Gateway (Gateway Series Book 1) (21 page)

As the general grabbed for his knee, Stone again circled. “Come, General, we must give a better show…Alpha Humana’s finest families are here to be entertained.” He looked over to Astra. Things were not going as planned and Stone could see her mind racing, trying to decide how to profit from either the outcome. “Is the magnificent Lady Astra not worthy of a better match?”

While Stone was taunting the crowd, Cataline had crawled toward his aide. Out of the corner of his eye, Stone saw the aide reach for his pistol.

The aide’s pistol was barely out of his holster when before Stone was upon him. His body launched forward as Stone’s sword plunged into his abdomen. Letting out a grunt, his pistol dropped to the ground. Stone turned away from the aide, and with a twist withdrew his sword.

Cataline, who was only a few feet away and still on his hands and knees, turned and retreated from Stone.

“Is this how you demonstrate your bravery, General?” asked Stone.

“How awful,” said a lady to her husband sitting just outside the oval. “Shouldn’t someone stop him?”

Stone overheard the lady and turned toward her. “Stop me?” he asked. “Why, Lady Vena, is this not what you came to see? The pride of our people locked in honorable single combat?”

Lady Vena buried her head in her husband’s shoulder.

“Colonel Lucius, please,” begged her husband, a senior major. “This has gone on long enough and you have proven yourself.”

“I agree,” spat Stone. “It has gone on long enough.”

Stone then turned back toward his advisory. “Where are you going?” taunted Stone again.

Cataline had retreated to the wall at the edge of the oval and pulled himself to his feet. Stone moved over toward the general’s sword, still lying in the center of the oval. A flip of his foot sent the sword skidding across the room to its owner’s feet.

“I submit!” shouted Cataline, refusing to pick up the sword.

“To the death, General. Do you remember? Mercy is at my discretion. Perhaps if the Lady Astra asks for pity.”

He looked toward Astra. Stone knew what her response would be; he only wanted validation. The political wheels turning, she pondered the outcomes. “Do as you prefer, my affianced,”

was her reply.

“So be it, darling,” replied Stone, ensuring she saw his disgust before he turned away from her. “At least die with some honor,” he said as he returned his attention to Cataline, still refusing to wield his sword. “Maybe you will find your courage if I am unarmed,” offered Stone as he tossed his sword at Vatarus’ feet.

“Let him live,” pleaded Vatarus. “He is ruined and you are vindicated. Nothing further is to be gained.”

“A family member of yours died because of this bastard, or have you forgotten?” replied Stone.

Vatarus stepped toward Stone. “I have not forgotten, nor will I ever. His shame will be revenge enough.”

“Not for me.”

Vatarus’s attention was drawn to movement behind Stone. “Look out,” he warned, as Cataline had found the courage to attack an unarmed man from behind.

Stone pivoted toward the oval and quickly angled his back toward the floor as the general’s sword passed by his chest, leaving a small gash.

The slight wound did not distract Stone. Cataline, again off balance and staggering to regain control on one good leg, turned back toward Stone.

As he did, Stone took his opponent’s arm and wrenched it upward. In a powerful downward motion, Stone brought his other elbow down against the general’s extended arm. Cataline’s arm snapped, and Stone snatched the sword from the broken limb. Taking control of the sword, he pivoted his waist and thrust. Cataline let out an ear-piercing shriek as his own sword entered his back and protruded through his chest just below the sternum. Stone drove the sword into him until the hilt pressed against the general’s spine.

Stone leaned down toward Cataline. “You had better hope the Terillians are wrong and there is no afterlife, for if there is I will someday follow you there.”

His promise was punctuated by a rapid outward thrust of the sword. The general’s scream echoed through the hall as the sword exited his side, laying open his right torso.

A “Lady” from the crowed cried out in horror as the general fell to his knees, his bowels spilling onto the floor.

As the sword cut its way free of the body, Stone brought the blade over his shoulder. With a yell of anguish and frustration, he swept the sword back across the general’s body, making contact just above his jaw. The blade was strong and Stone’s rage provided enough force to pass through the skull in one rapid, violent swath. The audience gasped as Cataline’s mangled body fell to the floor.

