Wizard's Blood [Part Two] (83 page)

“
One of the satellites,” Iach-Iss said. “I thought you might be interested since you have satellites back on your home world. This is a standard model we mass produce for the type of intelligence gathering we have been talking about.”

“
This is it?” Jolan asked. “There aren’t any thrusters or means to hold it in orbit. How does one communicate with it?”

“
It interacts with the gravitational and magnetic fields to hold its programmed position,” Iach-Iss explained. “Power is obtained directly from the magnetic and gravitational field interactions, so it never runs out. The communications system is a very different type from what you are used to, and doesn’t require a conventional antenna. They are quite advanced, and require no active control. Once put into place they will continue to operate for many thousands of years. They can, of course, be retasked from afar.”

Jolan looked at the marvel he held in his hand. Among the many functions this small ball could perform, was the ability to bring pictures of someone on the surface with such resolution it looked like one was a few dozen feet above them. He hoped he could spend many days in detailed discussions with Iach-Iss and Den-Orok. What marvels he could learn!

“
Can I ask a question?” Jolan inquired.

Iach-Iss nodded. “Of course. Anything we can answer we will.”

“
It was you who removed the copper from Gaea wasn’t it? I have thought about it for some time and now that I realize it must have been done using technology rather than magic it makes a bit more sense. Why did you do it?”

Jolan received another of the sharp toothy grins, although this one looked a bit sad.

“
It was one of the more foolish endeavors we got involved in during our long tenure here. The wizards requested it years before our relationship soured. We argued among ourselves about the wisdom of doing this for a long time. Ultimately the simple challenge of doing such a thing, plus the possible benefits of ensuring a strong leadership, won out, despite the fearsome toll it took on our resources. It was perhaps one of our bigger mistakes, and in my mind marked the beginning of the path that led to the wars.”

“
You didn’t really remove all the copper from Gaea, did you?”

The dragon’s wise old eyes lingered on Jolan for a minute. Then he shook his head. “That would have been far more than we could have taken on. It was enough to remove the copper from those areas where the people of the Settled Lands could access it. That took almost twenty years. There is a lot of copper in a typical world.”

Den-Orok asked. “Do you have any idea how much copper we removed?”

“
About a moon’s worth,” Jolan replied immediately. “A moon the size of Zeirr say.”

Den-Orok looked at Iach-Iss for a moment. Jolan wondered what passed between them. He was sure they communicated frequently telepathically and passed thoughts that weren’t meant for the humans. Normally they did it without letting it show, but Jolan had surprised them.

“
You knew?” Iach-Iss said finally.

“
I wondered,” Jolan corrected. “The small moon has seemed out of place to me for some reason since I arrived. Since the copper would be difficult to actually destroy, it had to be put somewhere. Besides, whoever could perform such a feat might want to hedge their decision and keep the material handy against a future need.”

“
Indeed,” agreed Iach-Iss. “Do you know what is in the center of that mass of copper?”

Jolan should have guessed, but he was still thinking about the magnitude of moving so much mass into orbit and creating an object as large as Zeirr. He shook his head.

“
Our ship,” Den-Orok said with satisfaction at having stumped Jolan for the moment. “At the core is an interstellar ship that was once the pride of our world. Now it is an almost useless hulk, most of the equipment and capability stripped out of her long ago.”

“
Why put the ship in the center of the moon?” Shyar asked.

“
It was expedient to use the ship as the locus for the teleportation of the copper into space, and the rest followed naturally. We left an opening to allow access to the ship, and it also served to hide the ship from sight. Before we stripped the power systems, it would have been easy enough to extract her from the moon, but now that option is gone.”

“
You said before that the other survivors elected to return to the ship. Perhaps they are still there and you could contact them,” Asari suggested.

Den-Orok shook his head sadly. “I doubt most would have made it in the first place. The scouts were all so badly damaged that attempting orbital flights was risky at best. The scouts we have left here could not have made the trip. Any that actually made it to the ship will have perished in the suspension chambers there. There was not enough power in the reserve system to maintain the chambers for this long. One way or another, they have gone.”

The conversation had taken a direction that no one had intended, and the meal was finished in relative silence. No one seemed to know where to start with a change of topic. Soon, they departed as a group and moved into the more comfortable lounge to begin the more serious discussions that were necessary.

“
Your enemy knows of us,” Iach-Iss said once they had been seated. “He is using the staff of power that allows such
Farsight
.”

Jolan and Shyar weren’t surprised. Shyar had said she had sensed the viewing the previous evening. They were surprised that the dragons knew of it and said as much.

“
The six staffs of power were all created with our help. We can easily sense their use. The staffs, along with some of the rings and a few other devices were more of our mistakes. Engineers being what they are feel the need to engineer, and the challenge of mixing our technology with the incredible magical power of this world was too much to resist. Some of our own products were instrumental in our downfall. The staff that Shyar carries, and the one you had before, could easily bring down one of the scouts in the hands of a wizard of a high enough level. Neither of you have the level or ability at the moment, but at the time there were a significant number who could do so as both of you will be able to one day. Before much longer each of you will have reached levels where you can do the same. The amplifier you lost was another dangerous device as I mentioned the other day. It really became obvious how dangerous in the hands of a level twelve or higher mage. The effects were unpredictable, but could often raise the potential of an already fearsome wizard to unbelievable levels. Lower level wizards started to become a problem when they stumbled upon the ability to triad. Combine the triad and some of the power implements we helped make and we had an enemy that we had difficulty dealing with. I was disturbed to learn that the knowledge to bond in that manner still exists. It will make the lower level wizards of today’s Gaea a potential problem. While they wouldn’t have been able to harm us when we were young and our equipment was properly maintained, both we and the ships are not in the shape they once were. You will see a bit later what I mean.”

