“Pegasus 1, 2, 3, and 5 you are cleared for departure.” Chantell’s voice echoed around my cockpit as Hope and a Pair released her moorings and I advanced my throttle.
“Pegasus 4, 6, 7, and 8 you are cleared for departure.” Chantell announced five seconds later.
“Pegasus 9 Cleared for departure.” She announced five seconds after that.
“Form-up then break off as our targets are called out, Ladies. Mum, are you ready on your end?”
“Affirmative, Chance. It took me a moment to familiarize myself. Sending individual, high contamination target coordinates first. Secondaries to follow shortly.”
“Chance, I’ve just received targeting coordinates. Displaying now.”
“Thanks Hope and a Pair. You feeling up to this, girl?”
“Try and stop me, High Priestess!”
“Let’s go!” I shouted as I nudged my control stock to port. “Pegasus 1 peeling off and on the prowl.
 
 
“Chance, Lioness. How’s it goin’?” I asked as I neared my first objective.
“Mum found a Magellan Bark with a ‘very bad stain’, Chance. Four clicks til we engage.”
“Acknowledged. Good luck.” I said as I sighted the first shuttle.
“Hope and a Pair, engage wand mode on all weapons and bring the storage reserve online.”
“Ready on all requests, Chance. Safeties are off. All weapons are hot.”
“Thaaank YOU!”
“Huntress and Laidy-in-Wait, I’m sensing a Current surge indicative of a breach in your respective objectives, suggest you pull back.” Mum reported
“Huntress pulling back.”
“I got this, Mum.”
A huge blue flash lit the far horizon.
“BABY!” Echoed across my Comm.
I tried desperately to keep my mind from wandering to Simone as I depressed my own trigger. A brilliant blue beam shot from Hope and a Pair, scoring a direct hit on the shuttle. My display went green indicating I had successfully purified my first orbiter. A quick glance at my storage reserve level indicated 1%.
“Laidy-in-Wait here. Chalk me up for one clean transport. Moving on.” Simone reported excitedly. I breathed a sigh of relief.
A fast moving craft crossed my bow several hundred meters ahead of me.
“YEEEEHAW! Got me a runner!” Mom shouted as she streaked past, over my canopy, and perpendicular to my course. A small burst of blue light in the direction she had gone signified her ‘kill’.
“Huntress, Pegasus. I need more targets. Maybe something a little more challenging would be nice?” Artie reported in her same, no nonsense tone.
A warning tone alerted me to something big coming up from the planet. According to my sensors it was loaded with taint.
“Chance, I just picked up a massive taint coming…”
“Already on it, Mum. Thanks.”
Again I pulled the trigger and I was rewarded by an intensely bright blue flash!
“Seeker, Lokust, Porno, and Kitty are on the deck. Chance, we have a mass exodus going on down here. Starting our rituals.” Charli reported.
“HOLY SHIT!” Lokust screamed. “They just launched an Inter-Planetary Ballistic! Just missed my six! What should I do, Chance?”
“Try to shoot it down if it hasn’t been armed yet, otherwise, tractor it out of orbit and send it toward the star, I guess.” I suggested.
“Or you could put the wammy on it and save fuel, girlfriend.” Chantell added.
“Good Idea, Fairy Godmother. I’ll try that since it just went live.”
“Who’s brilliant idea was it to send a full blown destroyer express escort to Magellan? I should purify him instead of the ship!” Major groused as she disappeared over the planetary horizon.
“Chance, I have six more bogies obtaining orbit near you.” Mum alerted.
“Got them in sight, thanks, Mum.” I acknowledged as I pulled the trigger five times at almost five-second intervals. Number six, an outdated, planetary fighter was trying to break orbit.
Hope and a Pair came about quickly with no complaint and I squeezed the trigger once more.
Then I felt…him!
“Everyone, I think we flushed the big, bad, wolf out of his hidey-hole. Mum, can you sense any taint in the shuttle craft seven hundred kilometers to my three?”
“I’m not picking anything up from that shuttle, Chance.”
“But, I can feel him on it!” I argued in frustration.
‘It’s a ploy. Just keep it in orbit.’ I heard in my head though it wasn’t my Current sense.
Could it be the ‘Lightning Earrings’ that Artemis gave me, maybe?
“Hope and a Pair, give me one normal round and I’ll target the shuttle’s main propulsion emitter.” I ordered.
“Ready.”
I pulled the trigger and a flash erupted from the back of the shuttle. It slowed down drastically.
Despite the strong feeling that I had, I moved onto my next target.
“Hey Chance? You got a minute? I got a big one on the line and I could use some help reelin’ it in.” Major requested.
“On my way, Major.” I responded, advancing my throttle and executing a tight half loop and twist.
“Re-engage wand mode on all weapons, Hope and a Pair.”
