The Cyber Chronicles IX - Precipice (27 page)

"What?"

"It's going to
eat him alive. He didn't expect to survive, and now..."

"It's not his
fault!"

Tarl nodded.
"Tell him that, when he wakes up."

"I will."

Martis, who
stood on the other side of the bed, muttered, "He knew he was going
to have to hurt you."

Tassin shot him
an anguished glance. "Yes. He said so. I could barely hear him in
the wind, but he said..." Her breath caught. "He said he was
sorry."

Tarl rubbed his
brow. "This is going to be very bad for him."

"He had to, to
save me. I don't blame him."

"He'll blame
himself, though."

"Then I'll tell
him I'm fine," Tassin said.

"He'll know
what he did. I'm sure he felt your ribs break when he threw you.
He's also got scanners. You can't hide this from him."

Martis nodded.
"He's capable of crushing -"

"Will you shut
up?" Tarl snarled.

Tassin sighed
and closed her eyes. "He saved my life."

"I hope that
makes up for it, but knowing Sabre, it won't."

The doctor
returned with a syringe and a roll of bandages, and Tarl moved
aside to let him work.

****

In the Scorpion
Ship’s control room, Fairen wandered over to the screens. A
spreading cloud of gas and debris was all that remained of Shadow
Hawk.

"Bring me High
King Tarvin, Emperor Endrovar and Commander Thestan."

"At once, My
Lord."

Fairen gazed at
the twinkling debris and drifting life pods while he waited,
wandering over to sit in his chair when he grew bored with the
view. Tarvin and Thestan arrived first, the crippled King drifting
along in his floating throne to stop before the dais. He bowed, and
Thestan did the same. Fairen ignored them, turning his head away.
The subtle insult would not go unnoticed, especially by Tarvin. He
could sense their nervousness like a rank stench, more so from
Tarvin.

Endrovar
arrived a couple of minutes later, his pugnacious face set in grim
lines, his hard eyes spitting venom at Tarvin. When he straightened
from his bow, Fairen turned his head towards the trio. Endrovar
emanated waves of resentment and dread.

"Endrovar."
Fairen's deep, distorted voice boomed, making the self-styled
emperor jump. "Did you enslave Queen Tassin Alrade and Cyber
Technician Tarl Averly?"

"No My Lord.
I-I-I bought them at... an auction."

"Then you
enslaved them."

"They were
already slaves."

"Do not try my
patience."

Endrovar
shifted, tugging at his collar. "I... yes, My Lord. They were my
slaves."

"Slavery is
forbidden by Overlord Darvian's fifth decree. You disobeyed."

"Many do! I..."
Endrovar shut his mouth, frowning.

"I am not
concerned with what others do, or don't do. It is you who stand
before me, is it not?"

"Yes, My
Lord."

"You will free
any other slaves you have, and give each of them one million
credits. This leniency I grant you only because you are a planetary
leader, and your crime harms only a few. Disobey me and transgress
again, and you will be executed. You will also pay for the repairs
to Pathos and replace Shadow Hawk."

Endrovar
blanched, but bowed. "Thank you, My Lord."

The young
Overlord steepled his hands, considering. He had just stripped
Endrovar of a sizeable portion of his fortune, and the emperor
radiated nervous resentment. The fat man's ill-concealed debauchery
nauseated Fairen.

"Tarvin."
Fairen tapped his fingers together. "You too, enslaved Queen Tassin
Alrade."

"No, My Lord; I
bought her, yes, but in fact I was acting on information from Myon
Two, which has offered a reward for a woman matching her
description, whom they want for the murder of a department
head."

"And is she
this alleged murderess?"

"According to
Myon Two, she is, but I had not yet decided if I would hand her
over."

Fairen tilted
his head. Tarvin's words bordered on a lie, but did not quite cross
the line. A semi truth, perhaps, but closer to a truth than a lie.
"And why would you not?"

"Ah, well, she
claimed it was self-defence."

Fairen laced
his fingers. Once again, it was close to the truth. While Endrovar
was a simple, brutish fellow, Tarvin was royalty born and bred,
even a little inbred, and it showed in his clever wiles.

"Consider it
now."

Tarvin inclined
his head. "Truly, I was not certain that she told the truth, and it
would have been the right, and legal thing to do, to hand her over
to her accusers. And on the matter of your friend -"

Fairen rose to
his feet. "You will not speak without my consent."

"Sorry, My
Lord."

"You almost
cost Sabre his life."

"I did as he
wished, as soon as he told me he was your friend."

"Yes." Fairen
descended the three shallow steps. "You are a diplomat. You know
the folly of angering an Overlord. Hence your obedience stemmed
from self-preservation, not morality, or even respect. I will judge
you."

Tarvin’s eyes
darted. "What have I done to deserve it?"

"You have
angered me."

Fairen pulled
off his right glove and held out his hand, palm towards Tarvin's
brow. The High King stared at it, his mouth open. The Overlord
lowered his hand and wandered past, pulling his glove back on.
Thestan bowed and stepped aside. Fairen walked around the trio, his
head bowed, and returned to the dais.

"You are a
devious, plotting man. Myon Two does indeed accuse Queen Tassin of
murder, but it was self-defence, and I intend to put an end to
their illegal pursuit of her."

