Chapter 12
Mirana gritted her teeth as zero gravity sent her insides lurching around, although she knew the discomfort was the least of her problems. She instinctively threw a Shadow field around her and Ned, hoping that Dread Phoenix had not yet locked onto their position; she was fairly certain that even their battle armor would not stand up long against weapons fire from a starship. She heard Ned grunt through the com link as she severed his connection to whatever bit of Plasma was still available around them in space and wondered if he was even conscious, but there was no time to check. She spotted Dren’s ship some distance away; already it was firing its lasers in their general direction, probably hoping to get lucky and finish them off. Mirana knew she had to call Nemesis quickly.
Her suit’s tracking system highlighted the ship’s location, and Mirana pivoted to face it. It was just a distant spec among the ships and weapons dotting the battle area, but its distance was not a concern. The trick was to alert Ablithra of her position without letting the Vortak know too. Mirana thickened the Shadow field and opened a tunnel from her suit’s transponder, aiming as best she could at Nemesis’s position, then sent the prearranged homing signal. She left it on for only an instant, knowing that the signal would expand as it left the filter of the Shadow field, and the longer she left it on, the longer someone else would have to realize what it was. She used her suit’s maneuvering thrusters to change position slightly, then sent another burst. Finally she got a response, which registered as a simple beep from her suit’s controls.
“Just hold on,” she whispered to Ned. “They’re coming for us.”
Mirana clenched her jaw in helpless frustration as she saw the storm of laser fire that followed Nemesis as it swooped toward her. Vortak ships were closing from all directions, some speeding by Mirana so close that she worried one would crash into her. But Ablithra knew better than to make a path straight toward Mirana, and the tide of battle angled away. Dread Phoenix moved laterally to block the path of Nemesis, still firing in random directions, no doubt hoping that Nemesis would give away her location. It was a bad position she had put Ablithra in, Mirana knew. There was no blue aura around the ship, which meant that the Plasma shield had worn off, and there would be no way to disappear until Mirana was on board. And no Imperial ships seemed to be following Nemesis; evidently Harvey was taking the diversion of Vortak resources as an opportunity for his fleet to gain ground elsewhere. As Nemesis worked its way closer, Mirana tried to prepare herself for the maneuver she and Ablithra had planned. The lasers were coming nearer, though. It was going to be very close.
Then abruptly Nemesis changed course and headed nearly straight for her. Its landing bay was already open, and surely the Vortak would have noticed that. Mirana used her suit's readout to measure the distance, and when the ship was just a few hundred meters away, Mirana dropped the Shadow field. At about the same instant, Nemesis halted its forward momentum and pivoted, lasers and missiles spewing from more surfaces than Mirana could count. Then for a brief moment, its shields dropped, and it lurched right at Mirana. Even as her suit blared an alarm of multiple missile lock, Mirana felt gravity reengage as she passed through the inertial dampers on Nemesis. The artificial gravity worked to compensate for the abrupt acceleration Mirana experienced as the ship scooped her and Ned up at high velocity. The dampers managed to keep her from being smashed against the far wall of the landing bay, but even so, the quick jump in speed knocked the wind out of Mirana and banged her head on the inside of her helmet. But the suit boosted her oxygen level, and Mirana rolled to her feet the instant she hit the deck, ignoring the pain of impact. She knew the content of Ablithra’s status update before she heard it.
“Our shields are practically gone! We need the Shadow drive, now!”
The Plasma shield would be better, Mirana thought sarcastically, but she sprinted toward the engine room without a word, already reaching out with the Shadow Plasma. The black fire was materializing before her even before she was through the door, and then it connected; the Plasmic transducer actuated to her power, and the ship’s warp field absorbed the light striking it. Resting against a graviton relay coil, Mirana scanned the room for a status readout. She let out a long breath at the news it gave her: they had less than six percent shield power left, and most of the missile launchers were totally depleted, but the damage had stopped. For the moment, they were safe.
“We’re clear of the battle zone,” Ablithra started to explain over the intercom. “But-”
“I see it,” Mirana said weakly. Just get us out of here. Go to warp. We’re done here.”
