Wizard Defender (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 8) Read online

  Wizard Defender

  Book Eight

  Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles

  Rodney W. Hartman

  DEDICATION

  ______________________________

  This book is dedicated to my nephew Jason. You’re a good man, and the world is a better place because you are in it. I’m very proud of you.

  Copyright © 2018 by Rodney Wayne Hartman

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Angie Abler

  Proofreading service by The Pro Book Editor

  ___________________________

  Other Books by Rodney Hartman

  Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles

  Wizard Defiant Book One

  Wizard Cadet Book Two

  Wizard Scout Book Three

  Wizard Omega Book Four

  Wizard Rebellion Book Five

  Wizard Betrayed Book Six

  Wizard Redeemed Book Seven

  Wizard Scout Trinity Delgado Series

  Trinity Unleashed

  Ring Defender Series

  Fire Defender

  Table of Contents

  ______________________________

  DEDICATION

  Copyright

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1 – Snatch Mission

  Chapter 2 – An Ally

  Chapter 3 – Tia

  Chapter 4 – Crosioians

  Chapter 5 – Telsa

  Chapter 6 – Matthew

  Chapter 7 – Trinity

  Chapter 8 – Diajor’s Moon

  Chapter 9 – Crosioian Scout

  Chapter 10 – My Enemy?

  Chapter 11 – Prisoner

  Chapter 12 – The Guardian

  Chapter 13 – Feigned Indifference

  Chapter 14 – Red Wing

  Chapter 15 – Bad News

  Chapter 16 – Supreme Leader

  Chapter 17 – Lucky Fool

  Chapter 18 – The Gate

  Chapter 19 – Stealth

  Chapter 20 – The Blood Fur

  Chapter 21 – Into the Fire

  Chapter 22 – Teamwork

  Chapter 23 – Desolation

  Chapter 24 – Counterplan

  Chapter 25 – The Corridor Battle

  Chapter 26 – For Honor

  Chapter 27 – An Opening

  Chapter 28 – The Plan

  Chapter 29 – A Case of Mass

  Chapter 30 – Plan B

  Chapter 31 – Battle Strategy

  Chapter 32 – Hyper-drive

  Chapter 33 – Spell

  Chapter 34 – Alternate Solution

  Chapter 35 – Aftermath

  Chapter 36 – Hell’s Gate

  Chapter 37 – Bad News

  Chapter 38 – Redestan

  Chapter 39 – Astaris

  Chapter 40 – First Contact

  Chapter 41 – War

  Chapter 42 – A Yellow Gem

  Chapter 43 – The Tournament

  Chapter 44 – The Hole

  Chapter 45 – The Battle Begins

  Chapter 46 – Dreadnaughts

  Chapter 47 – Necessary Information

  Chapter 48 – The Rift

  Chapter 49 – Shifter

  Chapter 50 – A Plan

  Chapter 51 – On the Other Side

  Chapter 52 – On the Plain

  Chapter 53 – Unexpected

  Chapter 54 – Time

  Chapter 55 – Plan B

  Chapter 56 – Hopeless

  Chapter 57 – Faith

  Chapter 58 – A New Mission

  Chapter 59 – Flanking Attack

  Chapter 60 – Access Complete

  Chapter 61 – One and Only Plan

  Chapter 62 – It Stops Now

  Chapter 63 – Much to Do

  Chapter 64 – A Yellow Gem

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Chapter 1 – Snatch Mission

  ______________________________

  [Begin Transmission]

  The convoy of six heavy hover-vehicles made their way down the double-wide street. Deadly looking barrels of 20mm phase auto-cannons stuck out of the fully armored cupolas atop each vehicle. The cupulas swung back and forth seemingly searching the crowd of pedestrians on both sides for any signs of hostile activity. A dozen light hover-vehicles armed with air-to-ground weapons circled three hundred meters overhead, barely staying above some of the tallest buildings. Like mother hens watching over their chicks, the airborne vehicles remained vigilant as the convoy snaked its way through the crowded streets of the Conglomerate’s self-proclaimed capital on Risors.