“Is this not what you came to see?” challenged Stone as he pointed to the decapitated corpse still spilling blood onto the dining hall floor. “Is this not what makes us superior?”

Stone threw the sword to the ground and walked over to Vatarus, who was visibly shaken by the ferocity and brutality he had witnessed.

“Congratulations, uh, General,” said the horror-struck colonel.

Stone took his sword from Vatarus’s hand. “Our civilization is not structured and ordered,” he said quietly to Vatarus as he pointed toward Cataline’s corpse. “We, not the Terillians, are the savages.”

              Once again turning toward the mangled body lying on the floor, he addressed the shocked crowd. “We are not structured and ordered,” he shouted. “This is what we are…violent, malicious, and unforgiving.”

Stone turned and walked away from the horror he had created.

“Well done, Tyler,” said Astra as she stepped in front of Stone, blocking his escape. “You have defended your name and regained my favor. Not only have you gained a generalship through proporia combata, but you now own all of General Tacitus’s holdings—his estate, his slaves. Father will be pleased with the new acquisition of—”

Stone’s gaze stopped Astra mid-sentence. 

“I wanted nothing from General Tacitus other than his life,” he snapped. “To all in this room, I renounce any rights of property!” He looked into Astra’s eyes. “I want nothing.” He stepped in close to her, grabbing her arm. “Nothing.”

***

Stone hurriedly ransacked his quarters. The general’s death, even though it was moments ago, had already faded from his thoughts. He tossed his sword on his bed and ran to the locker in the corner of the room.                “Damn it!” he cursed out loud as he removed the holster and quickly reached into his closet to pull out an undershirt.

Astra burst into the room.

“What are you doing, Tyler? You have lost your mind!” she stormed.

“No, Astra. For the first time in my life I actually see things the way they are,” he answered, continuing to button his shirt. “And I have you and Cataline to thank for that.”

Astra looked around the cluttered room. “You are going to get her, aren’t you? Your little Terillian whore.”

Stone paused, casting a glance full of disgust and hate toward her before returning to buttoning his shirt.

“You bastard!” she yelled. “I will see that she is dead before you get there and you will be arrested as soon as you land,” she threatened as she reached for the communicator on the wall
.



Stone had enough. He brought his fist across her jaw, knocking her unconscious.

“That was a long time coming,” he said out loud, realizing how good it felt to finally shut her up.

Stone picked up the unconscious Astra and put her on the bed. He no longer saw any beauty in her. Instead he saw the ugliness of his society; he hated her and himself. His only hope of redemption lay with Mori. He had to get to her.

Returning to his locker, he pulled out some rope from his storage of tactical gear and bound her feet and hands. Taking a tie from his closet, he placed it over Astra’s mouth. Once she was secured, he picked her up and carried her to his closet. “Fit for a queen,” Stone said as he shut the door.

Having temporarily disposed of Astra, he tucked in his shirt and latched his belt. Reaching back onto the bed, he picked up his holster and locked it into place. Next he grasped his sword and lifted it to his face. Looking at his reflection, he wondered who the man looking back at him was. He exhaled heavily and sprinted from his room.

He ran into Vatarus just outside.

“Sir…I…I just wanted to check on you. After Tacitus I was…”

“I’m fine. I just need a little time to…to gather my thoughts.”

“That’s understandable after everything you’ve—”

Stone interrupted again. “Lady Astra is resting in my room. See to it she is not disturbed for the rest of the night. I will be requisitioning a falcon long-range transport. I need to…I need to get away for a few days.”

“Yes, Sir. As you wish,” said Vatarus as he pulled a small metal container from his pocket. “I have brought your Brigadier insignia. Regardless of your comments in the hall, you have won them rightfully.”

Stone took the leaf cluster surrounding three stars from Vatarus’s hand. He needed to play along long enough to get to Mori. “Yes, of course. Thank you, Colonel. I will return in a few days. Until my return, I place you in command of the brigade. Again, make sure Astra is left alone for the evening. It has been a long day for all of us.”

“It has, Sir. I’m glad to see you are more like yourself again.”