“You got it, Chance!”
 
 
“What is that thing, Major?” I asked as I laid eyes on the strangest spacecraft I’d ever seen! It was almost round in shape and had an old-style ‘dish antenna’ indentation in its southern hemisphere.
And it was HUGE!
“If I’d had to guess… It’s a Death Star, Chance. Someone’s a real Lucas groupie!”
“You found a WHAT?” Chantell shouted over our Comms.
“You know, hulking huge, round thing…looks like a white basketball on steroids?” Major replied. “First seen in Chapter Four: A New Hope… That thing, Fairy Godmother.”
“Preparing Pegasus 8 for launch! Talk to you soon, Fairy Godmother out!”
Should I stop her from joining us?
I doubted she’d listen anyway.
“Lioness, you play with the toys.” I ordered. “Major, any ideas on how to defeat a moon?” I asked, still in awe of its sheer size.
“I would think he remedied the fatal flaw the original had, so I guess we use the ‘’force’. Ooorrr, we could always dump mass amounts of used nuclear material on its surface and hope it all goes critical to blow the thing safely out of orbit.”
“Hope and a Pair, Dynamic Camo and scan for this thing’s propulsion system while I circumnavigate it. Major, I’d recommend you do the same. It has to have a weakness to exploit.”
Random weapons fire erupted as I got closer, so I nudged my throttle forward. I wanted to see how fast the automated defense systems actually were.
 
“Lioness, Chance and Major. According to Galactic Records, Magellan has one moon. Smaller than most at six thousand kilometers in diameter, Elcano still serves as a defensive outpost and has hundreds of weapons emplacements over its surface. Be careful, ladies. Lioness out.”
 
Easily able to outrun the defensive systems of this behemoth for the moment, Major and I scanned as much as we could.
“Chance and Major, I may have found a small vent that may lead to the Current Reservoir…” Hope and a Pair announced.
“Yer shittin’ me! It has to be a ploy! No one from my original era is THAT stupid!” Major shouted in disbelief.
“Fairy Godmother, Major. Coming in on your eight. Dynamic Camo and Weapons JESUS H.CHRIST!”
“Hope and a Pair enable Comms between the three of us and copy our data to Holy Shit, please.”
“Is this for real, Chance? It’s emitters are set up as gravity generators?” Fairy Godmother squeaked.
“Lucas never revealed how it moved, Girlfriend.” Major explained. “For all we know, this could have been how he envisioned it. Explains the exhaust ports though.”
“So…how we light this ball up?” Chantell asked.
“Chance, Lokust. What’d you guys do with that IPBM?”
“Remember what I did on Eden?”
“Yeah?”
“Yep!”
“Girlfriends, I’m going to fetch something. I’ll be right back.” I said as I broke right and hit the throttle.
I found my quarry halfway to the Magellan star, slowed to sublight, and wasted no time asking my Current to do something it hadn’t done, but Lokust had.
“Hope and a Pair, do we have an interior architecture for that thing?” I asked as I again advanced my throttle and came about.
“Displaying now, Chance.”
“Great! Thanks, girlfriend!” I smiled deviously as I scanned over the wireframe representation on my screen.
“Hope and a Pair. Could you transmit a ‘skull and crossbones’ to that thing on my mark?”
“A ‘skull and crossbones’, Chance?”
“Yes, and could you animate it to laugh maniacally?”
“If that’s what you want, High Priestess.” My ship’s AI answered, sounding a little concerned for me.
“I do, sweetie.”
“How does she keep doing that, Major?” Chantell questioned. I almost forgot we had open communications between the three of us.
“Still not sure, but I like the intent and the irony.” Mom answered.
I slowed back to sublight. “Hey, girlfriends! Miss me?”
“What. In the thirty seconds you were gone?” Major groaned.
“Cover me. Red Six starting my attack run. Hold it together, Hope and a Pair.” I warned as I vectored off for the small moon.
“May the force be with you, Chance.” Fairy Godmother bid in an amused tone. I could almost picture her shaking her head in amazement. “We’ll keep the Imperial forces busy.”
“On my mark, we hightail it out of here like our heads was on fire an’ our asses was a’catchin’” I ordered.
“Now that’s disturbing, Chance!” Major commented.
“Not to mention waaay before our time!” Fairy Godmother added.
Lining up perpendicular to the behemoth’s surface, I prepared to release my payload, aka, the IPBM as close as I could get to it.
Warning alerts began to sound as I drew closer.
“Chance? You might want to pull up before I’m forced to take emergency action.” Hope and a Pair warned.
“Just a little bit farther.” I said just before releasing and hopefully rematerializing the IPBM inside this thing’s belly.
“Bomb’s away! Everyone get the hell out of here!” I screamed as I pulled up harshly and punched the throttle.
