Chapter 17
Smardwurst did not even have words when Ned met him outside the launch bay; he just wrapped his huge arms around Ned and held him close. Ned returned the hug as far as he could manage, feeling relieved to finally be back where no one was shooting at him for the moment. He felt immeasurably lucky to have made it back, but he tried not to think about what might just as likely have happened to him.
“He is ready for you,” Smardwurst said finally, then led the way to Kjrvlnk’s room.
The door slid open, and they stepped into the same dark space they had seen before. Again, Ned could make out the red glow of the Vortak’s eyes, but not much else.
“You survived.” The flat voice from the translator box made Ned immediately uncomfortable.
“Yes. I heard that you had been… concerned.”
“The Vortak were commanded to destroy you. It seemed unlikely that you could survive.”
“It was close,” Ned admitted. “But I had to do what I could to help.”
Kjrvlnk regarded him silently in response.
“How did you know what the other Vortak were going to do?” Smardwurst asked.
“A command was given.”
“A telepathic command?”
“The Master commanded it. He accompanied the order with a threat. He wants you dead.”
Ned gulped; that message was no surprise, but it was a little extra chilling coming from such an alien creature. “But you don’t,” Ned prompted. “You wanted to save me.”
Silence.
“What changed? When I was last here, you seemed… something I did offended you. I’m sorry for that. But, what changed?”
Kjrvlnk was quiet again, but this time Ned just waited. “You are not like the other Masters,” he said finally.
Ned nodded, hoping that was a good thing. “In what way?”
“You did not seek for control. I am told you risked yourself to protect your friends. You have allowed me solitude.”
“It’s like I told you before. I just want to put a stop to this war.”
“I am of no use here. I will not find peace aboard this ship. I may not be of use elsewhere. But I will help you.”
Ned looked at Smardwurst, who returned his surprised look. “Thank you,” Ned managed, not really sure how to respond to this unexpected change.
“You cannot prevail against the Vortak ships. There are too many.”
“What do you think I should focus on?”
“The Master. The Vortak will fight while they are commanded. You must defeat him.”
Ned nodded. “I’m trying to work out a way to do that. We don’t know where he is, and… I’m afraid he is a lot more powerful than I am.”
“Continue looking. When you find a path, I will be here.”
Ned was so lost in thought as he left the room that he hardly noticed the worried-looking lieutenant waiting outside. The man stopped Smardwurst, though, and whispered something that sounded urgent as he handed his captain a data pad. When Ned turned to look, Smardwurst looked worried too.
“Ned.” Smardwurst was still scanning the data pad, but Ned could tell the news was not good. Finally Smardwurst looked up. “While we were fighting the Vortak, it seems that Kayleen Rax attacked the planet Holdaris Prime, using the title of Ice Master. Apparently she went there to apprehend a prisoner.”
Ned’s face went pale. “Mirana!”
“We do not know exactly what happened there, but Rax left abruptly after wreaking havoc in a records archive. General Harvey has sent some ships to intercept her, but without knowing her next destination they may not be able to do much good.”
“And no one has heard from Mirana?”
“I do not know. Even if not, that does not necessarily mean there is a problem.”
“We have to track her down. Destroying her is a priority. It’s like Kjrvlnk said – fighting the Vortak is just stalling. We need to take out the Plasma Masters, or this will never end.” Ned’s heart was racing. On one hand, he felt an irrational need to get revenge on Kayleen Rax, but at the same time he hoped that somehow Mirana had not been involved. The news that he was now up against not two but three Plasma Masters made him feel weaker than ever, yet there seemed to be no course open to him but to hunt down Rax.
“I should have killed her,” he heard himself say. The words left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he could not help but feel responsible for whatever Rax had done. Ned had held her life in his hands once, after he had destroyed the Blast Crystal. He could have killed her then, but he had planned instead to deliver her to Gerran Marnax. But before he had gotten the chance, the Shadow Master had attacked him, and Rax had escaped. Ned shook his head. “Why did she stop me? Why did she let Rax escape?” He did not want to blame Mirana for her own fate, especially when he still knew nothing about what had happened, but the thought of losing Mirana was quickly overpowering his reasoning.
Smardwurst walked over to him. “Nedward, I know this is troubling news. I hope that Mirana is safe. But we have to deal with the situation at hand before we can look for her. Emperor Marnax and General Harvey want to discuss our options for dealing with this new Ice Master. Are you ready to meet with them?”
“Yes. If nothing else, this makes the next steps clear enough. But, one thing first.” Ned turned back toward Kjrvlnk’s door. Don’t you think he should join us?”
