Once the shuttle was gone I turned to the good doctor and asked, “Do you really want a tour, or would you prefer a comfortable place to sit and talk?”
“I think a talk would be good,” he said.
“Then let’s go to the library,” I said and led him to the lift.
We rode up in silence; he seemed nervous. I wanted to reach out and find out what was wrong, but I resisted. He deserved the privacy of his own thoughts. When we finally entered the library he looked around and said, “Impressive.”
“Come now, Doctor, the only thing impressive about this library is its room to grow,” I said.
“What do you mean? You have more real books on that one shelf alone than I have seen in my entire life!” was his reply.
I looked around the room and said, “Funny how two people can see the exact same thing and get such different first impressions.”
“I think it has to do with what you have to compare it to. Obviously you have seen a much greater library, and I have not.”
“Yes, I have and most of these books are copies from it. Come this way. I have a place where we can sit with access to refreshments.” I was not sure when I had picked up the habit, but I rarely read any more without snacks or a drink of some kind.
We entered an area of the library that had very few shelves; instead it had big, comfortable reading chairs, end tables and a small food locker. This was my favorite area of the library. Its partial seclusion allowed me to become immersed in what I was reading.
I got myself a big mug of coffee and asked, “Can I get you anything?”
“No, thank you,” he said.
I settled into my favorite chair, and he sat across from me. “Now then, Doctor, what is on your mind?”
“Well, Vydor, remember those memory blocks we spoke about last year? Did you ever find out if you had more?”
“That was the only one, and it appears to have been put in place because of the secret message I was decoding at the time,” I said.
“Ah. Well, I was able to find out more about mine. This is the strangest thing; it turns out they are of my own doing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, perhaps I should show you,” he said, as my cup began to float up.
I scanned the room, found the source of the power and traced it back to Dr. Rannor.
“Yes,” he said, lowering the cup. “You see, a while back I found I could do that, but I knew of the decree about the Black Adders, and I didn’t want to be imprisoned like them. So I contacted Larath and asked for his help. At the time he was more than happy to help me forget everything I could do.”
“Of course. He was eliminating a potential enemy with no risk of being discovered,” I said.
“When you killed him, his spell broke and all my memories came back,” he said.
“Now that is a revelation. What powers do you have?” I asked.
“Not much. I can lift very small things like your cup, and I can sometimes detect people just before they open the door or come into view,” he said.
“Well, that is a start, and it shows that you definitely have the gift. What do you plan to do now?” I was stalling while I updated the five members of the Council that I could reach. This was a big discovery, big enough that Andreya relayed messages verbally to Kellyn. This was the first Magus from our realm we had found since the Council was formed. “Gafar, if he exists, there could be more. Do what you can to scan the fleet with minimal penetration. We need to know if there are others like him whom Larath mentally locked up, or any other sorcerers.”
“That will take some time, a lot of time; but I will do what I can. It would probably be best if I start with the Dragon Claw and work out from there, since that is where his influence would have been the greatest,” he responded.
“That is just it, Vydor, I don’t know what to do now. Frankly, I am far too old to be of any use in the war, and I am due for retirement this week,” said Dr. Rannor.
Retirement in the Navy was a bit of a loose term, as there was no place for him to go until the fleet happened to pass by a station that could take him. And since we were just starting a mission, that would be a while yet. He was still thinking out what he wanted to say, so I let him work on it while I discussed our next move with the other wizards. Ultimately the choice was mine to make and not his, but I was not going to strongarm him into anything.
“There is only one real option, he must join us,” said Darnath.
“Age is not an issue for our art. In fact, I am sure Mantis is far older than all of us combined,” said Andreya.
“You guessed Mantis to be a lot younger than I did, then,” said Luke, “though I am not sure he has quite grown up.”
Finally Dr. Rannor said, “Vydor, can I stay here for a while instead of returning to the Dragon Claw? I need a quiet place to contemplate things.”
“Of course. Doctor, I am not sure how to put this; though this discovery of yours is exciting for us, it will complicate things for you,” I said.
“Exciting? Complicated? How so?” he asked.
“Well, this is exciting because you are the first Magus from our realm we have found since we returned. Complicated, because you are the first Magus from our realm we have found since we returned.” I had to concede Darnath’s point that Dr. Rannor, as a Magus, had to submit to our rule, but that seemed somewhat totalitarian. “Dr. Rannor, we need to explain something to you. As a Magus you fall under the direct authority of the Council of Wizards, and are no longer responsible to the Emperor. Now, you do have a choice. You can retire in peace and forget about your powers, and hope the war never reaches you, or you can come to live on this ship with us as our first student-level wizard. Either way, the choice is under my jurisdiction, not the captain’s or the Emperor’s, though we will behave in a civil manner over the affair,” I said.
He needed to sit and think that over a while, so I decided to help his decision along. “Dr. Rannor, before you make any decision there are a couple more things I would like to say. First, your age is not an issue for our art. It is only because our council is so new that we are all so young. Every master-level wizard or sorcerer that we know of is much older than you. The amount of wisdom and knowledge the position calls for is not normally found in the young. Second, I would love it if you would come be part of our team. I think you would be a great asset and besides, we need someone to treat Kellyn if she gets sick.” I stood, finished my drink and said, “Whatever your decision, you are welcome to stay on board here as long as you need. Just remember we are heading to the front line, and it could be a bumpy ride.”