The anticipated result was less than satisfying. The moon- made defensive platform- appeared to be flatulent instead of the big, flashy explosion I expected as columns of smoke rushed from the numerous vents dotting its surface.
“Myth…busted!” Chantell sighed in disappointment.
“Well, thank goodness for CGI.” Mom added in a disappointed, but upbeat tone.
“Ladies? Hate to break it to you, but it’s still moving. Now what?” I said in disbelief as I did a second take at my display.
“I didn’t think he’d be that stupid. It was one big decoy.”
“Ya think?” I asked incensed.
“Chance, I’m picking up a huge Current build-up in the southern hemisphere. I think it might be a weapon.” Hope and a Pair alerted.
I blinked on my Current Sight.
“I see the main concentration of taint in that area. I’m going in.”
What I saw was a growing bubble of deeply tainted Current. From my perception, it seemed subterranean in origin.
I also saw Major, Fairy Godmother, Huntress, and Laidy in Wait form up on either side of me.
“Hey! Heard there was a party on this side of the planet! Why weren’t we invited, Chance?”Artie questioned in a rare- while hunting- show of humor.
“Yeah. Thought you could use a hand, Chance.” Simone added. “I still have two nacelles waiting to be satisfied…wait…that didn’t come out right…”
“Sounded right to me, Sugar Plum!” Porno commented with a bit of a strain to her voice. She probably shouldn’t have said anything and paid attention to what she was doing on the planet’s surface.
“No…those two aren’t related at all.” Major groaned.
“Mum, Chance. I might have something for you. That big Current build-up seems to be highly unstable- like they’re having trouble controlling it. Sensors also indicate that, with the axial spin and forward momentum, it’s probably aiming for Magellan, herself. And let’s keep the Comms professional, ladies!” Janet reported in a judgmental tone.
“Mum, could it be that some of the Current really doesn’t want to fire on the planet?” I asked.
“I’m not sure I understand the question, Chance. How could Current want or not want to do something?”
“We won’t go into that right now, Mum.” I told her.
“Let’s purify that build-up and see.” Major suggested as we neared Elcano and its southern hemisphere.
“Laidy-in-Wait. Think you can hit it from out here?” I asked.
“Clean Up is dying to try, Chance.” Simone replied. “Just give me a clear shot.”
“Make a hole, sisters!” I commanded as I pulled up, rolled a few times to starboard, and reformed on the other side of Clean Up.
“Impressive.” Major complimented in a low smooth voice.
My sisters made similar maneuvers and formed up around Simone.
“And…pulling…the…trigger.”
A brilliant blue beam shot out from my Coven sister’s ship and impacted precisely on the most intense portion of the Current build-up.
“Chance? My nacelles are filling rapidly. Can I divert some of it to you and the others.”
“Laidy-in-Wait, didn’t your momma teach you to use protect…OH no you don’t you cowardly piece of Hobg…”
“Well. Now that she’s actually got something to do besides flapping that mouth… Laidy-in-Wait, I’m going to merge my weapon stream into yours.” Major alerted.
“But I thought it was bad to merge the streams, Egon.” Fairy Godmother protested.
Mom fired directly on Simone’s beam. I joined in as did Huntress, and Fairy Godmother a fraction of a second later.
“Chance, Current reservoir is almost full. We need to break off.”
“Divert Current to me, Hope and a Pair.”
“Is that wise, Chance? I’m responsible for your well being, you know.”
“I can take it, girl.”
“If I start to detect physiological fluctuations in you, I’m pulling the plug, Chance!”
“Acknowledged, Hope and a Pair.”
I immediately felt the inrush of Current and ‘felt’ thousands of unfortunate conscripts wailing in torment.
“Hope and a Pair, I’m going to start feeding back on the weapon stream. Let’s see how they like that.”
“Chance? What are you doing?” Major asked in astonishment.
“The build-up is filled with conscripts, Major. I’m putting them into stasis pods and returning them to their base for later recovery. I suggest you all do the same or we’ll lose thousands in this campaign.”
“You heard her, Ladies! Let’s do the impossible…yet again.”
“Its imagination time!” Fairy Godmother exclaimed in a low, gravelly voice.
“Too far of a reach on that one, girlfriend.” Major commented.
“Mum, Chance. Whatever you girls are doing out there seems to be working. I’m detecting a notable decrease in the build-up. Sensors now indicate it’s starting to destabilize and dissipate. It just collapsed.”
I nodded silently in relief.
“Hope and a Pair, scan the area. Is there any breathable atmosphere down there?”
“I’m picking up a viable atmosphere and have also found an operational hangar bay. I believe it connected to the weapon’s control base.”
“On display.”
As I studied my display, I couldn’t help feeling it was a trap.
“It’s a trap!” Chantell managed to get out in some kind of strange mush-mouth imitation before laughing.