Ned lay on the landing bay deck, gasping as if for air, trembling as if he had just crawled out of a polar lake. Of course, air was not the problem, and his armor was fully capable of regulating his temperature, but the loss of the Plasmic energy that had protected him for years now was physically palpable. He had hardly even noticed the rough transition from open space to the lights and metal that surrounded him now. There was only the loss of the power.
“Ned! Can you hear me?”
It took a moment for Ned to even acknowledge the voice or the footsteps that accompanied him, but finally he saw Mirana’s concerned face looking down at him, and he forced himself into a sitting position.
“Are you okay? Can you stand up?”
Ned deactivated his armor and pulled himself to a sitting position, willing himself to focus on his surroundings. “Mirana. How long have I been here?”
“Just a few minutes. Nemesis picked us up, and we’re clear of the battlefield.”
The battle. “Is it still going on?”
“I’m afraid so. But Nemesis took so much damage that we had to pull out.”
“But Dread Phoenix…”
Mirana looked around as if worried about being overheard. “Come with me.” She led him out of the landing bay and into his quarters. Ned’s head was still a little fuzzy, but moving cleared it up a bit. And as his memory cleared up, he realized that his own sense of loss was not the only problem at hand. As he sat down across from Mirana, he could see his own worry mirrored in her face.
She took the other chair and regarded Ned solemnly. “You destroyed it, didn’t you?” It was more of an accusation than an inquiry.
“I had to. Nothing we were doing was strong enough to-”
“What were you thinking? My power was useless against him, but you were at least protected. The Shield Crystal was the only weapon we had left!”
Ned shook his head, trying to piece together his thoughts from the battle. It had been a rash decision, and maybe Mirana had a point. But something told him that he would do it again if he had to. “I couldn’t let you die,” he said softly.
Mirana looked away in exasperation, and Ned waited in silence. Her expression was a little softer when she looked back. “So… it’s gone then? Your power?”
Ned held up his hand. He could still feel the Plasmic energy around him, and he brought it forth in a sparkling glow around his hand, feeling an unexpected rush of relief. “The Shield Plasma is gone. I can feel it, like something has been ripped out of me. But it looks like the other abilities I gained on my own are still there.” He looked around for a small item to teleport, but Mirana cut him off.
“That’s great, but it’s not really relevant anymore, is it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Ned, I brought you here because you were invincible. You don’t have a lot of training, but that power made you an adversary to Dark Viper. If that’s gone…”
“I can still fight.”
“… then your work here is done, Ned. It’s time to go home.”
Ned could certainly see Mirana’s point, and the thought of going back certainly had a degree of appeal. But Ned knew he could not leave. “Look,” he said. “I know I’m weaker now. Fine, a lot weaker. But I still have power that nobody else has. If I leave, I’ll be abandoning everyone. I could never go back to my old life; I’d be safe, but I’d never be able to
live with myself knowing I destroyed the Shield Crystal and then ran away.”
Mirana went silent again, and Ned could not tell whether she was actually considering what he had said or simply debating how much of her thinking to share.
“We have to find out more about Nakmar’s power,” Ned ventured finally. “There has to be some weakness we can discover.”
“We’re definitely short on information,” Mirana said carefully. “And I intend to find some. I had run out of leads before I came for you, but Nakmar’s involvement might open a few doors; there must be some reason why Viper chose him.”
“And maybe we can track down that glowing material he used on his ship,” Ned continued eagerly. “It seemed to channel Plasmic energy; if we can find some…”
“Ned.” The scolding look in Mirana’s eyes stopped him.
“What?”
“I am going to look for more information about how to fight Dren and Viper. But I can’t bring you with me. There isn’t going to be a ‘we’ this time.”
“It seems to me that you need all the help you can get!”
“That’s just it, Ned. You can’t help me with this. You were helpful before because we were going into an all-out assault, and Dren knew we were coming, sooner or later. But this is a job for the Shadow Master; it requires stealth. Even if you still had the Crystal, you couldn’t help me infiltrate a fortress or hack into a database.”
Ned took a deep breath. Mirana’s logic was piling up against him. “So what do you expect me to do?”