“
Do you think he knows what you are?” Shyar asked. “I could sense his touch, and it came when we were all together, so I assumed he must be aware of you. Can he know who you are, and where we are?”

“
We are certain he knows where you are,” Iach-Iss said. “From our satellite monitoring Ale’ald appears to have remained more aware of this area than the rest of the Settled Lands. From your descriptions of the man and what we have seen, he is quite smart. He must know where you are in general, although the specific location would be unlikely. Even if he were to appear just outside, he has no power capable of penetrating the barrier so that is not a concern. We have made changes to the barrier, and other than ourselves, you three humans are the only beings on Gaea with the ability to pass through the outer perimeter. No longer can all of the dragon friends pass through as Asari did.”

Den-Orok added, “It is also likely Cheurt will make the correct guess as to who we must be. That will cause him considerable concern. If we appear to be joining your side, which we are, then he will see a need to act more quickly and will be wondering how to deal with us. I’m certain he will put his scholars to work on finding anything in the old records that might help him. We cannot know what records they might still have.”

“
Don’t take this wrong,” Jolan said, “but why would you automatically want to join us? You have been out of touch a long time, and as you said, you have done your part.”

“
For Gaea it has been a long time. Long enough we have been all but forgotten. Because of the suspension chambers, for us it has been only a couple of months since we last fought, and this is like the continuation of the same war. We left tasks undone, and the same evil force that wanted to control the world then is still festering. We are far less potent than before, but we might be able to help against this far weaker generation of wizards. There is nothing left for us otherwise. As Shyar must have told you, we never really expected to wake again. Only in the rare situation where our own kind finally came in response to the beacon would we have expected to be brought back. Now we have only a very short time left to us, perhaps a decade, most likely less. It would be good to pass on knowing the task was truly done.”

“
What do you suggest?” Jolan asked.

“
We need to go to visit with your leaders in Angon,” Iach-Iss said. “That way we can see exactly what the current situation is. From that point we can consider possible plans. We can bring our knowledge of the world. For example, you wanted better control of the portals. We can do that easily enough. We can bring information. With the satellites, we can see much of what Ale’ald is doing in detail they would never consider. The scouts can still fly and fight, which will also give an advantage from the air. We have seen what damage Ale’ald did with those pathetic little aircraft of theirs.”

“
From what you say, the scout vehicles sound like they are in pretty bad shape,” Jolan observed.

“
Under normal conditions they would have long ago been thrown into the recycler,” Den-Orok growled. “Unfortunately, times are not normal. While the ships were once able to withstand the assault of the most powerful wizards on Gaea, the rise of the triads, the magic enhancing devices, and the repeated battles have seriously degraded the shields and weapons. They are still to be feared, especially by most of the wizards in today’s world, but they are nothing like they used to be. Also, as you will see when we go out and inspect them, they were never intended as fighters against ground troops with swords or men who could wield magical power. The weapons had been designed to fight against similarly equipped vehicles, and had to be modified to the task at hand.”

Iach-Iss agreed. “After the last battle the ships were never repaired. There was little reason. The war was thought to be over, and we were all going into the final sleep. Even had we wanted to do something, the parts required are not the kinds of things the Synths can produce, and our spares were all exhausted. In addition, those among us who were most expert in the maintenance of the flyers had been killed in the last round of battles. All of us could fly, but the details of the machines are quite involved. I am more administrator and medical expert. Den-Orok is a pilot and a fighter, but also was not an expert on the repair of the equipment.”

“
What about the skimmers I heard about?” Jolan asked. “They sounded like they were in better shape.”

“
They could be useful, but they are designed to be a materials carrier. None of them are armed or shielded in any way. Still I can see uses for them. We will have to find a way to get them to Angon and teach some of your people to fly them.”

Jolan noted that Asari had suddenly sat taller. He knew his friend was thinking he would be first in line to be one of the pilot trainees. Ever since the brief lessons Jolan had given him in the Cessna back on Earth, Asari had had the flying bug.

“
What about your ship in orbit?”

Den-Orok smiled. “It would be able to reduce this world to ashes. Or would have been able to do so before we stripped the power systems from it. The weapons are far too powerful for a war of this nature. They were designed to take out interstellar ships or ravage a planet if needed. A single blast from one of the main pulse generators would reduce the whole of Ale’ald to a glass covered wasteland. It is not only too powerful, but it is no longer available. It would need to be fully rebuilt and tested which, among other matters, would mean getting to it. We don’t have a ship here capable of getting to orbit.”

“
You mean you no longer have the ability to get into orbit at all?” Jolan said surprised.

“
It might be possible if we were motivated and had the time. There is one scout in reasonable condition that was left on a remote continent on the far side of Gaea. At the time, it didn’t seem important to retrieve it. The scouts could still fly there, so if we could repair it, that one would be capable of reaching orbit. It’s been four thousand years, and I never knew exactly what happened to it.”

“
Four thousand years!” Asari said. “It has to be a rusted hulk by now.”

“
Nonsense,” said Den-Orok. “We build better than that.”

Jolan was interested in something else that had been said. “Another continent. You obviously know what else exists on Gaea. There are other continents?” Jolan now had a good idea where the picture of Gaea that had been found in Tilano had come from.