“Yep. It is.” I agreed as I changed course. “Hope and a Pair, access their hangar controls and prepare it for us, please.”
 
 
“Hope and a Pair, disable your Current absorption. I want you completely isolated from this place. Constantly monitor your Current reserve for even the slightest change. I’m taking your key with me also.” I told my ship as she hovered ten feet above me. I had floated out of her cockpit and gently landed on the deck
“A valid set of security protocols given the circumstances, High Priestess. May I suggest a further refinement?”
“Already taken care of, girl.” I replied as I finished my protective spell. Hope and a Pair became engulfed in a bluish sphere and both disappeared.
“What did you just do, Chance? What I felt was very complex and very, very powerful.” Mom asked as she walked over from her hovering Semper Fi.
“Same thing I’m going to do to all our Brooms, Mom. Do you have her key?”
“Yes, but how did…never mind.” She said as I enchanted her ship with the same spell, only modifying it slightly for her.
I repeated my enchantment for my other sisters’ hovering ships.
“You sure Clean Up will be okay, Chance?” Simone asked in concern.
“We’ll be fine, M’lady.” Her Broom responded in a positive tone.
“Let’s look around, Ladies.” I said as I blinked on my Current Sight.
The whole deck was littered with blue stasis pods!
 
 
The personnel we recovered were a wide cross section of the species. I counted over seventy different sub-species in just the hangar area. I anticipated the distribution to be the same all through this portion of the base.
The native Magellans were distinct in that they shared two specific traits: that being height- no more than five feet tall- and girth- relatively rotund at three in diameter. All seemed to have the same shade of brown hair, too. Still, their other features varied wid…
“Who are you? What sub-species are you?” One woman that recovered very quickly demanded from behind me. I had just turned to continue recovering more of her crewmates.
“Lady Chance Summers, EFMC Witch Corps, ma’am. We’re here to help.” I said as I turned back to her, my wand at the ready.
“The ‘Witch Corps’ is a fable!” Declared the brunette that was slightly shorter than me. “Who are you really?! Station destruct! Courtney, seven-seven-seven-enable!”
“Station destruct activated, please proceed to any and all escape craft available. You have twenty minutes.”
“That was a bad move, ma’am. Most of the escape craft have been launched, immobilized, or destroyed.”
“Why would you do that? Have you no morality?” She screeched, appalled.
“Hey, Lady!” Mom shouted from nearby. The woman’s attention turned toward her. “We just got here! Ask the big ‘Uglies’ that are still prowling this place why they did it.”
“You are not in league with the monsters?” She asked, turning back to me in surprise.
“Hit the deck!” I shouted as a larger Hoblin appeared several yards behind her.
I immediately stepped to the side and blasted the thing. Only one conscript was left behind, minus her feet.
Running over to the prone, groaning woman, I concentrated and restored what was missing.
“That should do it. She’ll be good as new.” I said as I stood and turned around.
The woman, Courtney, I guess was her name, shook in absolute terror.
“Hhhhhow?”
“I already told you, Witch Corps, ma’am. Now, could you cancel that damn self destruct?”
“I-I-I-I can’t.” She stuttered shyly.
“Then I’ll just have to do it myself!” I declared angrily.
“Cinematically, you have to wait until there is no more than five seconds remaining in the countdown, Lady Chance.” Mom glibbed. “You’ll want to stop the count at two seconds though- more dramatic.”
Noticing more people regaining consciousness, I decided to humor mother- ‘cinematically’. I immediately began to hover then started to spin slowly while I concentrated on the base’s self-destruct system. The base’s purified Current was more than happy to comply with my request.
“Self-destruct sequence has been aborted.” I heard as I stopped spinning, and landed gently on the deck.
“How? That’s impossible! That routine was foolproof! I wrote it myself!”
“Only a fool would try to blow up her rescuers, M’lady!” I groused as I stared intensely at her.
“But I didn’t…”
“You didn’t listen as I made introduction! As a result you almost killed thousands of people for nothing! What is wrong with you people?” I interrupted angrily.
She quickly stepped back from me in fright, her eyes never left mine.
“I’ve nev-never met your…your subspecies…before. W-what subspecies are you?”
“She’s a very pissed off member of the species, honey! I’d suggest limiting your questions to ‘what do you need’ and ‘how can I help’. Comprende, Seniorita?”
“Huh?” The woman asked mom, perplexed.
“She asked if you understand.” I translated.
The woman, ‘Courtney’, nodded.
Several high-pitched whistles instantly passed my head as ‘Courtney’s’ eyes widened considerably.
Artie had scored five more kills, but no conscripts.
“Nice shot, sister.” I praised.
Artie nodded and continued to look around.
“The place is teeming with Hoblins, High Priestess.” She offered.
“Pull everyone back to the center of the hangar deck, sisters. Keep them away from the conduits.”