“I see no problem, although General Harvey might see things differently.”
Ned shook his head. “I’m going to end up telling him everything I know anyway – I have to if I want to get anything useful out of him. Might as well save ourselves the trouble of repeating things.”
They went back for Kjrvlnk, who silently accompanied them to the pricom. At a nod from Smardwurst, his crew opened a channel to Galactron, and the Emperor and General appeared on the main viewscreen.
“We received the report,” Smardwurst informed them. “Nedward is prepared to engage Kayleen Rax if we can determine a plan, and Kjrvlnk is determined to help as well.”
Ned decided to speak up before anyone could object. “He’s our only source of information about our enemy, and I’ll be needing any help I can get.”
Harvey shifted in his chair and leaned forward. “I’ll be frank with you, Nedward. We can’t spare much of an escort to go off chasing Rax. The damage she did at Holdaris Prime was minimal, even catching them off-guard. I’m much more worried about Dread Phoenix right now.”
“We expect the endothermic particle beams to be ready for the next battle,” Marnax explained. “We lost another world today, but if we can hold our ground against the Vortak, this new weapon may tip the scales against Nakmar Dren.”
“I understand,” Ned said tactfully. “I imagine she would want to face me alone anyway, like before. I shouldn’t need much more than transportation, along with some kind of assurance that the whole Vortak fleet won’t show up the minute I’m there. If Ablithra would be willing-”
“Nemesis is needed here,” Harvey said with a tone of finality. Ned kept his thoughts to himself – the ability to get in and out quickly would be extremely important if he were going in without much support, and he was fairly sure Mirana would have wanted Nemesis to back Ned up in this. But that would be obvious to Harvey as well, so voicing those thoughts now would be of no use.
“I would like to volunteer Green Scorpion,” Smardwurst said.
Marnax tilted his head as if considering their chances. “How do you propose to engage her?”
“I think she’ll respond if I try to contact her,” Ned said. “I think her motives are clear enough, and given the conditions I don’t think she’d see a reason to hide from me. And if she really wants to fight me, then that might give us some leverage to arrange the terms.”
Marnax still looked hesitant. “And you’re convinced it’s a good idea to just walk into a conflict with her alone, without the Shield Crystal?”
Ned took a deep breath. He was rushing forward because there was no other o
ption he could see, but there was no denying that he was nervous. “It’s dangerous,” he admitted. “But does anyone else have any ideas? We need to keep Rax occupied, or she’ll just draw away more of the fleet. I don’t have any new information on Nakmar Dren, and Rax may be the only way to find out about Mirana. I don’t see any other way.”
“It sounds like a reasonable plan to me,” Harvey said. “Of course it all assumes that you can arrange terms with her that don’t put Anacron at risk.” He looked at Marnax, who nodded his approval. “Captain Varlon, you’re authorized to disengage from the fleet and pursue Kayleen Rax however you see fit. Keep us apprised.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you.”
The transmission ended, and Ned turned to Kjrvlnk. “What do you think?”
The Vortak regarded him blankly. “It is not much. But I believe you are correct. There is no logical alternative.”
Smardwurst got priority clearance for repairs at the closest space station. After some deliberation about whether to wait to until the ship was ready to contact the Ice Master, he and Nedward agreed that it would be better to attempt contact immediately. It might take some time to get a response, and they did not want to end up waiting around later on. Besides, although Ned was not exactly eager to walk into whatever trap Rax might set for him, he hated the idea of delaying any chance he might have to help Mirana. Or to avenge her, if it came to that.
After walking with Kjrvlnk back to his dark residence, Ned returned to his own room and began the process of requesting a long-range transmission into Vortak space. It took some time to access the relay stations, but Smardwurst had provided him with the necessary clearance, and eventually the message was broadcast. Knowing that it would take some time to find its intended recipient, Ned lay down and quickly fell asleep.
He was awakened several hours later by a chime indicating that his message had received a response, and that a com link was available. Ned got out of bed, nervous, and immediately called Smardwurst.
“Take whatever time you need to get ready,” his friend told him over the com link. “You do not want to appear frantic or desperate. She will still be there in half an hour.”
“Right.”
Ned took a quick shower and ate a quick snack. By the time Smardwurst and Kjrvlnk showed up at his door, Ned was feeling much calmer. His companions sat out of range of the link camera, but having them nearby lent him a measure of confidence as well. When he was ready, Ned sat down at the terminal and accepted the link.
“What a pleasant surprise,” Rax said with a sardonic smile, her voice almost a whisper. “I must say I hadn’t expected we’d meet again so soon.”
