Spectra's Gambit

By Vincent Trigili

An old ally of Grandmaster Vydor comes to him for help because an enemy, perhaps as old as the Empire itself, has turned its sights on the Cathratinairian race and means to wipe them out. Spectra and Dusty are sent to find and stop this new threat, while Spectra begins her plan to change the balance of power for the entire known multiverse. Dusty must decide whether to follow Spectra as she uses this mission of mercy for her own gain, or stand with the Wizard Kingdom, which would put him in direct opposition to his wife.

The Lost Tales of Power is an open-ended series of Science-Fantasy books set in a vast multiverse. The Enemy of an Enemy is the first book set in the Lost Tales of Power universe.

Lost Tales Series:
Volume I - The Enemy of an Enemy
Volume II - The Academy
Volume III - Rise of Shadows
Volume IV - Resurgence of Ancient Darkness
Volume V - The Sac’a’rith
Volume VI - Spectra’s Gambit
Volume VII - TBA

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vincent Trigili
• Release date: Jun 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311432322

Vincent Trigili

The Lost Tales of Power is a sci-fi fantasy cross over series written by Vincent Trigili. Vincent is a graduate student at Liberty University, and presently holds undergraduate degrees in Math and Computer Science. Currently, he is working as a senior software developer at Liberty University. Vincent owns and runs the highly popular astronomy forums, Our Dark Skies, and also maintains the associated Facebook page. He has published several astronomy journals, calendars, blog articles, poetry, and photo books over the years and now turns his hand to fiction. The worlds described in The Lost Tales of Power series were born out of Vincent’s long history of creating role playing games in the old pen and paper tradition. He uses the rich history of those worlds he created to imagine an entirely new world for this series. Vincent uses his exposure and history with science and technology to keep the stories in the realm of the possible while balancing that with an eye for fantasy. The early books in the series take place in a futuristic universe that has recently been discovered by a medieval realm; later books in the series will take place in either realm, or perhaps a realm that has yet to be discovered. All of the books are intended to be roughly equivalent to the movie rating PG. This means any teenager or adult should be comfortable reading them, but some of the material, themes and descriptions may be unsuitable for smaller children. Parents are advised to read the books themselves before deciding if their child should be exposed to the contents of the novels.

Book preview

Time Line So Far

IE = Imperial Era (similar to BC, counts backwards)

EM = Era of Magic

12/01/01 IE — Enemy of an Enemy starts

01/20/02 EM — Enemy of an Enemy ends

02/01/02 EM — The Academy starts

08/30/42 EM — The Academy ends

05/15/55 EM — Rise of Shadows starts

12/30/58 EM — Rise of Shadows ends

01/31/59 EM — Resurgence of Ancient Darkness starts

03/15/59 EM — The Sac’a’rith starts

08/11/62 EM — Spectra’s Gambit starts

10/31/62 EM — The Sac’a’rith ends

01/25/63 EM — Resurgence of Ancient Darkness ends

02/01/64 EM — Sac’a’rith: Rebirth starts

08/25/64 EM — Sac’a’rith: Rebirth ends

01/01/65 EM — Spectra’s Gambit ends

02/01/65 EM — Mage Hunter starts

07/06/67 EM — Mage Hunter ends

1

Vydor

Karathlathornka entered my study precisely on time. His massive frame still had a somewhat chilling effect on the room, as he was approaching twice my size. Time had taken its unstoppable toll on him. His great stride had slowed over the years that I had known him and the orange of his fur had faded, but despite his advanced age he still carried himself with a dignity that made you think he might have one last fight in him. His large cat-like eyes showed great wisdom and seemed untouched by his age.

He lowered himself onto one of the couches and said, Hello, Vydor.

Greetings, I replied, unsure why he had come to see me. I had given him sanctuary in the Wizard Kingdom ever since I had sent Dusty to rescue him, and in all that time he had never asked for anything. He lived just above the poverty level and seemed content to stay there. I gave him a generous stipend, but he never spent it on himself.

Vydor, I am getting old and it is apparent that the years ahead of me are much fewer than the years behind me, he said.

I was at a loss as to how to respond. It was likely to be true, but I did not know how old he was nor how long his race lived. Kellyn had done the best she could to heal his injuries, many of which were decades old, but even her generous healing powers had their limits.