I quickly enabled my Current Sight again and began to scan the walls, ceiling, and deck.
Something interesting filled my vision as I scanned past ‘self-destruct Courtney’ standing, facing me, just off to my left.
“So, how long you been stationed out here?” I asked, making small talk as I continued to look around.
“About three and a half weeks, ma’am, why.”
“No reason. Just curious. So, where’s home?” I smiled, but kept scanning for ‘popup’ Hoblins.
“Gaia Four.”
“Really?! I happen to know a few people from there. They live in Galitzen about four clicks from the Spaceport.”
“Really? I’m from Blue Knob that’s very close…about seventeen miles north.”
“I’ve heard of it. Been back recently?” I asked as my left hand brushed down my skirt.
“About a year ago, ma’am.”
“Oh, so you were just assigned and arrived here three and a half weeks ago.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I began laughing.
“Ma’am?”
“Gaia Four has been dead for ten years!” I growled as I pulled both wands and called upon a force shield to hold her in place.
“What? What are you doing?” She screeched in horror.
“So,” I began as I appraised her. “I’ll ask you the same questions you asked me. Who are you? Really.”
“Chance! Look out!” Simone shouted as she produced her hand-held cannon, pulling the trigger instantly.
A lock of my hair sizzled as the blue beam passed extremely close to my still twisting shoulder.
Twenty onrushing Hoblins were gone after the blue plasma ball faded. Simone was shining like a space beacon!
“High Priestess, I need to relieve myself. See any secure return conduits?”
I nodded to my left. After blinking her Current Sight on, she nodded.
“Okay, I see it, thanks. I’ll be a few minutes.”
I turned my attention back to my highly tainted, mysterious prisoner.
“Sooo…who are you really?”
“I’m not going to answer any of your questions.” She arrogantly resisted.
“Okay.” I responded as I purified a little of her taint.
She cried out in extreme pain.
“Sooo…who are you really?” I asked again.
“I’ll never answer you!” She rebelled in a stressed voice.
I purified a little more of her taint.
Again she screamed out in agony.
“What is your purpose?”
“Ha! AAAAAAARRRGGH!” She shreiked.
“What is your purpose?”
“I don’t know. AAAAAARRRGGH!”
“Sure you do. What are you really?”
“I. Don’t. Kno…”
I purified quite a bit of her Current this time. The shrieking was almost unbearable!”
Mom and my sisters looked on with horrified faces as I continued my interrogation. I decided to pause a moment. Maybe this…thing …would think better about answering my questions.
“What are you really?” I asked as soon as it had recovered enough- in my opinion.
“I…I…Don’t…” She stuttered.
“Please. We are way beyond the ‘I don’t know’ phase of this. Is ‘Courtney’ your real designation?”
“How…how did you know? I never said…anything.” She continued to stare into my eyes in terror.
“It was part of your arming code. By the way? Using your name or birthday or anything relatable to you for a ‘secret’ code is very stupid.” I admitted. As I did, I reanalyzed her taint. Though still tainted, her Current was showing signs of improvement.
“What ‘arming code’?” She asked.
“Amnesia cases are very hard to prove, dear. Especially with that much taint in your body.” Chantell advised sagely.
“Taint? What’s that?” She looked like she had absolutely no clue.
“Where are you from?” I asked bluntly.
“I’m from Gaia Four.”
I nodded. “Did you or did you not hear me say that Gaia Four died over ten years ago. A Bio-Desolve attack decimated the planet! Everything is gone! Nothing…NOTHING survived! I should know! I’M FROM GAIA FOUR!” I shouted the last. “I was away on active duty when it happened.” I glared angrily with my eyes closed.
“But I just left Gaia Four three and a half weeks ago! I swear!” She argued. “I swear! I swear. I swear…”
She fell to her knees and began to cry, face in her hands.
Mom tapped my shoulder and I yielded.
“Tell me, honey, you remember the year when you left Gaia Four?” Mom asked in a gentle tone.
Through my force shield, I had continued to ‘trickle’ Current from her and purify it before returning it in like fashion.
“3265.”
“That was ten and a half years ago.” Mom informed her.
She stared at us in disbelief!
“No. I left three and a half weeks ago!” she argued.
“This is 3276, honey! Semper Fi? What year is it?” Mom countered.
“SIR! 3276, Sir!” Echoed in the hangar from the hidden craft.
“See?” Mom gloated.
“But that can’t be! Where have I been for ten years? Why can’t I remember?”
The woman’s taint simply wouldn’t clear for some reason, and I motioned that fact to mom in the old sign language gestures she had taught me years ago.
“Courtney, I want you to stay calm. We are trying to help you, but I have a feeling something in you is fighting. Lady Chance is going to try something. Again…please remain calm.” Mom said then nodded to me.