  Wizard Scout Richard Shepard stood on the sidewalk a block ahead of the vehicles, at the outer edge of a group of pedestrians waiting to cross the street. He glanced at the lead armored vehicle as it turned the corner and rumbled in his direction, doing his best to act nonchalant and blend in with the pedestrians around him. He doubted he was succeeding.

  “Relax,” said a voice in Richard’s head. “The gnome’s polymorph spell is holding. I calculate a sixty-seven percent probability the facial-recognition security system on those lampposts have identified you as Jerry Tennerson, non-descript store clerk on his way to work. He passes this corner every day at this time, so don’t sweat it, buddy.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Richard thought in the space of his mind that he shared with his battle computer, Nickelo. “You’re safe on the Defiant with the other battle computers a quarter of a light year away. If we’re discovered prematurely, the guards will be shooting at us wizard scouts, not you battle computers.”

  “Then I highly recommend not getting discovered,” replied Nickelo. “Like I said, there is a sixty-four percent probability the security computers think you are Jerry Tennerson.”

  “Hey, I thought you said you’d calculated it at sixty-seven percent,” Richard said thinking that for once he’d caught his battle computer in a mistake.

  “Oh, that was so ten seconds ago, Wizard Scout. Input data changes. You’ve got to learn to go with the flow.”

  Not for the first time, Richard wished he could throttle his battle computer. The only thing stopping him was the fact that he knew Nickelo’s plans usually worked out.

  “I calculate the fact that I am not on Risors limits your ability to strangle me as well. Not to mention I am a gas-based life form encased in a brerellium steel chip inside your battle helmet. I don’t even breathe, so trying to choke me is not very logical.”

  “Whatever,” Richard said ending the conversation on the subject. “Now stop reading my thoughts.”

  “Then stop thinking in our shared space. I keep telling you that a lot of your thoughts aren’t all that interesting. I would just as soon you kept them in your private space.”

  Ignoring his battle computer, Richard pulled Power from his reserve. He formed an active scan, wrapped it in a stealth shield, and probed each of the heavy hover-vehicles in turn as they came around the corner. As intel had reported, each of the massive vehicles was armored in brerellium steel mixed with energized titanium flakes. The embedded titanium made the vehicles nearly impervious to creatures that could shift into the void.

  �
�My scan can’t penetrate their armor,” Richard said, having second thoughts about the advisability of the snatch mission his team had been assigned. He well knew the life of his bondmate Jeena, not to mention the lives of his friends Trinity, Jerad, Tam, and Stella hung in the balance.

  “You forgot about Calatron, the leader of the Defiant’s gnome mages,” said Nickelo. “He’s with Jeena.”

  “I didn’t forget,” Richard said. A little of his irritation crept into his thoughts. “I’ve got a lot on my mind. Now, are you sure our target’s in the third vehicle?”

  “Uh, define sure, Wizard Scout.”

  “Forget it,” Richard said. He had no doubt his battle computer was on the verge of swamping him with technical details and probabilities calculated out to infinitesimal percentages. “I’m not in the mood for games.”

  Richard concentrated on the third vehicle in the approaching convoy—the one battle computers Margery, Danny, and Nickelo had calculated would most likely hold their target. Richard wasn’t quite as confident as the three battle computers, but it was too late to back out now.

  “All right, Nick, tell the other battle computers to get ready. We’ll hit the convoy as soon as the lead vehicle makes it to that stoplight. Make sure you tell Danny to inform Jeena. Are you sure you can stay in contact with him? That ring on Jeena’s finger isn’t a battle helmet, and my bondmate’s the key to this whole ambush.”

  “Relax, Wizard Scout. Danny is a battle computer whether he is inside a helmet, a ring, or free as a bird in outer space. We battle computers will do our job. I calculate that you carbon-based life forms are the ones that need to concentrate on your tasks.”