I know I have ceased to be of use to you, but there is no one else who can help me, he said.

I cannot turn back time, my friend, I said.

No, but you have successfully slowed it. However, my concern is not about myself, he said.

You are concerned about our agreement after you pass? I asked.

Yes, I need it to continue, he said.

In what seemed like a past life, when I was chief of intelligence on the Dragon Claw, I had hired him to help with intelligence gathering. He was the best source of information that I had ever obtained. I never learned his methods of acquiring information, but he never failed me. He was also extremely expensive. Karath, decades ago I decided to look beyond our agreement to see what you were doing with all the money I paid you. I traced it to a high-security medical facility far over on the other side of the Old Empire. I did not pursue the matter beyond that, except to confirm that they were getting the money and using it. I might be inclined to be favorable to your request, but would like to know your reason.

He smiled, a grin that exposed a jagged set of serrated fangs. That’s the problem with working with you intelligence types: hard to keep secrets. You probably know that I am the last of my kind, and that when I die my race will be extinct.

Yes, that is my understanding, I said.

Well, that is not the whole truth. On that station are thousands of my race, held in cryogenic suspended animation, he said.

Why? I asked. No matter how much I learned, he always seemed to possess information I did not. I could not imagine the loss of information that his death would one day represent.

Well over a century ago, a virus swept through my home world killing most of the population faster than anyone could treat it. No cure could be found. Myself and a small number of others who were off-world at that time pooled our funds to place the survivors there until a cure might be found. I am the only one left of that group.

So all this time you have been carrying the burden of your entire species on your shoulders, I said. No wonder you worked so hard to keep me from ending our agreement.

Yes, and my debt to you for maintaining it all these years is beyond anything I could pay. You can surely understand why I want it to continue, he said.

I sat back and thought about that a bit in silence. I did not want to continue to pipe money and resources out to some remote medical center, but I did not relish the idea of letting thousands die over that inconvenience.

Vydor, you have always been a kind and generous man. Living here in your nation these past years has shown me that the kindness you have always portrayed in our negotiations was not a tactic but truly part of who you are. I am calling on that kindness now. You are all I have left, he said.

Karath, I have no intention of letting your race die out if I can help it. Let me summon Doctor Leslie and Kellyn. I want you to tell them everything you know about this virus and the events around it. Will you do that? I asked.

Certainly, he said.

I would have liked to call Rannor in for this, but he had finally retired last month. He had already reached retirement age when we started the school, and while our advances in medicine could slow aging to some degree, there was only so much we could do. If he were more advanced in his magical studies, he probably could have bought more time; but he insisted he was content with the life he has lived, and did not desire to extend it needlessly.

When the others arrived, I briefed them on the situation and they started grilling Karath. For his part he was slow and deliberate with all of his answers. He had a tremendous amount of information leading up to the freezing of his clan, but very little after that. One of the others in his group had taken care of the details, and he was long gone.

What do you think? I asked.

We need to visit this hospital and see the medical records. I find it hard to believe that in all this time they have not been able to deal with a virus, said Doctor Leslie.

Kellyn, do you think you could cure them? I asked.

Definitely, but it would do no good until we could isolate and contain the spread of the virus. Once we have their medical records we will know more, she said.

I looked over at Karath, whose eyes had grown as large as coffee mugs. Karath, I will not renew our agreement, I will change it; we will take your people into our own care.

I hardly know what to say, he said.

I suggest we go to visit that hospital, I said.

It is way over on the other side of known space. It will take years to get there, he replied.

Not for us. We leave in an hour, I said with a grin. Doctor Leslie and Kellyn left to get the supplies they would need, and once they were ready we gathered in my study to make the trip.

During my investigation decades ago, I had paid a visit to the hospital where Karath had been sending the money I had paid him. It was properly known as Heritage Memorial Hospital Station, but since the fall of the Empire most people simply referred to it as the Hospital Station. Under the rule of the Empire it had accepted only the most powerful patients, but now it served its local region, a shining beacon of an age long past. When I had visited previously, I had left myself a marker to use as a reference point to gate right into their waiting-room. I weaved a gate and we all traveled through it, instantly crossing many light millennia of space: a trip that would have taken years by conventional means. As we walked into the waiting-room, the receptionist behind the desk sprang to his feet. Grandmaster! I am sorry, I did not know you were scheduled to visit!