“More than you know, Colonel, more than you know,” said Stone has he placed his hand on Vatarus’s shoulder. “Good luck Vatarus, you are a good man. One of the few,” he said as he turned down the passageway toward the hangar leaving a confused Vatarus to ponder his last statement.

***

“We’re clear of
Pantelus Varuk’s
airspace, Sir,” reported the falcon pilot.

“Shall I plot a jump to Alpha Humana, Sir?” asked the navigator.

“No, Lieutenant,” replied Stone. “Set a course for Capro.”

The pilot and navigator looked at each other, perplexed by the order.

“Do you have a question, Lieutenant?” asked Stone in a stern tone, seeing their confusion.

“No, Sir, Capro it is,” replied the pilot. “Navigator, set jump coordinates to Capro. Full power set to magnetic coils, acceleration sequence standby.”

“Coordinates set,” reported the navigator.

“Jump in 3, 2, 1…”

Stone could hear the electromagnetic hum of the coils increase and began to see the blue electron flashes as the heavy metals in the space around them began to magnetize, turning the space in front of the craft into an almost infinite linear accelerator. He was on his way to save Mori and leave everything else he knew behind.

Chapter 13

The bright flashes of blue light alerted Stone that the ship was coming out of the jump. As the ship decelerated, Capro came into view. Even from high orbit, it looked like a hell-hole. It was a perfect place for one of the worst prisons in the Xen Empire.

“General,” reported the pilot over the intercom, “making final approach to Capro prison.”

As the falcon passed over the sea of acid, Stone could see the prison on the horizon. Billowing plumes of acidic mist rose around the bluff as waste products from the
Romulus
poured into the deadly ocean below. Somewhere inside that hell was Mori.

The five minutes it took to recycle the air in the hangar bay seemed like an eternity.

“Can we exit yet, Lieutenant?” asked Stone anxiously over the intercom.

“Almost finished, Sir. Purge complete in three-zero seconds.”

Finally, the bay door opened and Stone stepped out. He was surprised by the starkness of the hangar bay. Stripped bare since its days as a capital ship, Stone’s footsteps echoed through the vacuous space as he quickly walked across the empty hangar. As Stone peered across the emptiness of the hangar, he saw two men standing by the exit at the far end of the docking area.

Both men looked rough. As he neared them he could make out uniforms. One was wearing the rank of colonel and the other seemed to be a master sergeant.

“Good day, General,” reported the pudgy colonel.

The colonel’s uniform was wrinkled and soiled and his beard scraggly and ragged. Stone, no slave to uniform regulations, was surprised by his unkempt look.

“Sir,” added the master sergeant. He was a massive man. His uniform, much better looking, stretched at the shoulders and sleeves from the bulk of his muscles.

“Colonel, Master Sergeant,” replied Stone.

“Surprised to hear we were to be visited by a flag officer,” said the colonel as he extended a handshake to Stone. “We don’t get many uninvited visitors to Capro. I have sent word to High Command regarding your arrival but they take their time to decode our message bursts. We’re pretty much a graveyard out here. As far as High Command is concerned, our reports usually go to the bottom of the stack.”

This was what Stone had hoped for.

“I am here to see a Terillian Scout Ranger officer,” said Stone. “She may have information vital to an upcoming operation.”

“She…” smiled the colonel. “He must be talking about our newest guest.”

              As he spoke he looked back toward the master sergeant, who returned a demented smile.

“She is something else,” added the master sergeant. “Stubborn…but nice to look at, or at least she was.”

Stone had to control himself. He was in no position to make a scene. “Yes, that sounds like her. I would like to see her.”

“I’m sure we can make those arrangements for someone of your stature,” replied the colonel as he turned toward his companion. “Master Sergeant,” said the colonel, “have our guest brought to interrogation room 1.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Oh, and freshen her up a bit first,” he said with another cold smirk on his face. “So, General,” he said returning his attention to Stone, “shall we have a drink while our prisoner is being made presentable?”

“I really am in a hurry, Colonel.”

“You may call me Brutacus if you like. My master sergeant’s name is Victor. We really don’t place too much stock on ceremony out here. It’s not like our careers are in jeopardy…where else are they going to send us? Come on, how about that drink? You can tell me how things are going outside this cage.”

