"Just relax, Ville. You're going to be all right."
Meribor, the Gromman psionicist onboard the Wanderer as a healer and medical specialist, stood up. He had just finished examining Ville in his quarters after the incident on the bridge. Onestar, Hall and Blaise stood in the background, just far enough back not to get in the way but close enough to listen.
"Give it to me straight, doc," Ville joked, "am I ever gonna play the piano again?"
Meribor chuckled. "I don't know. Did you know how to play before? Just get some rest."
Meribor turned and walked over to the others. Blaise stepped past Meribor to go over to Ville.
"How is he, Meribor?" Hall asked.
"I wish I knew," the gromman replied. "Whatever that was that affected him, it seems to be some sort of curse. I checked that crystal imbedded in his forehead; it's part of him now, a part of his skull. I don't think I could remove it without risking his life. He is going to need some help with this new look, but he's gonna have to ask for it."
"Thank you, Meribor," Onestar replied. Meanwhile, Blaise took a chair and sat down next to Ville.
"How are you doing, Ville?" Blaise asked. Ville didn't reply, instead turning his head away from the Arcane. Blaise tried to be sympathetic, tried to offer some support, but Ville shut him out. Blaise shook his head, stood, and turned to leave. Onestar watched the Arcane leave the room, then moved over to where Blaise sat.
"Ville," Onestar began, "I know this is difficult for you right now, but I need to know a few things."
"Hey, sure, just ask the freak anything you want."
"Ville," Hall replied. "Look, all we need to know is what do you remember. When did you first see Colicor?"
"Who?"
"Lord Tannenbam Colicor," Onestar replied. "Short human male, typical wizened wizard. He wears long, brown robes."
"...the cargo hold," Ville replied, straining to remember. "Phantom and I had an argument, and he left. I remember someone appearing, we talked, then it all became hazy. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't do a thing about it."
"Sounds like domination," Onestar replied.
"Excuse me?"
"Domination. It's a powerful magical spell, Ville, one which isn't used by your better class of mages. The caster completely takes control of the other's will, usually through some form of magical crystal..." Onestar's voice faded off at the end, as Ville tried to turn his head. "There is no defense against it. The caster can focus any form of negative thought the victim might have and use it against them."
"It wasn't your fault, Ville," Hall tried to reassure him.
"Yeah, I'm just another victim," Ville replied, his voice bitter. "I'm getting tired of this. I was kidnapped from my homeworld by an Illithid slaver party and thrown into wildspace. I managed to get my freedom, then I get taken by Neogi as a slave. I finally get free, manage to learn about wildspace, get a job onboard this ship, then I become the pawn of a wizard and go against my crewmates."
"Forgive me, Onestar, but I'm tired. I'd like to get some rest now."
Onestar placed a reassuring hand on Ville's shoulder. "You get some rest. Take all the time you need."
Ville turned to his side, pulled the sheet up close to him, and closed his eyes. Onestar and Hall went out into the hall and closed the door behind them.
Out in the hall, crews were hard at work on the ship. The cloud of gas faded shortly after the attack on Ville. Crystal wasn't harmed by the poison Ville gave her, so Onestar told her to go to their quarters and get some rest. Damian was on the helm, giving them the best possible speed for Omni. The shrikeship could not be found, leaving no trace of it's presence. Onestar ordered a helmseeker launched to see if there was a trail, but could find none.
All that remained now were more questions that needed to be answered. Onestar and Hall talked as they walked back to the bridge.
"Damn," Hall commented. "What the hell did Colicor do to Ville?"
"I have no idea," Onestar replied. "I know he occasionally dabbles in curses. His specialty is the necromatic arts. We're going to have to keep an eye on Ville for the next few days to see what happens. You said that Taraq wasn't affected by the gas."
"Yeah. He and I caught Colicor taking Eloiela's body. Taraq attacked him and took off his arm. He lost a staff, which I've placed in my library. I'm going to analyze it after my shift and see what I can learn."
"Why do you think he took Eloiela?" Onestar wondered.
"He is a necromancer," Hall commented. "Maybe he thought he could revive her, use her against us. He is a sick bastard. She didn't deserve to die in the first place, and now that he's got his hands on her..."
Hall stopped, shaking his fist at the thought of what Colicor might do. Onestar nodded in agreement. Nothing Colicor had done so far had made any sense. How did the shrikeship suddenly appear and disappear. Why did he take Eloiela? What is his plan for Omnispace. Neither man had any answers, and the stars weren't helping any.
