Chapter 140: Security (2)

  Location: Magicon Empire; Valterion Duchy; Stylus System; BCS Darklight

  The wormhole ends, and we arrive in a new star system with a purple flash. It’s the sixth time that this has happened and it means we’ve finally arrived at our destination. Our trip started Sunday evening. Now it’s Monday evening and we’re aboard the Darklight, our home for the next week.

  It’s a smaller ship, about half the size of the Stargazer and apparently, the class of the ship is simply called escort ship. That’s also what we’re about to do. The freighter we’re about to provide security for is docked at a nearby space station, and Kevin who’s piloting the Darklight sets a course.

  That also means that I can finally relax. My job is done for now. I should only be needed once we leave the Stylus System and start our journey. Therefore, I say goodnight to Kevin and Stan and go to my cabin to do what everyone else is already doing.

  Once the door closes behind me, I undress and fall into my bed. I pull up the blanket and almost immediately fall asleep.

  I awake the next morning to find us already underway. When I access the external cameras with my interface, I see us cruising along with the ginormous freighter. I also notice a second escort ship. That’s probably the real security team for the freighter.

  Anyway, a quick breakfast and shower later has me walking back onto the bridge where I find the whole crew up and awake. Only Kevin and Stan look a bit tired, but I think they’ve got their portion of sleep as well.

  “Morning,” I call out and sit down on one of the empty seats.

  “Hi, Sara,” Caroline replies while the others wave.

  “Anything happened while I was asleep?”

  Caroline shakes her head. “No, nothing. But we have our first wormhole coming up soon, which means we have to coordinate with the other escort.”

  “Huh? I thought they were here because we’re just students.”

  “They are,” Paul chimes in. “But most of the time escorts work in pairs so that one ship can go through the wormhole and secure the arrival point while the other ship stays with the freighter.”

  Oh, that makes sense. “Thanks, Paul… But aren’t we still a liability with our training ammunition?”

  He nods. “We are, that’s why the other escort has a Master Space Mage with them so that they can always jump to the freighter within moments.”

  Ahh, that also makes sense… Especially the Master Space Mage on the other ship. Some wormholes reach further than 100 light years after all. I nod in understanding. “Then I better get ready for the jump. Are we going to jump ahead or are we the rearguard?”

  Stan taps his head. “That’s what I’m discussing right now.”

  So that was the spell I noticed earlier. I give him a thumbs up and ask Clara to show me the wormhole we’re approaching.

  My interface reacts immediately and shows me a wormhole floating in space. Close to it is another space station. It’s a smaller one, barely 100 meters in diameter. It’s probably only there to coordinate trips through the wormhole.

  A tap on my interface brings up more details. It’s a surprisingly long wormhole with an estimated travel time of just under two hours. It also covers quite a distance and doesn’t even lead to another star system. Instead, it leads to a waypoint between systems before another wormhole connects to the Lomali System where the freighter we’re escorting is supposed to deliver half its load.

  While I was going over the wormhole details, Stan must have finished his call with the other escort. He clears his throat before speaking up. “Alright, as it’s our first jump with the freighter, they want us to jump ahead. The waystation is heavily fortified, so there shouldn’t be any danger. We’re still supposed to do our standard survey and then report back.” He looks at me. “Are you ready to jump again, Sara? You were quite exhausted last night.”

  I give him a thumbs-up. “Yeah, I’m fine. How long until we’re close enough?”

  Ulia looks up from her navigation station. “Computer says about 20 minutes… So we can probably make it in fifteen if we hit the gas a little.”

  I nod at her in thanks, and then I continue studying the upcoming wormhole.

  Fifteen minutes later, we’re in range and the Darklight slows down. As soon as the others give me a go-ahead sign, I focus on the Wormhole Navigation spell and pull us in. For the next two hours, the ship is mine.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Location: Magicon Empire; Valterion Duchy; Waystation; BCS Darklight

  I finish our trip through the wormhole without any issues. The main screen in front of the bridge shifts and starts showing the outside of the ship. Stan was right. That’s a literal fortress of a space station.

  “We’re being hailed!” Caroline calls out before accepting the call. She must have linked it to her interface, as I don’t hear the other half of the conversation. Caroline informs the person on the other end who we are and what we’re doing here. Then she continues to coordinate the freighter’s arrival.

  Meanwhile, Kevin, Paul, and Ulia handle the Darklight’s sensors and after confirming that there is no threat nearby, they give Stan a thumbs-up.

  He in turn casts another Communication spell and contacts the other escort ship that stayed with the freighter. I imagine him telling them that they are good to enter the wormhole.

  I fade into the background. My work is done for a while… I’m starting to feel some kind of useless. Like a third wheel on a wagon. I know that my role is crucial and they couldn’t do their job without me, but that doesn’t make it less boring. I mean I handle the wormholes, then I do just nothing for hours… I just… I expected those taxi missions to be more exciting.

  A few hours later, the freighter arrives, and shortly after, the second escort ship is here too. The freighter does a really short stop at the space station before we head out toward the next wormhole. This time we’re the rearguard which means even more waiting. I’m starting to regret accepting so many taxi missions. This is only the first.

