Operation: Pacifica, Empty Weyr
by Admiral Korth, TRES Corps


        Rear Admiral Matt Korth of TRES leaned back in his chair.
  This /was/ serious.


        "I'll be there in five minutes, sir."


        "Um, Korth, I don't know how to break this to you," CP had a
  skeptical look on his face, "but you're in Michigan--HQ is in Colorado.
  That's a little more than five minutes travel time."


        "Even so--expect me in five minutes.  Make sure nobody's in
  my office, I need a clear arrival point.  Korth out."  He reached out and
  tapped a key, cutting the comm channel.


        *Now, the gear.*  Korth walked toward his equipment room,
  punched in the access code, and entered.  *Where'd I put...?  Dammit, who
  cleaned in here again?  Everything's where it's supposed to be, not where I
  want it!* He grabbed his combat armor and XRifle[tm].  As he was about to
  leave the room, he stopped in front of a small black box.


        *Should I bring it?* he thought to himself.  *She said it
  can enhance my powers, provided that I can concentrate properly.  'course,
  she /also/ said that once I use it to channel my powers, I'll be drawing
  energy directly from my source, and without help, I'll probably wind up
  dead.*  He pondered a moment longer, then settled into a light trance and
  opened the box.


        The box contained what appeared to be an extremely large
  amethyst crystal.  It wasn't, of course.  Using the trance as a shield
  against the crystal's powers, Matt studied it for a moment, then closed the
  box and stuffed it in an outer pocket.  He sealed the room as he left.


        Korth sat down on the floor in the corridor.  *This is as
  good a place as any to leave from, I guess.*  With three whispered words, he
  vanished from sight.


        Somebody was there.


        Ordinarily, the between-space was empty.  Several rather
  gruesome incidents had shown that it was inimical to life of any sort; only
  the protection offered by the translocation spell allowed Korth to survive.


        Yet, unquestionably, someone was there.  And he(?) wasn't
  friendly.


        The transit was also taking /far/ too long.  *Maybe that's
  why I sense someone here?  If someone... some/thing/... is attempting to
  shield HQ from this sort of magic...?*  Korth shrugged it off.  If that was
  the case, he'd know soon.  The journey ended abruptly a few seconds later
  with the familiar psychic jolt as Matt rematerialized in the Kappa Squad
  CO's office.


        Matt staggered to his feet.  *That spell /still/ completely
  drains me.  What fun.  I probably won't be able to work any significant
  magic for hours.*  A glance at his watch confirmed the time--0500 hours.  He
  turned the alarm on, setting it for 0645.  *Enough time to get some sleep
  before the briefing, anyway, and maybe I'll recover enough to be useful.*
  Matt slumped into his chair and slept.


        One hour, fifty-five minutes later, Korth walked into the
  internal conference room.  Looking around the table, he noted the presence
  of Windigo, Shardik, Andrews, Malaclypse, ... *Whew.  He really pulled some
  strings for this op, these are some of the best.*  Matt continued to let his
  eyes roam around the room until the briefing began.


        When CP asked for questions, Matt raised his hand.  "No
  question, but a bit of a warning.  The spell I used to get here," he broke
  off, seeing the raised eyebrows, then shrugged and continued, "takes me
  through a place where /nothing/ else should be able to exist--but something
  was there.  Something definitely unfriendly.  Someone seems to be taking
  steps to counteract a spell that would make an escape from Pacifica--if
  necessary--quite easy."


        "Could you tell who it was?" CP asked.


        "No."


        "Any questions?" CP asked again.


        When nobody replied, Samhain said, "Good.  Let's move."


        Thirty minutes later, Korth climbed into the cockpit of a
  TARAV. He'd stopped only to take a quick shower and change from his TRES
  gear to the items that Shardik had placed in a large duffel bag.  When they
  reached I-80, he set a cruising speed of 130 kph, headed for San Fransisco.
  *Never been there before...* he mused.


(TBC)