  The idea of throttling his battle computer grew even more desirable, but Richard kept the thought in his private space. He flexed his left hand in anticipation of grasping his phase rod. He knew things were going to happen quickly once the ambush started. There was no room for mistakes.

  “That is correct, Wizard Scout,” said Nickelo. “It would have been better if you wizard scouts could have had your equipment with you, but it was too risky. Our intel indicates those vehicles are equipped with the best security sensors the Conglomerate has at its disposal. Not to mention the fact that there are at least two wizard scouts somewhere in the convoy.”

  “Yeah, don’t remind me,” Richard replied. “They’ll be in battle suits. We won’t.”

  “Don’t complain. At least you’ll be able to summon your equipment. Trinity, Jerad, Tam, and Stella aren’t going to have that option.”

  “I’ll complain all I want,” Richard said, growing a little irritated at his battle computer’s slightly superior attitude. “Just because I can summon my gear doesn’t mean I’ll have any time to put it on.”

  Nickelo laughed, which did nothing to soothe Richard’s irritation. “I calculate nothing is perfect, Wizard Scout, so suck it up.”

  The lead vehicle reached the stoplight before Richard could think of a suitable retort. Although the light was red, two civilian police officers had the side streets blocked off. An officer standing in the middle of the road waved the lead vehicle through with his left hand while keeping his right hand on the butt of a standard-issue plasma pistol holstered at his waist. Several pedestrians in the crowd of which Richard was a part frowned at the delay, but they remained on the sidewalk even though the crosswalk sign had illuminated.

  When the first two hover-vehicles were completely in the intersection, Richard sensed a buildup of magic in the ground beneath the pavement. He didn’t need his passive scan to know the magic’s frequency was Jeena’s. The area around the intersection glowed blue with magic as the asphalt in a twenty-meter section of the road began bubbling. Within seconds, the crossroad resembled molten lava more than the hard pavement it had been. The first two vehicles in the convoy sank into the bubbling mixture all the way up to the base of their turrets. At the same time, the two police officers flew into the air as their pistols were ripped out of their holsters and dropped into the molten pavement, sinking out of sight. The two officers flew through the air and landed gently on the ledge of a nearby building. Richard sensed the gnome Calatron’s frequency on the levitation spells affecting the police officers. Screams of pedestrians filled the air as frightened people scattered in all directions. Soon only Richard remained standing on the street corner.

  “See?” said Nickelo. “I told you it would work. Those heavy hover-vehicles have too much weight to support themselves over anything but solid ground. And neither of the officers was harmed. I love it when a plan comes together.”

  “You mean you love it when one of your plans comes together,” Richard said as he sprang into action. With surprise no longer a necessity, he thought the command to summon his battle helmet, dimensional pack, and phase rod. Reaching out, he caught them in midair and slung the pack over his shoulder. Once secure, he shoved the battle helmet onto his head. At the same time, he gripped the phase rod in his left hand and flicked the activate switch to full destructive mode. The meter-long length of brerellium steel with its creallium core shot out the handle as miniature red lightning bolts of phase energy began running up and down its length. Unlike a few weeks earlier, no feeling of hunger accompanied the phase rod’s activation.

  “Your special phase rods with the demon essence were destroyed during your battle to close the gate to the demonic plane,” Nickelo said, obviously assuming his wizard scout needed reminding. “You’re stuck using normal phase rods just like all the other wizard scouts.”

  “That’s not exactly true,” Richard said. “My nephew Brachia modified all of my phase rods years ago. Their phase energy output is a good twenty-five percent higher than the phase rods of other wizard scouts.”

  “And a good thing he did,” replied Nickelo. “I calculate you’re going to need every bit of that extra damage capability right about now. So get to it, Wizard Scout. Daylight’s burning, as they say.”

  Taking off at a dead run, Richard made for the third hover-vehicle. The armored behemoth was attempting to back up but couldn’t get far due to the proximity of the vehicle behind it. The turret swung in Richard’s direction, and he sensed a buildup of energy inside the large caliber barrel of the auto-cannon.