Mirana’s expression softened further, and she leaned forward and put her hand on his knee. “I know you saved my life back there. And I can understand your desire to stay here. But you have to be careful. Now that the Crystal is gone, you are an easy target. You may be the most vulnerable person in the galaxy, because Dark Viper isn’t going to stop hunting you just because he doesn’t see you as a threat. If you’re not going home, then you need to find somewhere safe.”
It was a hard fact to accept. While he still sensed the Plasma around him, Ned could not help but feel abandoned, alone. But as unpleasant as the feeling was, it was not new. He had felt hopeless before, even with the Crystal. And he had not forgotten who had helped him through that feeling then.
“Smardwurst,” Ned said aloud. “I’ll go back to Green Scorpion and see what I can do to help the fleet. Maybe I can learn something from Kjrvlnk, or even use my power to divert enemy missiles or something. There has to be something I can do.”
“Not exactly the safest place I can think of,” Mirana said. “But it could be worse.”
“So… what’s the next step?”
“We’re going to dock at a the space station Delta Epsilon to recharge and rearm. And then, I think, you are going to return with Nemesis to the Armada while I head out in Nightsong.”
“Won’t you need the ship’s speed?”
“Yes, but I can’t justify taking Nemesis away from the war. There are other ways for me to get in-between planets, but Gerran is going to need this ship.”
“How long until we reach the station?”
“I want to get as far into Anacronian space as I can before I leave, but I don’t want to travel more than a day before sending the ship back. The Armada’s in trouble as it is.”
Ned was still pondering the situation when Mirana stood up to leave. “I need to talk to Ablithra and work out details. I’ll let you know when we have a plan.”
“Mirana.”
She turned at the doorway.
“Thank you for bringing me here. And for getting me back aboard Nemesis.”
She nodded without a word and then left.
Ned had no trouble keeping himself busy while Mirana was gone. He needed to know just how much of his power he had lost. He found that he could still teleport things with some difficulty, and he could manipulate raw Plasma into various shapes. Testing out Blast Plasma did not seem wise, which left the matter of the Shield Plasma. He did not relish the thought about injuring himself just out of curiosity, but he decided he had to know. So he got a knife and slowly moved it toward the skin of his thumb.
Almost out of reflex, he brought the light to bear and pushed the blade away, but he knew that was not really helpful; the ability to move a small object was something he had learned on his own, even when he was not in danger. What he really needed to know was whether the Plasma could protect him automatically. He tried again, sweat beading on his face as the blade came nearer to his skin. When it finally cut into his thumb, he winced in pain and cradled his hand. It wasn’t really that much pain, but the fact that he was feeling pain at all seemed foreign, almost unjust. He felt childish for reacting so strongly, but tears came to his eyes in spite of his efforts to remain in control. It was gone. The protection was gone. A simple kitchen knife could pierce his skin, to say nothing of what a laser or a missile or an exploding starship would do. He could almost see Dark Viper laughing at how weak he had become.
And it wasn’t just him. Ned remembered the look on Mirana’s face as she had confirmed Ned’s destruction of the Shield Crystal. It had saved her life, but she apparently believed that it had been a mistake. A sacrifice of a strong weapon to save a weak one.
Only, the Shadow Plasma should have been the stronger power. How had Dren managed to pierce it? Ned’s mind eagerly caught hold of the excuse to think of something other than the loss of his power, but that road did not lead very far. They had not really gained much information in their encounter with the Flame Master, certainly not enough to piece together a weakness. And of course that brought Ned back to the matter at hand: they needed more information, and Mirana was determined to get it without Ned’s help. What use he could be to Marnax’s fleet was not at all clear, and Ned had to admit that the thought of going into battle now was terrifying. There really was no reason to expect that he would come out of this alive. But that had been the reality all along, and it was one that everyone else in Anacron had been facing openly from the beginning. Ned could not bring himself to leave them now, no matter how dangerous the situation was for him personally. It was a sobering thought, but somehow making that decision gave Ned a sense of peace. He supposed that giving up his invincibility had earned him a bit of the respect he had been feeling for everyone else. Once again, he clenched his hand into a fist and brought the Plasma to life around it. There was more he could do with this power, he decided. Dark Viper still had reason to fear him.