Ned twitched involuntarily at the appearance of his old enemy. He had been over the Holdarians’ reports and was ready for the blue skin, but the chiseled expression and impassionate eyes brought back memories. He forced himself to put aside the fact that this woman had killed Koral Ralok and countless other people. This was about Mirana. “Where is she,” he demanded firmly.
Rax simply shook her head. “You should not have come back, Ned. You thought you could just rush in and defeat Dark Viper with all your fascinating abilities, but you’ve underestimated him this time. The Shadow Master has already fallen victim to my power. You will share her fate if you persist in this pointless quest.”
“Tell me where she is,” Ned repeated.
“So you can do what? Go after her? Is that what you want? What if I told you I was keeping her here? Would you come after me like you did before, prepared to negotiate, expecting an attack? Well I won’t make any pretense of compromise with you this time, boy; we know each other too well. If you want to come here and test your power against mine, go right ahead. I’ll crystallize you too, and you’ll both make excellent trophies for the new leader of the galaxy.”
Ned gulped at the mention of Mirana’s fate. But he knew better than to take that bait. “I think you’re the one that’s desperate here, Rax. You failed your master, and he has sent you out for revenge. But you are going to have a hard time fulfilling your mission if you keep running and hiding. If you want me, you are going to have to come and find me.”
Rax just rolled her eyes. “What, so your mighty armada can surround me? Nakmar has given them quite enough to occupy their attention, I think. Your friends are hardly a threat to me. But they are a hassle, which is why I am going to let you be the one to make the journey.”
“Well, that sounds like an acceptable plan,” Ned replied, sounding as casual as he could manage. “I can find plenty to do here while you sit alone, waiting.”
“No, I don’t think that’s what you’ll do. Because I’m not sure she can wait that long.”
Rax stepped aside, giving the camera a view into the metallic room where she was standing. Some distance behind her was a large block of crystal in which Mirana’s figure was clearly suspended, as if caught in the act of running forward. Ned gulped, willing his heartbeat to slow down.
“I think she’s alive,” Rax said ambivalently, “but I’m not sure for how long. Which do you think will fail first, boy? Her life support or her armor’s structure? Hypothermia, frostbite, or thirst. None are very good options, I’m afraid. And that’s ignoring the claustrophobia.”
“What do you want?” Ned knew he was coming unraveled, but Smardwurst did not look worried yet, so he told himself that things were still okay.
Rax shrugged. “I really would like to see you. But in all fairness, I must warn you against coming here. I’m sure the Imperial Armada is more than tied up in other matters, so you’ll probably find yourself coming alone. And you won’t have any luck staging an attack on me; the landscape is hardly that of Palandora. The planet Izralith is an island of ice and stone, a collection of interstellar debris orbiting the cold remains of a white dwarf star. There is practically no atmosphere and very little light. In other words, the planet is a fortress of ice. But I know you’ll come anyway, even though the circumstance favors me so drastically. You have to, because you can’t bear to let your friend die alone. I’ll see you soon, then. I’ll be waiting.”
Ned was still trying to decide what to say next when abruptly the transmission ended. He looked around in shock. “What was that?” He felt sure he had already failed, somehow.
“She gave us a location,” Smardwurst observed, already moving to the computer console. “It is actually within Anacronian space, although not really near anything. We may be able to go there without the rest of the Vortak ships coming after us.”
“She knows you would not go otherwise,” Kjrvlnk said, causing Ned to jump – he had almost forgotten the Vortak was there.
“Yes,” Smardwurst agreed. “She picked a setting that would favor her but leave us enough of a chance to consider the possibility.”
Ned gritted his teeth. “So it’s our ship against hers. How well do you think Green Scorpion can stand up against that thing?”
“She has us outgunned,” Smardwurst admitted. “But your vortex power may even that out; she did not use any Plasma weapons at Holdaris Prime.
“I don’t suppose there’s any chance of getting Marnax to send us with another ship. If we took Nemesis, or even Galactron… Mirana’s practically his daughter, after all.”
“Kayleen may run if she feels her ship is overpowered. We still do not know how she reached Holdaris undetected, so we may have a hard time chasing her if she leaves.”
“You may not have to destroy the vessel,” Kjrvlnk offered. “If she wants to fight you on the planet, then your ship only needs to keep hers away while you confront her.”
“That may not be particularly easy,” Ned pointed out.
Smardwurst patted Ned’s shoulder. “We will be all right. We knew the risk when we accepted this mission. The only question is whether you are ready.”
“I’ll have to be,” Ned said. “It’s the only chance Mirana has.”