I increased my purification.
The woman began screaming in agony!
“I don’t get it.” I said as I reduced my purification to the previous level.
“Doppleganger?” Mom offered.
“If that’s true then can she even be restored?” I wondered out loud.
“Courtney? Sorry about that. Something inside you keeps fighting us. Can I ask you a few personal questions? Maybe our Galactic files can help us find the problem.” Mom said as she conjured a DataTab.
“State your full name, please.” Mom started.
“Courtney Rodgers.”
“Age?”
“Twenty-three.”
“Thank you. Place of birth?” Mom said as she typed the information into the device.
“Blue Knob, Eastern Territory, Gaia Four. 3243.”
“Thank you. This will take a moment to relay through our ship.” Mom told her while showing me the device’s display.
According to the Galactic Archives, Courtney Angela Rodgers actually was a real person that had disappeared shortly after her first posting on Magellan’s Elcano defense base. She and her file image didn’t match though.
Slowly moving my foot to the right several inches, I connected to a viable return conduit and asked the pure Current to find this girl’s pattern. Mom was good enough to keep her talking as it took several minutes for me to have the Current search for any of her. I was somewhat disappointed. Her conscription must have happened elsewhere. Maybe on the planet?
That meant I would have to improvise.
Modify! That’s it! I thought as my Current Sense revealed the problem.
“Excuse me, Courtney. If you could change anything about yourself, would you?” I inquired to mom’s confusion.
“Huh? What kind of question is that?” She protested.
“Sometimes, when fighting these inner demon things, I need to really get to know the person. Please answer the question.” I explained.
The woman thought several moments before answering sheepishly.
“Well…I’ve…I’ve always thought being taller than five-one would be nice. At least then I could reach the top shelves of the storage lockers. While I’m at it, I wouldn’t mind getting rid of this red hair…”
“Thanks, I think I see the problem. Please hold still. This shouldn’t hurt at all, Courtney.” I said as I gently took Mom and turned us around to talk privately.
“Chance? What’s going on? What she just told you is the way she looks now. And that is nowhere near what she looks like on file.”
“I think, somehow, she’s made a deal with him…the Hoblins, I mean. Though that might not be the case at all. I’d like to try something.”
At mom’s confused silence, I continued.
“Somehow she got them to make her ‘look’ exactly as she sees her ideal self. I think it’s time to get dramatic, mom.”
“Dramatic? As in over the top. Chance?”
“Follow my lead, mom, but hold off using any magic. Okay? No magic.” I instructed.
Mom nodded and we turned to face our subject- still captured in my force shield.
“Let the exorcism commence.” I said in as serious and dramatic a voice as I could. I ‘wobbled’ my primary wand at her menacingly. Mom, for her part, followed my lead.
“Wha-what’s an exorcism?” Courtney asked in fright.
“The only way to get the Hoblin out of you so that we can save you. I must warn you though, you may look different when we succeed. That is why I asked the question. It gives us something to work for and it will be how you look from here on.” I informed her confidently.
“Time is of the essence, High Priestess. The thing should be kept off-balance. Shall we begin?” Mom said- more like urged.
“Are you ready, Courtney? This may sting a little. And you may feel light-headed.” I said as I began to incant my ‘exorcism spell’. She closed her eyes tightly and tensed visibly.

I nudged mom. “Bring it home, My Lady.”
“A whop-bam-a-lamb-a. A whop-boom-bang!” Mom sang loudly.
Rolling my eyes once, I pulsed the holding field around the woman then disabled it entirely.
“There. That should do it. How do you feel?” I asked as I blinked on my Current Sight.
She sparkled in pure, orange Current. That could only mean one thing…
“I feel…I need a mirror!”
One appeared in her hand and she appeared completely oblivious to what she had just done as she examined herself carefully.
“How-how did you do this? This is how I’ve always imagined myself! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She cried and embraced mom and I excitedly!
Chantell walked over to us and stopped, purposely facing away from the vain woman who quickly went back to staring at herself in her self-conjured mirror.
“Why does it smell like ‘Grade A’ bullshit over here?” She whispered with a devious smile.
“Sometimes you don’t need magic to do magic, Fairy Godmother.” I whispered back.
“She’s a ‘Natural’, Shan.” Mom explained. “First one I’ve met in two hundred years. Not counting us or Lyra, that is.”
Chantell nodded.
“Good work, girlfriend. Let’s get back to the mission?” She whispered before walking back to her original location.
“So, Courtney? What was your assignment here on Elcano?” I asked the very engrossed woman.
“I’m a-I’m a culinary specialist.” She answered without taking her attention away from her precious looking glass. “People of Blue Knob said I worked miracles in the kitch…”
Her mirror disappeared as her head and expression turned.
