-----chapter 6-----
1315 hrs EST
Two decks from Gideon, Galen walked through the corridors where he met up with the residential thief, Dureena Nafeel.
"You heard about the Captain?" She asked. Knowing that there was nothing a Techno-Mage was not aware of.
"I heard," Galen said as he continued to walk.
"He's not going to go along with this. Is he?" She asked, hesitating a moment before she sprinted off to catch up with Galen.
"He has very little choice, other than to go along.
"He's needed here."
"Yes, he is."
"And you have a plan, don't you?"
"In a matter of speaking, yes."
"Want to feel me in?"
"Yes," Galen said, and continued to walk. Interrupting Dureena was the voice of Lieutenant Mathis.
"Security alert. Security alert. Priority X. Priority X."
Dureena and Galen looked up at the speakers, as marines rushed down the corridor shouting for everyone to move aside.
Gideon caught up with the Major and placed his arm on the marine's shoulder buried under the armor and turned him around. Not caring that a high powered PPG was aiming at his head.
"Get the hell of my ship. It's me your after."
"And the wizard." The Major replied. "Do not interfere, Captain. Your already in deep water as it is. Assist us, and it just looks better on you."
"There is no Techno-Mage."
"Your lying," the Major returned, then walked away.
Galen and Durenna continued to walk to the flight deck, when Galen halted and felt an un-easiness. A disturbance in his tech, warning him that there was a darkness onboard. A darkness that he only experienced when he was around the influence of the Shadows. The makers of the Tech that ran through Galen's essence.
"Oh, my."
"What?" Durenna inquired.
There was a commotion at the far end of the corridor which Durenna glanced at. When she returned to see Galen, standing before him was nothing but a bulkhead.
"Galen?"
Three marines in heavy armor stepped into the corridor and rushed past Durenna. In their hands were a high powered PPG rifle.
"Freeze!" One of the guards said. In unison the guards raised their rifles at Galen and Dureena. But Galen knew they were pointed at him.
"I give up," Durenna said as she raised her arms.
"Where is the Mage?"
"The what?" Durenna inquired.
The corporal approached her with a tracking device she had never seen before. "We know he was here. Where is he?"
"What's a mage?"
Several passageways away from where Durenna was being drilled by the marines, Galen's Tech generated a cloaked field which made him invisible from the crew members he past over, with the aid of a flying platform.
Galen zigged zagged through the corridor until he reached an access tube that he knew would lead him to the flight bay, and off the ship.
If the marines onboard using the Shadow Tech, no doubt members of the beloved Storm, could sense his presence as he heard via the nano-scopic probe on Durenna's tunic. It was only a matter of time before they found his flyer.
If they had not already.
The hatch flew open, which made a young ensign look in awe as she saw the hatch open by seemingly nothing. As if a ghost had opened the hatch.
Galen laid flat on his stomach on the platform and propelled himself with the equation of forward motion in his Mind's Eye. The control interface of all Tech.
"This is Team Charlie," The voice came over the Major's link on his gauntlet glove he wore on his right. The hand which finger hovered over the trigger of his rifle. "We picked up something, but is gone."
"He's still on this ship," the Major announced. "Find him. And the wizard's ship."
"Aye, Major."
The Major turned to the lieutenant beside him. "Begin bombarding the flight deck with anti-polarons. The ship's cloaked won't be able to take much of the assault."
"Yes, Major."
Gideon stood with Mathis as they saw the lieutenant walk off back towards the flight deck.
"Help us now, Captain."
"I've already told you, Major. No wizards here."
"Than how do you explain the trace."
"Glitch in your scanners. By the way, I've never seen one of those before. Have you Lieutenant?"
"No, sir. They must be new."
"Your delaying. It will only be harder on you at the end."
"So I can imagine."
Galen, on his flying platform cloaked entered the flight deck and proceeded to his invisible flyer. According to the probe on Gideon, he would hear the marine's plan on bombarding the flight deck with polaron particles. Polarons particles were the only way the marines would find his flyer. His ship's tech would not be able to hide his flyer for long under the bombardment.
So now, came his next plan.
Entering his flyer, he flew towards the cockpit, and stepped off the platform and onto the deck. He sat at the controls, and closed his eyes; envisioning the Mind's Eye.
Calling up the control interface on the probes placed on the Excalibur's hull, he envisioned three Drakh attack cruisers appearing out of no where.
On the bridge of Excalibur and the Pathfinder, the three cruisers appeared not only on scanners, but to the eye of anyone looking out a porthole.
"Battle stations," the chief of the watch on Excalibur echoed through the ship. "Three Drakh cruisers off the port and starboard quadrants."
"Hell," Gideon said. How the hell did they know where they were. Unless, it was Galen?
The deck of Excalibur shook as she took a simulated hit, which the probes spread the shockwave.
"Bridge, get us out of here," Gideon ordered through his link.
"Maneuvering down," the chief of the watch responded. "We've got a malfunction in the flight bay! Decompression in twelve seconds."
"Evacuate the bay," Gideon ordered.
In the flight bay, Galen's flyer took off from the deck, and hovered towards the bay doors which would open once all personnel were evacuated, and he gave the order.
In his Mind's Eye, he saw that all the crew were out of the bay, and opened the doors.
The doors rose, and before they opened fully, Galen propelled the flyer out of the bay and ahead of the Excalibur and Pathfinder ahead into the crimson tides of hyper space.
"Destination?" The computer inquired.
"Minbar," Galen answered. Sitting back, bring up his Mind's Eye, he ordered the Drakh cruisers to vanish as swift as they appeared.