The Plasma Shadow

  Chapter 4

  Kayleen rolled over in protest as her morning alarm went off, but then she remembered where she was and smiled. Off of Palandora. On her way to regain her power. The prospect was so exciting that she sprang out of bed even though she didn’t have anything in particular to do at the moment. It was the second day of a journey Nakmar had told her would take about a week, although he had refused to tell her where they were going. He had also insisted that Kayleen remain on the habitation decks of the ship, apart from the crew and any control stations; only the serving staff would be interacting with them until they reached their next stop, wherever that was. Kayleen did not mind the passenger status though; the amenities on Nakmar’s ship were more than sufficient to keep her comfortable for a week.

  On the first morning, she had started out with an exercise routine as a matter of habit, but on a whim she decided to skip it today. After all, her health would be guaranteed soon enough. Instead she ate some ridiculously sweet pastries from her room’s food locker while she contemplated her plans for the day. By all accounts there was no need for planning; Nakmar had repeatedly encouraged her to relax, since there would be plenty of work to do soon enough. But as much as Kayleen appreciated some vacation time, it seemed like a waste to just sit there for days at a time. And frankly, she could not understand how Nakmar could walk around like everything was normal when he could command the Plasma, the loss of which Kayleen had mourned every day for years. That power was special, almost sacred. It demanded to be used.

  But there was more than one kind of power, Kayleen knew, and she was determined to use anything at her disposal to get what she wanted. And right now, what she wanted was information; the two of them had spent a lot of time reminiscing about their university days and the people they had known then, but Nakmar had avoided any reference to his more recent past. Kayleen was wise enough not to push the matter, but she was not going to just give up on learning more. So she picked a stylish outfit from her wardrobe, curled her hair, and – for the first time in longer than she could remember – put on makeup. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was almost disappointed in how non-intimidating she looked, but she nodded to herself in satisfaction. This would work for today.

  Kayleen made her way to a lounge area, where she found Nakmar sprawled on a couch, watching a broadcast of some kind on a portable screen. He looked up and smiled at her when she entered, and she flashed a smile back. “Good morning!” She put all the bubbliness she could muster into her voice. “Analyzing battle plans already?”

  “No,” Nakmar said with a chuckle, putting down his tablet. “I was watching Zlerg Ralsh. That guy is hilarious. And I was waiting for you.”

  Kayleen walked around the couch and perched sideways next to Nakmar, her knee just inches from his leg and her chin resting on her hand. “I had fun yesterday. I’m rusty at racquetball, but I’ll beat you next time. And that food – I can’t remember when I’ve had such a good meal.”

  “I’m glad you liked it.”

  “Have you been living like this the whole time? I mean, I’m fairly wealthy, but I’ve never found time for much of a vacation.”

  Nakmar shrugged. “More or less, I guess. I’ve been busy too, but showing off your opulence is part of maintaining the proper image in my line of work.”

  “And what is that, exactly? Now, I mean.”

  He chuckled again. “I honestly don’t know how to answer that. Viper has asked me for reports on random subjects, and I’ve smuggled a few supplies, but mostly I’ve been waiting for him to be ready for… whatever. So, what do you want to do today? We could do that rematch now, if you want.”

  “No, I’m already showered. I haven’t watched Zlerg Ralsh in a while, though. Let’s see what he has to say.” She patted his leg as she said it, then sat back into the couch as Nakmar put the show up on the room’s main screen. Then she waited, only half concentrating on Ralsh’s comedy routine. She knew that if she pressed Nakmar for more information now he would throw up his guard and avoid her, but she had planted the seed. Now it was time to be agreeable and make him comfortable before she tried again.

  Over the course of the morning, she made it a point to tap him a couple more times, once on the elbow and once on the shoulder. She laughed when he made jokes, and she was always the first one to lapse into silence in a conversation. She was quick to note that Nakmar was spending pretty much all his time with her; he seemed to take no interest in running his ship, or any other outside activity for that matter. Whether that was by choice or by assignment, she was not sure yet. But in either case, Kayleen was enjoying herself. She spent some time studying political reports and a few recent news items, but mostly she found reasons to chat with Nakmar about anything other than his assignment. They had dinner together again, and this time Kayleen managed to get him to tell him of some of his business ventures. The stories were not pleasant; it had taken a lot of ruthless dealings to get him where he was now, but it was nothing Kayleen had not seen herself. The important thing was that he was opening up to her. After dessert, Kayleen announced that she was tired and was ready to turn in for the night, and to her satisfaction she noted that Nakmar looked disappointed. He got up and walked with her down the corridor.