“They’re all dead, aren’t they? There’s no one left back home…”
“You survived though, Courtney. You and I and Ladies Hope and Charlene all survived. Gaia Four lives on through us.” I said gently taking her hand in mine.
“They…they need to be stopped! They need to pay for what they did to my parents and friends…my planet!”
“And they will, Honey! That’s what Witch Corps is all about. We’ll make them pay for every planet…every society they’ve destroyed.” Mom assured. “We’ll get’em.”
“CHANCE! Behind you!” Chantell shouted.
Before I could do anything, Courtney’s hand raised with her palm out at our attacker.
“GO TO HELL YOU MONSTER!” She shouted just before the Hoblin that had appeared thirty feet from us exploded into small pieces.
It was even gorier than some of the partials I’d had to put down!
Both mom and I looked in awe at the girl.
“D-d-d-did I…just do that?” She asked, shaken.
“Damn girl! You got the skills!” Chantell complimented as she and Artie stopped at our side. “A bit raw, but effective.”
Courtney promptly bent over and vomited.
 
 

 
 
“I take it you didn’t know about your talent, Honey?” Mom asked as she held the girl steady.
“What,” she wiped her mouth, “what did you do to me?”
“We did absolutely nothing to you. That was all you, Courtney.” I told her.
“You’re what we call a ‘Natural’, honey.” Mom told her. “A ‘Natural’ can use the Current within to do amazing things- like you just did to that Hoblin.”
“But I didn’t want to…to kill it! I just wanted it to leave me alone.”
“That isn’t the intent I heard, girlfriend.” Chantell argued. “You wanted that thing GONE!”
“But I didn’t!” She cried. “I’ve never killed anything in my life!”
“So what do we do with her, M’lady?” Artie asked.
“See if she can manifest one of these, I guess.” I replied indifferently.
“See if you can conjure one of these in your dominant hand, Courtney.” I said holding up my wand to show her.
“Why? Why would I want to ‘conjure’ anything?” She asked skeptically.
“Do you know what a ‘Current Mage’ is? Ever heard the term before?”
“I’m not stupid! Of course I’ve heard of Current Mages! They’re as fictional as the Witc…” Courtney sniped but stopped and gulped loudly as it sunk in.
“I-I-I’m a Current Mage?” She gasped.
Mom, Artie, Chantell, and I nodded.
“Feel up to helping us clear Elcano of Hoblins?” I asked with a grin.
“Do I have to kill…them…I…I don’t want to kill anything…again.” She shyly asked.
“As you have already seen, the Hoblins are Tainted Current. We simply purify that Current and recover anyone conscripted by them, provided it hasn’t been too long. In that case, the Purified Current is returned to the local reservoir as it should normally be.” Artie informed her.
“Purified?”
“We can remove the taint from the conscripted individuals and if their image is still intact, recover them back to this reality. Lady Chance has even recovered individuals thought to have degraded well beyond recovery.” Artie answered as she pointed to me.
“All these people around us have been recovered from their Hoblin conscription, Courtney. You as well.” Mom added.
“And you would like me to help?”
“Only if you want. Not everyone is confident enough to do what we do, Courtney. There would be times when helping a severely degraded conscript to the next life is required. We’ve all done our share of that, I’m afraid.” I said as I nodded over to the remains on the floor and nearby equipment.
“Was it recoverable?”
“Unknown now, but there is flesh left behind. Normally the Hoblins just disappear into blue plasma balls. Nothing remains.” I tried to be honest.
“Then I just killed someone!” She asserted gravely.
“You are untrained and lack a Purifier, Courtney. You couldn’t have done anything more without those two resources.”
“Then train me not to kill! Train me to recover them as you do.” She pleaded.
I motioned for Mom, Chantell, and Artie.
“What do you think, sisters? Should we take the chance and allow her membership?”
“Not gonna lie, Chance. We can use all the wands we can get.” Mom recommended.
“I agree. Trial basis only. Teach her the basics.” Artie agreed.
“You see what she did to that thing?” Chantell hissed excitedly. “She could whoop our asses if she had the chance! I think you should watch her, High Priestess. Teach her how to harness that raw talent for good and not revenge.”
“Then we’re agreed?” I asked and received three nods.
“Courtney, we’ve decided to give you a chance. Consider this an audition of sorts. Now, let’s see what you look like in the uniform.”
“You…you want to see what I look like in that getu…?” She complained but stopped abruptly as she felt her clothing change.
“How?”
“Here, put this on. It’s a purifier. The clasp will disappear as soon as you latch it so don’t be alarmed.” I said as I handed her the locket I’d just manifested.
“She’s a nine o’clock, Chance.” Mom pointed out.
I nodded. “Now can you manifest a wand?” I asked.
Holding out her left hand it appeared immediately!
Some of the runes or symbols on it looked familiar somehow.