Surprise visits are not typically scheduled in advance. Please call Doctor Hawthorne, and tell him I am here with Karathlathornka and we would like a full tour and briefing on the Cathratinairian patients, I said.

Yes, sir! he said and hurried off.

This should not take long, I said quietly.

Vydor, I have reason to believe it is primarily your contributions that are keeping this station open, said Karath.

That is good to know, I said. That would give me considerable leverage, but also gave them a perverse incentive to keep the Cathratinairians frozen.

Before I could continue, Doctor Hawthorne came into the waiting-room. Hello! This is a most unusual surprise!

Do you get a lot of normal surprises? asked Doctor Leslie.

No, no, but that does not matter. My aide tells me that you would like a tour and update on the Cathratinairians? he asked.

Yes, please, I said. Doctor Hawthorne was a consummate diplomat and not at all thrown off by Doctor Leslie’s comment. He had spent the decades since the collapse of the Empire keeping this station running and negotiating with all types of tribes, nations and consortiums. His only real bargaining chip in those negotiations was the advanced medical technology and training of his staff, which far exceeded that of the surrounding medical facilities.

Follow me. He led us deeper inside the station and into a very large room, filled as far as the eye could see with cryogenic beds. In here we have about half of the survivors. There is an identical room on the other side of the station holding the remainder. As of this morning’s report, all beds are functioning at optimum level and all patients are stable.

From there he led us through several research labs and introduced us to various doctors and staff members. Then he led us into a large conference room. Now, can I answer any questions?

May I see their complete medical records? asked Leslie.

The doctor hesitated, so I said, This is Doctor Leslie. She is the head of medical affairs for the Wizard Kingdom.

In that case, here you are, he said as he logged on to a terminal and then gave her access.

Kellyn joined her and the three of them talked back and forth for a while about the case and the treatments that they had tried over the years. Eventually I interrupted them and asked, Doctor Hawthorne, summarize it for me: why have you not cured them yet?

We simply do not have the technology to do that. The virus mutates faster than we can treat it. We had hoped that by now there would be enough technological advances to counter it, but with the fall of the Empire we have lost much ground on that front.

So what is your plan? I asked.

To wait for technology to catch up and give us the tools we need to fight this thing, he said.

Doctor Leslie? Can you and Kellyn cure this? I asked.

Without a doubt, but the infection rate on this virus is off the charts. They would be re-infected almost instantly, she said.

Well, that is easy enough to counter, said Doctor Hawthorne.

What do you mean? I asked.

The virus is extremely narrow in range; it will only infect people with very specific DNA. That is why only the Cathratinairians have been infected so far. All we have to do is mask that marker and they will not be re-infected, he said.

Wouldn’t that cure them, too? asked Karath.

No, DNA masking can prevent infection, but once a patient is infected, it is too late for the mask to be effective, he said.

It sounds like we have a perfect team here: Doctor Leslie and Kellyn cure them, and you prevent them from becoming re-infected, I said.

It could work, but you must forgive me for being skeptical that you can cure them when you have merely reviewed their medical records, said Doctor Hawthorne.

We have means beyond what you have here to enact a cure. Have you tested your DNA masking at all? I asked.

We have used it in other cases with success but no, not in this specific case. There was no way to do that safely, he said.

Then use me, said Karath.

What? asked Doctor Hawthorne.

Test the DNA masking on me, said Karath.

If it fails, you will die, said Doctor Hawthorne.

That is an acceptable risk, he said. But before we do that, I need to transfer full control over this case to Grandmaster Vydor in case I do not survive.

Certainly, but I must warn you how fast this virus mutates. The masking might only make you temporarily immune, said Doctor Hawthorne. Even if it succeeds, this is short-term protection only. I cannot keep you safe from infection for long.

Kellyn, what is your opinion of all this? I sent via our telepathic network, then asked the doctor, What do you mean?

My love, I think he has been completely honest so far, but this virus worries me, she sent back.

Well, the DNA mask will not actually change Karath’s DNA. It will just block the receptors that the virus uses. If the virus mutates to use different markers, it could make things much worse, said Doctor Hawthorne.

