that - we need a better escape plan, I think,” I said.

She just smiled, and we ate in silence for a bit, then she said, “Master Shadow gave me an idea about how we can manage the escape.”

“Oh?” I asked.

“Yes, when we rescued Darius he had me open a gate under him, and he just fell through the gate. So I was thinking if we need a quick escape, I could open a gate just wide enough to fit you through, right below your feet,” she said.

“Sounds like it might work, and might be a bit of a rough ride,” I said.

“I could just leave you, and we’ll see if you can be rescued from the necromancers by a sorcerer again,” she said.

I chuckled a little at that and said, “And miss a meal like this? I’ll take the bumpy ride.”

We had a nice conversation for a while, and for the first time since I met her she was smiling and openly enjoying my company. It was a wonderful feeling that I did not want to pass, but much too soon I heard Master Shadow send over our telepathic network, “
Dusty, if you are ready, it would be good to get this mission started.”

“
Okay, I’ll just clean up after my meal and head to the bridge,”
I sent back.

“I guess you’d better go,” said Spectra as she gathered up the plates.

“Yeah,” I said. I was starting to feel a bit nervous about this mission. I would be alone among the enemy again. Last time did not go so well. Master Shadow told me he was very proud and impressed by how successful the mission was, but he did not know how close I came to killing the first people I saw, nor did he seem to understand how poorly the mission would have gone had I not met up with Shea and Craig.

As we walked up to the bridge Spectra said, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you get away from me like that again.”

I really did not know how to take that, nor what to say, so we just walked on in silence. I was trying to think about what I should bring with me this time. It didn’t seem reasonable to bring a pack, bedroll, and other camping gear, but I was considering asking for it anyway. I still had all the wands I’d made while traveling with Shea, so at least I was a bit better prepared to defend myself if I needed to.

Before we could make it to the bridge, Shea came running up the corridor. “Master Dusty, wait!” she called out. I stopped and turned towards her, and when she reached us, she gave me a small bag. I looked into the bag and saw six thin glass vials.

“There are three major healing potions and three major illuminescence, any of which should have enough potency to return you to full strength even if you are in a very bad way,” she said.

I noticed that the liquid in one set of vials was tinted red, and the other azure. “These do not look the same as what you have made in the past.”

“The more powerful the potion, the less color it has. These are the best I can make. Use them sparingly, as it could be a while before I can spend the days it takes to make each one again,” said Shea.

“Wow, thanks, Shea! I just hope I don’t need them,” I said as I pulled them out of the bag and tucked them inside my armor. Then, after returning the bag to Shea, Spectra and I continued on to the bridge.

“Master Dusty, I was wondering: do you have any interaction with the physical world at all when you are in Night Form?” asked Darius when we arrived on the bridge.

“No, not that I have discovered,” I said.

“Do you think you will spend any time in a physical form then, Master?” he asked.

“Not if I can help it,” I said. “Why?”

“Master, I was hoping you could bring something with you that might aid our mission,” he said.

“Well, if it’s small and light I can carry it just in case,” I said.

He then handed me a small box and explained that to use it I should connect it to any terminal and let it run for a few minutes. In that time, it would implant a program in their station’s computer that would slowly take control of critical systems, which would give us a big advantage when the time came to invade.

“Master Shadow, this sounds like it would be worth the risk to install,” I suggested.

“No, it is not; but if you think you can do it safely, then go for it. I will emphasize again: it is not worth your life or capture,” said Master Shadow.

“Yes, Master,” I said.

“Flame has landed us on the exterior of the station, so you should be able to drift right in like last time. Spectra will keep tabs on you while you are over there. Any last-minute questions?” he asked.

Nervousness was turning into fear now. I looked over at Spectra, drank deeply from her big green eyes, and then said, “No, Master, I guess not. Pretty much the same drill as last time.”

Master Shadow walked over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. When he had my attention he said, “Dusty, you can do this. I have faith in you.”

“Thank you, Master,” I said. I took one last look at everyone and then said, “I guess it’s time.” Once I had exchanged goodbyes and good lucks with everyone, I cast Night Form and slowly drifted onto the station.

I drifted down effortlessly towards the space station, passing through the hard vacuum of space and into the exterior armor of the station. Passing through the dense armor was a bit disconcerting because I could sense almost nothing. It was not like walking into a dark room where you could still somewhat sense the shape of the room and where the big furniture was. It was more like being blind and deaf; completely closed off from the world around me. It seemed like an eternity passed before I finally exited the armor into a vast, open space.

Master Shadow had explained that after I passed through the outer armor I would be likely to find myself in this place. It was where robots and other automated systems worked to keep the armor in good repair and maintain all the external systems. The area was empty of people, as Master Shadow had said, but there was no sign of the robots he’d expected me to find working here.

After passing through that level, I entered another layer of armor that was just as dense and devoid of sensation as the outer layer. Passing through that took less time than the outer layer, or at least I think it did. It was normally hard enough to keep track of time passing in this form, and the nature of the armor made it nigh impossible.

Eventually I passed into the outer layer of corridors. They were in good repair, but completely empty. While in Night Form, I could not tell if life support was running, but all the lights were off with the exception of bioluminescent emergency lighting. After exploring that layer, I passed through several other levels that seemed exactly the same as the first layer. This continued most of the way into the station, just level after level of abandoned corridors.

I estimated I was about a third of the way into the station when I met the first signs of activity. The corridor was lit, and there were robots working on various systems. I explored this level for a while but still saw no signs of people, just robots hard at work doing whatever robots do on abandoned-looking space stations.