Courtney stood, staring with bulging eyes and wide-open mouth at what she had just conjured!
“Now, the first lesson: You must always respect your latent Current. That is what we call the energy within you and what powers you’re magic. The Hoblins came about because their creators demanded of their Current- commanded it instead of befriending it. Courtney, the Current within you…within everything in existence…is alive- as sentient as you or I- maybe more so. Treat it as a best friend or close relative, never a slave or subordinate. Understand?”
She didn’t reply, only continued to stare at me in fright.
“Do you understand, Ms. Rodgers?” I asked to confirm and to snap her out of wherever she was right now.
“What? Yes…so I really am possessed?”
“Not anymore, no. Current is in every living thing in the universe. Treat it as just another species. Respect the Current as you would any other subspecies. Got it?”
“I think so? So Current is alive and living in me…in you…in everything?” She asked in doubt to confirm.
“Everything. Now, lesson two: I’d like you to ask your Current to help you see it. We call this our Current Sight. It’ll help track and corner the tainted ones in the conduits. It can be activated or deactivated simply by thinking about it and blinking. Like this.” I instructed and blinked on my Current Sight.
What I saw was the purest, most brilliant orange I’d only ever seen in Lyra and myself until now.
“Now you try it, but look to the hangar walls and not me for your first time.” I didn’t want her blinded or scared since my Coven sisters complained my Current ‘aura’ was much too bright.
My new pupil blinked and began looking around the walls, ceiling and floor as if seeing them for the first time. She looked at each of my sisters and even the recovered people still unconscious on the deck.
Then she looked at me and quickly covered her eyes and just as quickly looked away then blinked.
“Why are you so much brighter than anything…anyone else here? Gaia herself never shined that bright!” She gasped as she faced and stared at me.
“Lady Chance is our High Priestess for a reason, Lady Courtney. She is the most powerful of us all. She is also my daughter.” Mom explained. “She is the product of two Current Mages and many, many requests to our Latent Currents for a child.”
“She’s also the only witch to ever threshold three times.” Chantell added with a proud smile.
“Threshold?” She questioned.
“Think of each threshold as a higher tier of our…of our evolution…our species evolution. Lady Chance, while helping-or championing for lack of a better word- the species recover from the Hoblin scourge, advanced or evolved twice more than we have. She is two levels above us and as such is the most advanced human in this galaxy…”
“Stop it, mom! I’m no more advanced than anyone else!” I protested. “I just did the things I had to do to save the species.”
“Chance? On your seven at forty yards.” Chantell quickly whispered.
“Lesson three: When confronted by a Hoblin, ask your Current to purify AND recover any conscripted individual or multiple individuals. The bigger ones are made up of many merged conscripts. Now, let’s see what you’ve learned.” I said as I stepped aside.
Courtney’s eyes bulged open as she saw the large creature lumbering toward us. I estimated maybe four conscripts had merged.
“Don’t forget your lessons. Point your wand and access your Current, Courtney. Stay calm and think things through, just as I have instructed. If not too degraded, you’ll have saved about four lives.” I coached.
A bright blue beam shot from her wand and an instant later five conscripts had been recovered and lay unconscious on the deck.
Turning, I blinked on my Current Sight and examined my pupil.
“Oh God! I killed them anyway!” She cried out.
“Normally they are just unconscious, M’lady.” I comforted as Chantell hurried over and checked for life signs. She nodded with a smile.
“See? They aren’t dead, just unconscious. They’ll awake with what equates to a hangover and severe fatigue. You did a wonderful job, M’lady.” I cheered.
“But I still killed that one.” She said as she blinked once and stared intently at what used to be a Hoblin.
“I still see taint. That is the red stuff and not the orange?” She asked. “I should try to recover it. Is it possible to do that?”
“You won’t know unless you try, M’lady.” I advised.
Courtney Rodgers placed her wand into her right hand and began to ‘reach out’ with her left toward the splattered, organic debris.
I wasn’t surprised when the pieces began to collect and glow blue. A bright blue plasma ball snapped into existence and quickly dispersed.
An unconscious male Magellan lay on the deck along with half of someone…something else.
I quickly blinked and searched for the missing pieces. Courtney began to cry and shake her head in despair.
Another blue plasma ball developed as I brought the unclaimed pieces back together with the partial.
Two Magellans- one male, one female- now lay on the deck.
Our newest sister turned to me and wrapped her arms around me in excitement.
“Not bad for a first-timer, honey!” Mom congratulated, placing a hand on her forearm. “Just remember to find all the pieces?”
 
 
Courtney proved to be a valuable addition to the Corps as we made our way from compartment to compartment clearing taint and Hoblins from the moon base. Though sometimes, her magic could be ‘quirky’. Several of the conscripts she recovered as we proceeded through the base got ‘mixed up’ and required me to sort and reassemble them properly.