“Sorry, Colonel,” replied Stone, “but I must insist on seeing the prisoner as soon as possible.”

“If you insist, General,” snapped the colonel obviously insulted by Stone’s response. “I will take you to the prisoner now.”

***

The interrogation room was cold and bare; Stone could see his breath as he paced across the small room, waiting for Mori. As Stone paced, Colonel Brutacus sat in the corner leaning his chair against the wall and sipping on a flask he had pulled from the inside pocket of his wrinkled uniform.

The door on the opposite side of the room swung open and in stepped the massive master sergeant, followed by two guards dragging a limp body with them.

Stone was horrified. It was Mori, but a hollow, broken version of the woman he had known only weeks ago. Her head was shaved and she wore a grungy half-shirt with a soiled blanket remnant tied around her waist. Her body was covered with bruises and dried blood was crusted on the corner of her mouth.

“As requested, General,” laughed the master sergeant as the two men dropped Mori into the chair in center of the room. Too weak to hold herself up, Mori immediately collapsed onto the floor.

Stone quickly kneeled down by her side. Partially opening her eyes, she tried to mumble something to him but did not have the strength.

“Not quite the same wildcat she was when she got here,” said Victor. “In the first few days, she put four of my guards and two prisoners in the infirmary. We had to, uh, tame her a bit.”

“What have you done with her?” asked Stone, although he dreaded the answer.

“Just the usual for her type,” answered the colonel as he stood from his chair. “A few medications and some quality time with our guards seemed to take the bite out of her. To make sure she’d learned her lesson, we put her in the non-military prisoner bay for a night. After that she didn’t fight the meds anymore.”

“You threw her in with rapists and murders!” yelled Stone on the verge of losing control.

“What does it matter? She’s just a piece of Terillian trash anyway,” answered Brutacus suspiciously. “What exactly do you need to know from this prisoner, General?”

Stone quickly gathered his thoughts. “I told you, Colonel. I need information she may have relating to an upcoming mission. She is useless to me in this state. I will have to take her back with me.”

Stone noticed a disapproving glance on the master sergeant’s face as he looked toward the colonel and shook his head.

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that, Sir. Even you don’t have the authority—”

“The authority!” Stone was taking a huge chance. “You fat, insignificant fool. I am General Lucius, my fiancé is the lady Astra Varus, and I have recently obtained all property of the Tacitus patriarch through proporia combata. You asked earlier what else could be done to you. I will tell you, Colonel. I do not believe you have been isolated on this hole long enough to forget the influence of the Lucius and Varus families. I can have you transferred under my command where I will make sure you see more Terillians than you care to.” He let the threat sink in. “I will take this prisoner with me.”

The colonel’s face grew flushed and he took a quick breath. Although the colonel was an evil, heartless man, Stone knew he also understood he would be a lot safer in seclusion on Capro than in combat.

“If it is that important to the Republic and the Xen Empire, I guess we could forego the usual paperwork,” conceded the colonel.

Stone’s gamble had worked.

“I want anti-meds administered to revive her and have her brought to my ship in twenty minutes,” ordered Stone.

Brutacus alternated his glances from Stone to Victor as he thought over his options. After an awkward silence he spoke. “Victor, let’s get the general’s prisoner ready for transport. He is in a hurry.”

“Thank you, Colonel,” said Stone. “I will make sure High Command hears of the good work you are doing here. Perhaps there is an administrative role on Alpha Humana that could use your talents.”

Brutacus’s scowl was replaced by a thin smile as he contemplated his possible reprieve from Capro that didn’t involve actual combat. “Thank you, General. That would be very much appreciated.”

***

Stone leaned cross-armed against the falcon as he anxiously waited for Mori. Choosing to wait outside instead of answering questions he did not want to answer from the pilot and navigator, he looked across the vacant hangar bay.

The more he examined the hangar, the level of neglect became apparent. The wiring in the hangar was in horrible condition. Frayed cords and loose connections were everywhere. On the forward bulkhead he noticed a slight charring, probably the site of past fire. Stone also sensed a slight hint of sulfur in the air. Looking down at his feet, he saw sulfur residue scattered across the deck. The dusting of tiny yellow particles around the ship indicated the inefficiency of the wash down system at the hangar entrance. In the distance, he could hear the
drip drip
of a leak. Not only was the prison remote and desolate, it was run-down.