What do you mean? I asked of Kellyn then said, So we will have to keep him in biological isolation until we know it is safe to let him out. How long would that be?

There is no way to know. This virus is highly adaptive. We would just have to wait for all the virus cells to die off, said the doctor.

It’s too perfect. Nothing like this could have happened on its own, sent Kellyn.

Karath, are you still prepared to do this? You heard Doctor Hawthorne. If the DNA masking fails you might not survive, I asked.

Yes, I am, and the sooner the better, he said.

2

Vydor

G randmaster, thank you for meeting with me, said Doctor Hawthorne as I settled into his office.

It had been about a week since we agreed to test the DNA masking on Karath, and Karath was going through some final preparation for the test. What can I do for you, Doctor? I enquired.

Assuming this works, what do you plan to do with all the Cathratinairians? he asked.

We have found several places where they could settle and start their lives anew. We will probably move them to one of those, give them enough resources to get started, and from there it will be up to them, I said.

I see, he replied and then he looked off into space, quietly thinking.

What is bothering you, Doctor? I asked.

Well, I have two problems that I don’t know how to solve, he said.

What are they? I asked.

Once you pull your funding, this hospital will go bankrupt, leaving me with one hundred and fifty people whom I can no longer provide for, he said.

That is quite a problem. What course of action are you considering? I asked.

There is nothing out here for us, but we cannot afford transport to anywhere else. If you could help us with that, then maybe we can scatter and find places to fit in, he said.

You do not like that idea, I said.

No, I don’t.

Why not?

We are a big family here. We have served together for over a century now. Splitting up would be painful at best. We are also unlikely to find anywhere with the tools and resources we have here. I cannot imagine the pain of losing patients merely because the nations around here are too poor for decent medical technology.

I could guess where he was trying to lead me, but I decided not to take the bait. The heart of the Empire still stands as its own nation with perhaps the most powerful navy in current existence. You could travel to the capital planet and find work there, I am sure.

True. We have talked about that as a possibility, but with their population problems it is unlikely they would take us all.

I decided to repeat my question in order to lead him to making the request I was pretty sure would be forthcoming. That is quite a problem. Have you any possible solution?

Yes. We would like to travel back with you to the Wizard Kingdom, if you would have us, he replied.

Doctor Leslie, what do you think of us absorbing the hospital staff from here? I sent.

Grandmaster, that would be a great help. As you know, finding good people to perform anything other than magic in our kingdom has been hard, especially in the medical field, she sent back.

How have you been surviving out here? Our funding cannot possibly have been enough, I asked.

This section of space is controlled by a mixture of nations, tribes and consortiums. They have conflicting claims and the borders are in constant flux, but the one thing they all usually agree on is that this station is neutral space. Every few months, a trade fleet shows up from one of them with supplies for us. We pay greatly reduced prices in return for sending doctors onto their ships and helping them. They stay for a few weeks, and then our doctors return to the station and the ships move on, he said.

It surprises me that none of them have tried to take this station as their own, I said.

That is due in part to a rumor floating around out here, he said.

A rumor? I asked.

Yes. I am not sure how it started, but it has long been believed that you own this station and are willing to leave it alone as long as no one interferes with it. Needless to say, we have never corrected this rumor, he said.

I see. I could definitely imagine from his point of view that it would be advantageous not to dispel that rumor. I suspected they had even encouraged it a little.

It has worked very well for us. Many of the major consortiums have high-ranking members who owe us their lives due to the treatment they received here. In fact, I would say all the consortiums have been helped in some major way by our services, either directly or indirectly. He gave me some examples of the people they had helped. I could see the pride and hear the joy in his voice when he talked about the success they had had over the years.

Tell me something, Doctor: if money was not an issue, what would you prefer to do in the future?

That’s easy to answer; carry on with what we are doing now, he said.

I thought on that a while. What they were doing out here was a good thing, but unsustainable as it was. Doctor, this may surprise you but, in general, the Wizard Kingdom has no friends. Inside our borders we enjoy a stable, peaceful society, but our borders are under constant threat.

Sadly, that’s true for almost everyone these days. Our little bubble here is an anomaly, he said.