I was about to leave him to think when he said, “Vydor, I really do not need to think this over. I just had to convince myself to take the step. The captain knows why I am here, and he has already offered to release me if you would take me. It is just that I am an old man. I am used to being a ship’s doctor. I know how to do that well; in a way, it is all that I am. What we are talking about is a huge departure from that, and frankly it is terrifying.”
I got down to his level. “You are not just a ship’s doctor. If titles are so important, then you should know that you have already achieved the level of prospect wizard. I am offering you the chance to reach the next step and start to learn how to use the power you already have, because I know that you are more than any job. If you decide to do this, I know you can. We all do.” I felt a level of confidence in him from my fellow wizards that surprised me at first, but then I remembered they trusted my instincts completely. “If he joins us we will have to create a level of telepathic communication far less deep for him to talk to us on. As the council we will need to keep our connection, but it would not be polite to completely exclude him,” I said to the others, who were watching intently through me. “Doctor, look around you. All of these books, every last one, is about the power you wield. You will not be left to guess your way through it. We will teach you, not only to practice your art, but also how to use these books for self-growth. We are constantly working on expanding our collection, so with a bit of luck you will never run out of books to study. If you decide to retire, you will be alone. No one will understand you. You will be a stranger among even your own people, but here you have family.”
Suddenly his shoulders squared up and he said, “Master Vydor, I cannot turn down your offer, and I humbly accept.”
I tried to think of a good response to that but my mind was full of six cheering voices. Wait a minute … “Kellyn, I thought you were hiding!”
She giggled and said, “How could I miss this? Okay, back to hiding for me!” and she was gone.
The others soon came up to welcome Dr. Rannor to the family. After many pleasantries were exchanged, I offered to call the captain for him.
“Yes, please do. Just now, if you don’t mind, I need rest. I have not slept much since you made your first contact with us earlier this week, and it is catching up on me.”
“Of course, Rannor. Gafar here will show you to the crew quarters where we all stay. These rooms are all shielded from telepathic communication of any kind. If you need anything or anyone while in that room, or want to reach a person in their quarters, you will need to use the mundane intercom system. Outside those rooms we communicate telepathically, and in time you will too,” I said.
Rannor and Gafar left to find him some quarters, and I made my way to a comm station to call the captain. I was not certain how to approach him about this, but Rannor said he had already spoken with him on the subject so maybe it would be a non-event.
“Good evening, Master Vydor,” said the captain. There he went again with the title. Sometimes he used it and sometimes not. I wondered what the difference was.
“Good evening, Captain, I am sorry to disturb you but I have just had a rather interesting chat with Dr. Rannor,” I started.
“Ah yes, he told me he planned to talk to you,” he said.
“What did he tell you?” I asked.
“We talked for a while about his upcoming retirement and how it would have to wait until after this mission. I told him I thought he was too young to retire just yet. He mentioned he wanted to transfer to your crew for the duration of the mission. I explained to him that your ship is considered to be an alien vessel, and there could be no official transfer, but if you allowed it, it would be fine with me,” he said.
“Did he say why he wanted this transfer?” I asked.
“No, not really; just that he felt it was something he had to do. Don’t take this the wrong way, but if an officer does not want to be in his position, I would rather move him to a different position than force him to stay against his will,” he said.
“Well, Captain, that is pretty much what happened here. Dr. Rannor has officially requested to join our nation permanently,” I said.
“He is due for retirement at the end of this week, so while I could demand that he returns to the Empire and serve here, it would also be easy to say he is finishing out his career as an Imperial advisor to Kellyn. Then after he retires he is free to do as he wishes,” said the captain.
I thought for a bit about my response. I could just accept that and say no more, but I felt that would be deceptive. This man was trusting his life and the lives of his entire fleet to my abilities. The least I could do was be completely honest with him. “Captain, it is a bit more complicated than that.”
“How so?” he asked.
“Captain, Dr. Rannor has made it known to me that he is a Magus. This means that he falls under my jurisdiction now, and no longer that of the Empire,” I said.
“Master Vydor, I see what you mean about it becoming more complicated. What exactly does this mean for my doctor?” There he went with the formal title again.
“I offered him a choice. I said he could either finish his present assignment, find a place to retire to in peace, and forget he ever discovered his powers; or he could join us and be trained as a wizard.”
“I am glad to hear you left the choice up to him. I would hate to think you had let your newfound power and position corrupt you. Be ever wary against that, Vydor. The temptation to abuse your power must be far greater than I can imagine and it would be a dark day indeed if you gave into it.” He stopped and sighed. “I know the good doctor too well to think he chose retirement.”
“You are correct, Captain,” I said. I heard his words, but I was more concerned about his warning. There was great truth in it, and I did almost force Rannor’s position. I must always be on guard against that.
“Then the simple way to handle this is to do what I suggested previously and assign him to your crew as an Imperial advisor,” said the captain.
“I must respectfully disagree with that, Captain. I do not want to set up a precedent of sneaking around instead of just handling it straightforwardly. I think the best thing would be for you to grant him retirement a few days early, and then note on his record that he has joined the ranks of the wizards, so that there is no question about his allegiance down the road,” I said.
“Then that is what we will do. Can I speak with him?” he asked.
“Well, I have nothing against it, but he has retired for the evening already. I am sure there will be ample time for you to talk tomorrow either before or after the wedding.”
After that we wrapped up the call. Now, before I went to bed I needed to contact Mantis. We did not have any training material for someone as new to his powers as Rannor. The big question always was whether Mantis would answer the call. We never found a pattern indicating when he was available and when he was not.