The door to the hangar bay opened and Brutacus, with Victor by his side, strode into the bay. Following them were two guards with Mori. The sedatives were starting to wear off as she was at least walking with the aid of the guards. She was shackled at the ankles, the chain running in front of her body and around her waist. The handcuffs were attached to the waist chain, which in turn led to one of the guards’ hands. Although slightly more coherent, she still looked beaten and disheveled. Stone walked toward the group, meeting them halfway across the hangar.

“Here she is, all wrapped and ready to go,” said Brutacus.

“Thank you, Colonel,” he replied as he took the chain from the guard’s hand.

Stone felt resistance as Victor placed his hand around the waist chain. “Just a minute, Sir. You need to sign for your prisoner and her escorts.”

“Escorts? What are you talking about?”

“Even though we can bend the rules for flag officers, we can’t break them, now can we?” answered Victor with a callous smile. “After you sign for her, she will need to be escorted by myself and one of our guards until she is checked into another military facility. That way we can ensure proper delivery.”

“I don’t require any assistance in the transport, Sergeant Major, but thank you anyway.”

“It wasn’t a suggestion, General,” interrupted Brutacus. “I must insist on these measures. I am willing to turn her over to you, but my men will escort her. I have my superiors as well, General.”

Stone, maintaining his grip on the chain, inhaled a deep breath. “Well then, I guess I need to sign for her.”

Victor reached the electronic DNA signature pen to Stone. Stone, still holding the chain, took the pen and injected the sharp end into his forearm. Returning a cold smile to Victor, he tossed the pen in Brutacus’s direction.

“Is there anything else, Colonel?” said Stone, removing Victor’s hand from the waist chain.

“No, Sir. I hope you enjoyed your visit to our little oasis. And I look forward to possible openings on Alpha Humana.”

He said nothing to Brutacus. Taking Mori by the arm, he led her to the ship.

At the entrance, he stopped to let Victor and the other guards enter the falcon. Victor paused at the hatch. Taking a long deliberate look up and down Mori’s body, Victor turned back to Stone with a wicked smile on his face. “If you need any help interrogating this one, I can give you some pointers.” With a laugh, he entered the ship.

Stone looked to Mori. Still affected by the drugs, her face was vacant of emotion.

His grief for her was overwhelming.

Putting his free hand on the back of her neck, he felt a slight shiver go over her body. He leaned in to her. “I am so sorry this happened. I will get you out of this.”

Mori slowly looked up toward Stone, struggling. Her green eyes no longer sparkled.

He placed his forehead against her bald head briefly. “I’m sorry.” Quickly releasing his light embrace, he helped her into the ship. Stone then made his way to the cockpit.

“Sir, do you have a jump location for us?” asked the navigator.

Stone had thought about this question since he left
Pantelus Varuk
on his rescue mission. The independent moon Port Royal was their best chance. When the first Terillian war started, it was converted into a hardened military base. Several operations against the facility by the Xen military had failed to take the little moon. Undefeated in war, Port Royal eventually succumbed to the Peace Accords. As with all other known fortifications, it was abandoned by the Terillians as part of the agreements that created the Neutral Quadrant. Almost before the last Terillian warship left the moon, scores of opportunists swarmed to Port Royal.

The founders of the enterprise became known as the Association. They established a corporate-like ruling body for Port Royal. Driven solely by profit, all forms of trade were permitted in the city. To control this “sin city,” the Association employed an impressive army of ex-soldiers, mercenaries, and former slavers. In fact, the Association created a military presence formidable enough to give any attacking force fits; both the Terillians and Xen left them alone. The for-profit city was open to all as long as the entry fee was paid. If Stone could make it to Port Royal, he and Mori could fade into the crowd long enough for him to figure out what to do next.

“Oscar system,” he replied.

The navigator looked puzzled.

“Oscar, Sir?” he asked. “That’s in the Dar—”

“I know where it is, Lieutenant,” interrupted Stone.