  “Don’t give it time to fire, Wizard Scout,” said Nickelo. “Just a suggestion.”

  Drawing Power from his reserve, Richard sent it out in the direction of the armored vehicle. “I’m going to need some help, Nick,” he said, not being one of those wizard scouts who insisted on doing everything on his own.

  Richard’s brain suddenly went into hyper-mode. He sensed his battle computer guiding his line of Power into the barrel of the auto-cannon where it wrapped around the phase round in the weapon’s breach. The deadly round fired and began traveling down the length of the barrel. Using telekinesis, Richard slowed the phase round just enough so that it was still in the barrel when the second phase round left the breach and began moving up the auto-cannon’s tube. The two rounds made contact.

  Boom!

  The auto-cannon’s barrel exploded, sending bits of metal flying.

  “Incoming,” warned Nickelo.

  Sensing energy approaching from his rear, Richard dove to the sidewalk, barely avoiding streams of phase rounds from the two hover-vehicles mired in the intersection’s molten asphalt. A wall of the molten material rose into the air, momentarily stopping the enemy’s fire. Richard sensed rather than saw two fist-sized streams of the liquefied asphalt reach into the barrels of the hover-vehicle’s auto-cannons.

  Boom! Boom!

  Thank you, Jeena and Calatron, Richard thought as he jumped up from the sidewalk and took off in a crouched run toward the third armored vehicle. As he closed the distance, he reached over his shoulder and into his dimensional pack with his right hand. Touching something inside, he pulled out a bundle of seven deactivated phase rods tied together with an elastic band. He tossed the bundle of rods high into the air. Lines of Power reached out for the phase rods, the elastic band broke
, and the rods shot off in four separate directions. Based on the frequencies, he knew Tam, Jerad, and Trinity had each taken control of their phase rods using telekinesis. The remaining four rods flew in the direction Richard knew the four-armed Stella was located.

  When he was close to the third vehicle, Richard leaped into the air. By boosting the height of his jump with telekinesis, he landed on the turret feet first. Out the corner of his eye, he saw the turrets of the rearmost three vehicles in the convoy turning their auto-cannons in his direction. Before the weapons could fire, a shield composed of pure Power surrounded all three of the heavy hovercraft, sealing them inside a translucent dome.

  Tam, Richard thought.

  The auto-cannons of the three vehicles opened up, spraying 20mm phase rounds at Richard. The rounds didn’t go far. They hit Tam’s defensive shield and began ricocheting around inside the energy field until their momentum was spent. After the initial burst of fire, the weapons grew silent as the vehicles’ crews apparently realized the futility of their situation.

  It pays to have friends who are defenders, Richard thought, thanking the day he’d met Tam so long ago during their time in the Intergalactic Wizard Scout Academy.

  “Yes, it does,” said Nickelo monitoring his thoughts. “You’re fortunate Tam’s shield defends against both physical and energy attacks. Naturally, I included that in my calculations on mission success.”

  “Naturally,” Richard thought back.

  With the three rearmost hover-vehicles temporarily neutralized, Richard pulled the dimensional pack off his back while sending the specs for a twenty-kilo funnel mine to it. “Here’s hoping Brachia and Dren have the teleporters on Storage working again.”

  “You got the phase rods for the other wizard scouts from your pack, so I calculate a one hundred percent probability the teleporters are working. What you really need to worry about is if there are any twenty-kilo mines left. The Dragars’ attack on Storage two weeks ago wiped out eighty percent of the equipment warehouses. Your niece and nephew are still trying to get a list of available items to me.”

  Although he hadn’t been there, Richard’s niece and nephew had filled him in on how a Dragar dreadnaught had orbited the planet Storage, intent on destroying the entire planet’s population. From what he’d been able to surmise, the Dragar warship had been sent to capture the special demon-essence phase rods in his equipment cache. Thanks to Sergeant Ron and the crew of the Defiant, the Dragar dreadnaught had been driven off, but not before it had destroyed a majority of the equipment warehouses and over thirty percent of the Storagean population.