  “It won’t be much longer,” he said almost apologetically. “And after we arrive, I think I can promise that life will get a lot more exciting.”

  “I’m just glad I don’t have to make the trip alone,” she said with a smile. “It’s nice to have someone to pass the time with. She tossed her hair and held his gaze.

  “I’m glad, too, he said. It’s… a nice change.”

  She was silent for a moment, and she could feel the wheels in his head spinning. Very consciously, she moved toward him just a little and then said “Good night” just as he started to lean toward her. Then she reached back to key the door open and stepped backward into her room. He was still watching her when the door closed between them. Kayleen smiled. It had been a long time since she had needed tactics like this to manipulate someone. But it was working perfectly.

  On the morning of the third day, Kayleen beat Nakmar soundly at racquetball, then let him win once to recover his pride. When they were done, she made a remark about how exhausting it was and how thirsty she felt, and when Nakmar agreed, she splashed him with some water from her bottle. He was clearly annoyed, but he smiled and forced a laugh. The fact that she could irritate him without getting him angry was a very good sign. He was almost ready. It was a good thing, too; being cooped up on this ship with no work to do was really starting to bore Kayleen, but they watched a couple of movies, and the day passed quickly enough. When the last movie ended and the screen went dark, they once again found themselves next to each other on the couch, this time with the room lit only by candles. Kayleen rested her elbow right next to Nakmar as she turned to him.

  “You know what I don’t get?”

  Nakmar smiled. Kayleen had the distinct impression that anything she said would come across as fascinating. She was playing her hand now, and she knew she might not get a second chance. She chose her words carefully. “I don’t get why Viper didn’t come for me sooner. I mean, wouldn’t I have been just as useful then as I am now?”

  “Well he wasn’t ready that much sooner. He only contacted me a few months ago.”

  “Still, I hope you don’t mind if I’m a little jealous. You know, with you carrying around something I’ve lost.”

  “Well, it won’t be long-”

  “I know, I know. But we’re still talking a couple of days, right? Can’t you just show me a little of what you can do?”

  “Probably nothing compared to what you did, I imagine.”

  “Oh, come on.” She gave him a playful punch in the arm. “Now you’re just dodging me.”

  “Yes, I’m afraid I am. Viper made it clear how important it is for me to keep my power secret.”

  “Well can you at least tell me about it then? What does it do? How does it feel when you
use it?”

  “It feels amazing,” he admitted. It’s like reaching beyond space itself, touching a legacy left by an entire empire. And it’s so… well, powerful.”

  Kayleen smiled and leaned back, eyes closed as she remembered the feeling. “And the fear in people’s eyes. They can tell you’re something more than they are.”

  “Well I don’t know about that yet, but consuming something in fire generated by nothing but me – it’s wonderful.”

  “So it’s the same as the Blast Plasma, then? The power to destroy things?”

  Nakmar pulled his lips tight as if debating whether to continue, but Kayleen gave him an innocent, fascinated look. “It’s not quite the same. You have to understand, the Plasma Crystals were a key into a huge reservoir of power. Without them, Viper could only rely on the connection that had become a part of him. It took him a long time to recover its use, but in the process he learned about the nature of the Plasma. He tried to explain it to me a little, but it was kind of over my head. But from what I understand, the Blast Plasma turned out to be too complicated for Viper to replicate, so he tried something simpler. He tried to access the part of the Plasma Matrix that was tied to heat. See, the Plasma is organized into a matrix that corresponds to everything in real space. You know, an order. A set of patterns. All particles move around to some degree, and we call that motion ‘heat.’ The Plasma is tied to that pattern of movement just like it’s tied to everything else. By isolating that part of the Plasma Matrix, Viper was able to isolate the Plasmic power associated with heat. He calls it Flame Plasma.”