I wonder if we could take advantage of that? I mused.

What do you mean? he asked.

Suppose that we left this station here, but made it the official property of the Wizard Kingdom?

What would that mean, exactly?

We have a lack of fully-trained medical personnel, for various reasons. What if we turned this into a school? You could run this station as a research hospital and sustain relations with the nations around you. In addition to the locals, you would also treat citizens of the Wizard Kingdom.

But your kingdom is too far from here for that to be practical.

We would establish a permanent gate here. That would eliminate travel time. The idea was coming together in my mind. We could make use of the positive reputation of this medical center and begin to trade through this station. That would open new markets for us and expand our reach for finding magi.

He leaned back in his chair and considered that for a while. Grandmaster, are you saying we would basically return to how things were under the Empire?

Yes and no. ‘Yes’ in the sense that you would report to Doctor Leslie and treat our citizens, but ‘no’ in the sense that you would continue your free or discounted services to the local nations. My hope is that we can continue to foster a positive image out here and perhaps find some friends.

We talked some more about it for several hours. His excitement over the prospect continued to grow and became contagious. I was just about to leave when he sighed and said, Sorry, Grandmaster, but there is one more issue.

Ah, yes; you mentioned two problems. What else is worrying you? I asked.

Grandmaster, I am not sure we should wake the Cathratinairians just yet, he said.

Why not? I asked.

Because I have every reason to believe that this virus was genetically manufactured specifically to eliminate them. Whoever did it could still be out there. Given their limited population, I don’t know if we could save them a second time, he said.

Doctor Leslie and Kellyn both expressed the same concern to me, but this is not a decision I can make. The plan is to wake their ruling council and let them decide their own fate, I said.

Just then we were interrupted by a call from one of his aides. He spoke for a moment and turned to me, saying, This is the kind of problem that we face around here all the time.

What is going on? I asked.

Well, there is a cruiser requesting medical help for one of their number. They have no doctor on board and have the young lady in a hyberpod, he said.

That seems like a fairly normal problem, I said.

Yes, if that was all, but there is more. You see, this cruiser was here once before, very recently, and at that time brought us a critically-wounded soldier whom we were unable to save. We did all we could, but the victim was too badly injured. In payment for our attempt a very large sum of money, far more than our normal rates, was transferred to us in the name of the victim, he said.

It sounds as if he had generous benefactors, I said.

Yes; the Phareon government, in fact, he said.

You said he was a soldier, so that makes sense, I started.

Well, until that donation the Phareon government has never sent us a single penny. They feel that we’re operating illegally out here since they believe we are in their space and should be subject to their laws. They don’t dare to tangle with us because they are not yet able to take on the consortiums, he said.

Very interesting. Go on, I said.

So here is the problem: that ship obviously is working with or for someone high up in the government, and helping them could break down that political barrier for us; but, according to the report from my aide, the woman in their hyberpod is an escaped slave. If I help them, then I risk the ire of the consortiums that make quite a bit of money from the slave trade. If I do not help them, then I lose any ground we might be making with the local government, he said.

I leaned back in my chair. Yes, such is the game we politicians have to play. Which evil do you appease, and which evil do you strike down? Not even I have the power to take them all on at once, much less you.

True. He sighed and looked pensive. I want to find a way to help them. Not only do I hate slavery, but I would like to break down the hostility there.

If they are a government vessel, would they not have the right to free a slave if they saw fit? I asked.

No, not without just cause, and there is no record of just cause or any legal documentation around this slave at all, he said. There is very little reason to believe there is anything legal about what they are doing, other than that large donation.

I see. It is a tough decision for you. If it were I, I would free her, but keep in mind the law I wrote and passed says slavery is illegal; I could do nothing else but release her. Until we are ready to risk actually raising our flag over this station we must keep things low-key, which brings us full circle back to the problem, I said.

True. I want to say it is never right to do the wrong thing, but living out here has been a game of careful compromises. I think I will board their ship and evaluate the situation personally. At least then I can get a better understanding of what is going on, he said.

If you choose to free her, you can be assured of our support. You are our people now, and if necessary the full might of the Wizard Kingdom will be brought to bear, I said.

You know, at some point you will have to meet with the local government, since we are in their space, he said.