  Anyway, the other escort ship vanishes through the wormhole which means the freighter is now the Darklight’s responsibility. For the first thirty minutes, nothing happens and I start a card game with Caroline, Stan, and Paul while the other two keep watch. Then things change when the communication console notifies us of an incoming call.

  Ulia is the closest and accepts it. She has it on speaker, so I immediately notice that it’s the freighter calling us. They report some strange noises within their freight area and ask us to take a look before we take the trip through the wormhole. This sounds suspiciously like the stowaway challenge instructor Schmidt warned us about.

  The others think the same, and suddenly there’s action aboard the Darklight. We all suit up in armored spacewalker suits and I get ready to teleport us over to the freighter. The crew already sent us arrival coordinates, so it should be very easy to do so. Stan meanwhile contacts the other escort and informs them of the situation. Then we’re ready to go.

  Stan and Caroline stay back to take care of the Darklight and to provide external security for the freighter. That means that I teleport with Kevin, Paul, and Ulia over to the freighter.

  We arrive with a purple flash right in the middle of what looks like the mess hall of the freighter. One member of the crew greets us and shows us the way to the cargo section. Then we’re on our own and start looking for the stowaway.

  Ulia casts a Shield spell around all of us, then we slowly walk forward. I stay in the back and focus on my Space Sense. I don’t know if detecting people around me is even a thing with that ability, but it doesn’t hurt to try. Not that I have anything else to do.

  Turns out it is a thing. That ability is ridiculously overpowered! I detect a faint movement some 100 meters to our right. Sure, it also could be a robot, but what are the odds?

  “Uhh, guys?”

  Kevin turns around. “Yeah, what is it?”

  “Am I allowed to help?”

  The four of them exchange a look before they all shrug. Kevin is the one to reply again. “I don’t see why not… Why are you asking?”

  I point to our right. “Uhh, because I think our target is right there… About a hundred meters away.”

  They stare at me, dumbfounded. “For real?” Ulia mutters and I nod.

  She shrugs again and begins walking toward where I was pointing. Her shield spell follows her along and we all quickly move after her.

  I hear her muttering. “Sure, let’s try a random guess. Not that I have any better idea.”

  We get closer and closer to where I sensed something. Slowly but surely, the picture gets clearer in my mind’s eye. When we’re just 50 meters away, I can confirm that it is indeed a person. They are cowering somewhere, probably hiding behind something. I relay the information to the others who give me strange looks.

  “Overpowered Space Mages,” Paul whispers under his breath. I hold back a chuckle.

  We’re almost there. Kevin must have noticed something because he lifts his hands and calls out. “Freeze! Come out with your hands where we can see them! Slowly!”

  I feel a spell being readied. Then, a man walks out behind a nearby crate. He doesn’t show any fear and holds a small disc in his hand. “May I?” He points at the disc.

  Kevin keeps his magic ready but nods. “Yes, but slowly.”

  The man taps the disc and a hologram of instructor Schmidt appears. “Congratulations, you just caught your stowaway! Keep the disc and give it to me when you’re back. And now please let the stowaway,” the hologram makes air quotes, “get back to work.”

  The hologram vanishes and the man flicks it over toward Kevin. He in turn lets his magic disappear and catches the disc. “That’s it?” He asks in confusion.

  The other man chuckles. “Sure, that’s how most situations like this end. I mean what could I have done? You had your spell ready to incapacitate me or whatever else you were about to let loose. The outcome is the same. Once I’m found, there’s no running away. But tell me one thing… How did you find me so fast? I thought my hiding place was pretty good.”

  Everyone looks at me while Paul goes so far as to point at my head. “Dunno how, but she immediately sensed you.”

  The man raises an eyebrow while looking me up and down. “Uh huh…” He doesn’t comment further. Weird.

  Ten minutes later, we reappear aboard the Darklight with a purple flash. Stan and Caroline welcome us back and they have news.

  “We just received a call from the other escort,” Caroline greets us. “They arrived in the Lomali System and confirmed that the area around the wormhole is safe which means we can proceed as soon as we’re ready. Stan already talked with the freighter crew and they told us that they are ready to go as soon as you guys finish up with the stowaway. Are you good to go, Sara?”

  I nod at her. “Yeah, I’m fine. It was just a short jump… I can manage a wormhole.”

  “Alright, I’ll tell the freighter crew,” Stan replies and casts a quick spell to do exactly that.

  Thirty minutes later, I’m well into the wormhole and hold the Darklight steadily on course. Ever since I became a pseudo-Archmage, I barely need any assistance from my AI… The Wormhole Navigation spell flows just so smoothly, and in combination with my Space Sense, I immediately detect any issue and can compensate before Clara has to jump in.

  Another thirty minutes pass, then I’m ready to bring us back into real space. The wormhole is about to end and I give the spell a final push. We emerge right behind the freighter. Everything went smoothly!

  Stan and Kevin are the only ones left on the bridge. The others went all to sleep a bit earlier. I get up to join them. While I exit the room, I feel Stan cast another Communication spell. Probably to coordinate with the other escort.

  Then I hear Kevin gasp and turn around a final time. The main view screen now shows what’s been covered by the freighter before: The Lomali System. I can’t hold back my own gasp. So that’s where my family is building their starships!