  “Uh... huh.”

  Nakmar was getting excited as he spoke. “Flame Plasma is the essence of heat. In some ways it has an advantage over Blast Plasma, precisely because it’s more basic. I can create hot Plasma, like you saw on Palandora. But it’s not just that. To whatever extent something’s hot, it falls under my power. Heat can’t hurt me. And that means that most weapons can’t hurt me. They actually make me stronger. I don’t need a Crystal to access a reservoir of stored-up power because the universe is full of the energy that gives me power!”

  Kayleen had not understood all of the details of what she had just heard, but it was clear that the power she was being offered would give her at least as much of an opportunity as what she had enjoyed before. She was silent for a moment, letting it all sink in. “That’s amazing,” she said finally. She had abandoned all efforts at manipulation by this point, and the longing look she gave Nakmar was sincere. “I can’t wait.”

  “You’re going to love it,” Nakmar said with an encouraging smile.

  “No, really. I can’t wait. You’ve got to show me. I’ve already seen a little, so another demonstration can’t hurt.”

  He shook his head, withdrawing into himself a little. “Viper was insistent. He wants to be the one to explain things. I haven’t been with him for long, but it’s been long enough to know the consequences of defying him.”

  “Listen. Nakmar. I might have been out of it for a while, but I do know Dark Viper. He values the use of power. Think about it – we’re talking about a man who changed his name to remind people what he can do. You need to let him see you finding ways to use your abilities.”

  “He has been training me,” Nakmar said, a little defensively.

  “That’s not what I’m talking about. The Plasma isn’t a tool you pull out of your belt, or even a weapon you draw when an enemy appears. It’s a part of you. You have to make it a part of you by the way you use it. For example…” Kayleen looked around the room. “There. Those candles. How did you light those?”

  “How? The servants-”

  “No. No. Someone who can conjure fire does not have servants light candles.” She started to get up, looking around for something to extinguish the flames with.

  “Kayleen, stop!” Nakmar sounded angry for the first time, and Kayleen sat back down, feeling a little unsettled by the unexpected outburst. “You need to listen. What am I supposed to tell the servants if I end up melting the whole candlestick? Or the table? I know you’re excited and curious, but there is more going on here than I can tell you, and you’re just going to have to wait for Viper to explain things. That was the deal from the beginning.”

  She took a deep breath and looked away, disappointed but realizing that it was useless to press things. At least she had gotten some information out of him, though. Really, it was hard to be upset on the brink of such a major opportunity. “Okay,” she said. “I’m sorry. And thank you for explaining things a little. You can’t imagine how long it’s been since anyone has told me anything I found really interesting.”

  Nakmar smiled again; apparently her apology had dismissed his fear of torture, or whatever he was convinced Viper would do to him if he used the power again. “It’s been nice for me too,” he said. “Having you around, I mean. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

  “Really?” Her voice was almost a whisper, and she flashed a playful smile.

  “Fun working,” he clarified, but he moved toward her as he said it.

  “I don’t know,” she said, holding his gaze. “I’m not sure how good we are at communic-”

  His lips were on hers before she could finish.

  The rest of the day passed quickly, now that they were on kissing terms. Kayleen made a game out of Nakmar’s interest in her. She made excuses to leave when he tried to make plans and showed up unexpectedly when he got involved with something else. But mostly, she just enjoyed this exciting change in the dynamic of the trip; Nakmar’s overt affection mixed with the lavish food and total lack of responsibility made the whole journey start to feel like a real vacation. When she went to bed that night, she dreamt of being enveloped in yellow fire while her enemies scrambled away from her in terror.

  In the morning, she popped out of bed before her alarm sounded, already eager to face the day. She quickly got ready and met Nakmar for breakfast, but she could immediately tell that something had changed.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, sliding her hand across his shoulder as she sat down next to him.

  “Nothing, but I need to head out to the pricom for a while. We’re getting close, and we’re going to have a crew change. You know, so not too many people know where we’re headed.”

  “Okay. And I assume that includes me, even though I’m obviously going to find out where it is before I come back from there.”