You are not far from truly unclaimed space. We can move the station, if need be, I said with a grin.

Not that far? Move the station? he said. Surely you jest! Even if you could move it, it’s hundreds of light years to unclaimed space.

No, I am serious. If we need to move the station, we will. Then you can let your convoys know your new location and we carry on as we were, I said. You are not alone anymore. You have a full kingdom behind you.

I am truly grateful for that, but let me just try talking with this crew about their slave before we do anything drastic, he said.

Certainly, I said, and after some closing remarks I left to deal with issues back at home. I was thankful I could leave Doctor Leslie out here to handle the daily operations of this station, because the issues that Shadow’s team was currently fighting were more critical at this time.

3

Vydor

It had taken a full month before Doctor Hawthorne was convinced that the treatment worked and then two more months to wake, cure and rehabilitate the ruling council of Cathratinairians. The ruling council was made up of three of their elders. They were elected to their positions for life, and before their race became part of the Empire they had had absolute control over their species. Under the Empire, their power was limited by Imperial laws but was still quite broad and overarching.

I joined them at a table in the suite which had been set up for them. After the formal greetings I asked, Before I speak, do you have any questions for me?

Karath has done well over these past weeks in bringing us up to date, Grandmaster. Please carry on, said one of them.

Very well. I paused a moment to gather my thoughts. Unlike Karath, these Cathratinairians were still in their prime and physically very impressive. They dwarfed me in size and would easily outdo me in speed and physical strength. Any normal human would rightly be intimidated in their presence. Doctor Hawthorne tells me you are completely clean of the virus now and that the treatment we have devised will work on your entire race.

Yes. We greatly appreciate you coming to our rescue with this cure, said Tharak, who was the voice of the Cathratinairian council.

This, however, leaves us with two problems, I said.

What are they? he asked.

First, your home world is gone. When the Empire collapsed, the Zalionian Empire claimed your world as its own and it is now a military weapon testing compound and uninhabitable. This means we need to find you a new home when we awaken the rest of your race, I replied. I told them I had spoken with Emperor Zalith of the Zalionian Empire and he was willing to find them a new planet to live on.

What is the second problem? he asked.

The virus that attacked your species was genetically engineered specifically to wipe you out, I said.

The three of them turned to face each other and sat in silence for a few moments. Their pointed ears twitched back and forth, but there was no other indication that any communication was taking place. As I did not know what was going on, I let the silence stand. I knew little about their culture and did not want to risk insulting them.

By whom? he asked.

We do not know, I said.

I see. Then the problem is that if they are still out there, they could produce another virus and try again, he said.

Yes, and as your population is now so small there is good reason to think the virus could kill all of you before we could prevent it, I said.

What are our options? he asked.

They are connected to the first problem. One option is that you could rejoin what is left of the Empire. They control a vastly overpopulated section of space around what used to be the capital planet. The Imperial Navy is still the strongest fleet in the galaxy, but it is just a shadow of what it once was, I said. I doubted that the Emperor would be much inclined to take them in, but I was confident I could convince him if it came to that.

How will that help? he asked.

You could mix in with that large population and spread yourselves out so that no one virus could ever get all of you, I said.

But our culture would disappear, and we would die out over time anyway, he said.

That is the likely outcome, I said. Another option is that I could provide you with a carrier and you can fly your people off to uninhabited space somewhere and attempt to regrow your population in secret.

That cuts us off from any help, he said.

"Yes, which brings us to your final option. Currently only three nations are stable: the Zalionian Empire, the Old Empire, and our nation, the Wizard Kingdom. The rest of the galaxy is locked in a constant struggle for control and power. In short, in most places chaos rules.

I control a large region of space, but my nation is sparsely populated. There are many worlds, currently unused, which have great potential for colonization. If you were willing to join us, I could give you one of those.

Your nation is at peace? he asked.

We have many enemies at our borders, but internally things function much as they did under the former Empire. The only catch is that we are constantly rooting pirates out of the uninhabited sections but they do not represent much more than a nuisance to the population centers, I said.

If we take you up on this offer, would we be moving into their space? he asked.

"They will probaby feel that that is the case, but I own it all. The navy would make sure the area is clear before you move in and you would have the same protection as any other world. The