But that still left the matter of Mirana. Ned was a little surprised at how concerned he was about the prospect of her intention to leave without him. She had been a large part of the reason why he had been so willing to leave everything and come back – she was the one who could understand his power, the one who was supposed to help him learn more about it. And even though they had parted on somewhat shaky terms, Mirana really had felt like a friend to him since she had arrived on Earth. They had explored together, protected each other from danger, and shared things about each other that neither could really express to anyone else. It was hard to face the idea of saying goodbye to such an important friend just at the point where he was going to need friends the most.
Ned shook his head. He was probably overdramatizing things, he decided. After all, there would be other friends, other allies. And knowing Mirana, she would probably have what she needed and be back with the Armada fairly soon. And for now, Ned had an opportunity to learn how to be useful to her. It was something to shoot for, at least – something to take his mind off of the desperation of the present situation. He supposed it would have to do for now.
A few hours later, Mirana contacted Ned and told him to meet her at the door to the launch bay. He had half expected her to give him an abrupt goodbye over the com link or in front of the crew, but perhaps she was worried about Ned getting sentimental in front of them. He had to admit, he had no intention of letting her get out without some kind of a conversation.
“We’re almost to Delta Epsilon,” Mirana informed Ned as he app
roached the bay doors around a bend in the corridor. “Nemesis can refuel, and I’ll slip out. I’ve instructed the crew not to mention me while they’re here, and it’s important that you don’t either. In fact, it would be ideal if you stay out of sight until you leave.”
“Sounds easy enough. Do you know where you’re headed?”
“The nearest inhabited planet is Holdaris Prime; I should be able to access Imperial records from there.”
“And you’re sure you don’t need help – even as a decoy or something.” Mirana didn’t even have to finish her scowl. “I know, I just had to ask.”
“I’ve also made it clear to Ablithra that no one besides the crew and you is allowed on this ship until I get back. Harvey won’t like it, and Marnax might even try to get you to change her mind, but it’s important that the ship remain under the command of my crew. I just don’t trust it with anyone else.”
“I understand.”
Mirana turned and opened the door, and Ned realized that she probably considered the conversation over. Somehow, Ned was not ready to say goodbye. He stepped close to her and looked her intently in the eye as she turned back again with one eyebrow raised as if in warning.
“Mirana, listen. Just in case we don’t see each other again soon, I just want you to know that I’m going to miss you. We’ve been through a lot, and I’ve really appreciated having someone who I can, you know, relate to.”
“We’ve done well enough,” Mirana agreed. “Just be careful about what you get into.”
“I promise I’ll be careful. But I…”
“Ned, can I give you some advice?”
“Okay.”
“Whatever it was you were about to say, forget about it. Look around. You’re aboard a battleship. You have a dictator who wants you dead. And everyone around you is fighting a war, outnumbered and spread very thin. This is not a time for deep emotions. You can’t let yourself be distracted. I can’t let myself be distracted. I have a job to do, and if you’re not going home, then I guess you do too. You need to focus on that.”
Ned’s next words caught in his throat, and he had to fight to keep his emotions in check. He needed to say something, but everything that came to mind felt wrong. Instead, he just looked at Mirana, memorizing the color of her eyes, the angle of her mouth. He suspected that saying goodbye would be a lot easier if she were not so, well, beautiful. To tell the truth, what Ned really wanted was to throw his arms around her and feel that dark hair against his face. But he regained his composure, stood up straight, and said simply, “Be safe.”
She nodded once, and then her black armor materialized around her, hiding her face behind its menacing red visor. Ned backed away as Mirana turned again and walked into the landing bay. When the doors had closed behind her, Ned turned and hurried back to his room, knowing that following her now would only cause trouble. He was glad no one was there to see him fighting back tears as he walked.
What’s wrong with me? Ned wondered. He did not have an answer, but he decided that he was going to have to survive whatever was ahead of him so he could see Mirana again. Because as goodbyes went, that had not been satisfying at all.