  “Just a little longer, I promise.”

  They ate breakfast, but Nakmar remained distant, and Kayleen started feeling concerned about what could be bothering him now that they were apparently entering Viper’s own territory. Was Nakmar afraid of Viper for some reason? She supposed she could not blame him; she had been trembling in fear herself just a few days ago. The thought kept pestering her as the day wore on, and she had to admit that her own reunion with the former Emperor might turn out to be a bit awkward too. After all, even though he apparently wanted her as a servant, she couldn’t just assume that he would completely overlook her earlier defeat. But if he demanded repayment for his loss, Kayleen was happy to rectify that failure. Crushing Viper’s enemies would be a pleasure. And soon, Nakmar would see that too.

  Lunchtime found Kayleen reading alone on a ridiculously soft armchair; Nakmar had disappeared about an hour ago, although there had been no reason to ask where. But Kayleen was getting hungry, so she reached over to call him for lunch. When he failed to respond, she started pacing the deck, poking into the various rooms where she figured he might have gotten distracted. Of course it was more likely that he had stepped out into the operations section of the ship. That would by no means be out of the ordinary, but for some reason Kayleen did not feel like eating alone today.

  She was just going to call him again when the entire ship shuddered as if it had struck something. The tremor was followed by a few more, and then everything was still again. Kayleen stood motionless for a moment, looking around in growing concern. A ship’s inertial dampers should prevent its
passengers from feeling the effects of its motion, and if they were under attack, the shields should have absorbed any weapons impact, at least for a while. Nakmar would have told her if they were in danger, wouldn’t he?

  When a minute passed with no further tremors, Kayleen calmed down, but now her curiosity was burning again. She was done being cooped up here like some tourist. It was time to find out what was going on. Bracing herself for Nakmar’s inevitable reaction, Kayleen turned around and made her way deliberately toward the lift pod that Nakmar had used to leave the habitation decks. She reached the lift pod and pounded the com button. “Nakmar! I’m coming down! Send up the lift!”

  She waited in silence for a moment, feeling silly. In all likelihood, only a crewmember would have heard her, and that was assuming anyone was even at the post. From here, Kayleen did not even have access to shipwide communications. So, determined as she was to find out what was going on, there was still nothing she could do but stand there and wait.

  Fortunately, the lift signaled someone approaching after just a few minutes. The doors slid open, and Nakmar looked at her a little apologetically. He did however, seem a little less stressed than he had that morning. “I’m sorry that took so long. It’s this new crew. They’re… not the easiest group to be around. We’re strapped into a warp booster harness, so we should be able to make the rest of the trip quickly.”

  Nakmar obstinately refused to tell Kayleen anything about their situation or his recent past, and Kayleen finally gave up trying to push him. Instead, she made sure to take advantage of all the ship’s amenities. It really was relaxing, but she supposed that no matter how enjoyable a vacation was, coming home was always a little exciting too. And she really did feel that finally, after years of mourning and days of waiting, she was on her way home.

  When they finally docked and Nakmar announced that she was free to leave the ship, Kayleen jumped breathlessly to her feet, dropping a datapad and a donut to the floor without another thought. Her expression hardened as she reconstructed the expression she always showed the outside world, but even the steely look on her face could not completely hide her excitement. Nakmar hurried after her to the lift pod, and they started down toward the entrance hatch.

  “You’ll have to get used to the crew,” Nakmar warned. “And don’t be surprised… Viper has… changed a little since you last met him.”

  “Changed? How?”

  “Nothing important. You’ll see.” He was smiling, but even now Kayleen found his secrecy infuriating.

  When the pod opened at the bottom, Kayleen stepped out, then turned as she realized Nakmar was not following her.

  “This is where we part for now,” he explained. “Viper wants to handle the rest himself.”

  Kayleen walked back to Nakmar, feeling strangely sad to be leaving him so abruptly. “Thank you for the trip,” she said. “I look forward to our next one. On the pricom.”

  “With the Plasma,” Nakmar promised with a smile.

  Kayleen kissed him hard, then stepped back to take a final look. She nodded once, then turned and hurried down the corridor.