"My Lord, your
friend took me hostage, and threatened my life."

Fairen turned
to face him. "What of it?"

"Will you allow
it to go unpunished?"

"Yes."

"Is that not
unfair?"

The young
Overlord sank down on his throne. "You imprisoned his betrothed,
and would have handed her over for execution."

"I did not know
who she was, or that she was innocent of the charge."

"And if he had
told you, would you have given her back to him?"

Tarvin shook
his head. "I cannot answer that, since he did not ask me."

"Commander
Thestan, you are witness to the events that took place aboard
Shadow Hawk. What have you to say?"

Thestan
shifted, looking uncomfortable. "In truth, My Lord, Sabre did not
ask for the girl until he had a weapon at King Tarvin's head. Even
then, however, Tarvin ordered his men to take her hostage. It was
not until Sabre told Tarvin that he was your friend, and showed him
your bracelet, that Tarvin obeyed."

Fairen looked
at Tarvin, noting the King's discomfort. "So, there I have my
answer, although you took pains to avoid being caught in a lie. Had
Sabre asked for his fiancée to be returned without a weapon at your
head, I think he would have met with the same refusal."

"That is only
your conjecture."

"It is my
judgement!" Fairen's distorted voice thundered. "Do not dare to
question me, King Tarvin, lest I find myself with a sudden yen to
visit your home world and see how dense its core is. You skirt
dangerously close to incurring my wrath."

"I apologise,
My Lord." Tarvin bowed awkwardly.

"You will
remain aboard the Scorpion Ship until Sabre has recovered and I
have heard his, and Queen Tassin's, version of events. Then I will
decide if further chastisement is called for. If my friend dies,
however, your life if forfeit." He gestured to Shrain. "Accommodate
them."

****

Tarl watched
the monitor, which beeped to the steady rhythm of Sabre's heart.
His bio-status was up to thirty per cent and rising, and all his
other vitals were normal. He was going to live. His skin's soft
glow had faded to an iridescent sheen, much like it had looked
before under a bright light. Ironically, Sabre was becoming less
human as he evolved. Tassin sat slumped in a chair beside the bed,
her eyes drooping. Three hours had passed since Tarl had entered
the hospital, yet it seemed like an eternity. He had come so close
to losing Sabre, and he did not want to think about what he would
have done if that had happened. Martis and Estrelle had gone to a
room to freshen up and rest, Kole snored on the next bed.

"How is
he?"

Tarl jumped as
a deep, androgynous voice spoke beside him, swinging around.
Overlord Fairen stood there, facing Sabre.

"He's
improving, My Lord. He will recover."

"I am pleased.
You did well." Fairen glanced at Tassin as she sat up, knuckling
her eyes. "Queen Tassin."

"My Lord."

"I wish to know
how King Tarvin treated you while you were his prisoner."

She hesitated.
"He... he was kind, but implacable. I was not ill-treated, but
towards the end, when I refused to co-operate, he threatened to use
drugs or a cyber implant to control me."

"Did he hurt
you?"

"Well, one of
his cybers did, a little, when I tried to hit him."

"You tried to
hit a cyber?"

"No, My Lord, I
tried to hit Tarvin."

"Ah." Fairen
nodded, facing Sabre again. "I knew he would find you. He struggled
with your loss a great deal. I believe he now has all his emotions,
not so, Tarl?"

"Yes, My
Lord."

"He will need
your gentleness, Tassin," Fairen went on. "His emotional state is
fragile, and he has yet to come to terms with his feelings. He
loves you very much."

"And I
him."

"I know. How
long before he awakes, Tarl?"

"Many hours, My
Lord. His bio-status is still very low."

"What will you
do to Tarvin and Endrovar?" Tassin asked.

"I have already
meted out my judgement to Endrovar. He will pay for the damage he
caused. Tarvin may still receive more chastisement, depending on
what Sabre has to say when he wakes."

"Did you know
that his ancestor is the man Myon Two cloned?" she asked.

"No." Fairen
turned to her. "He is related to Sabre?"

"Yes. Sabre is
a clone of High King Sharlin."

"Bugger me,"
Tarl swore. "No wonder he's elite."

"What?"

"Tarvin is Myon
Two elite. It's the privileged upper class there; reserved for
management and, apparently, the descendent of the host. That
explains all the cybers, too. That's how they bought the use of his
ancestor's DNA."

"It's
despicable," Tassin muttered.

"Yeah."

Tarl glanced at
Sabre, noticing that the iridescent quality of his skin had faded,
and he looked normal once more. It seemed that whatever purpose the
glow had served had been fulfilled. The monitor showed that his
bio-status remained the same. He had suffered surprisingly few ill
effects from his sojourn into deep space. The skin on his fingers
and nose was peeling and his corneas were cloudy, but that would
heal in time.

****

Sabre tumbled
through space, the raw cold eating into him, freezing his skin. His
muscles spasmed with violent shivers and a red light flashed deep
in his brain. The cyber tracked his dropping temperature, raising
his metabolism to counter it, but it was not enough. Even a cyber
could not survive for long in deep space. His skin froze and
cracked as he curled up tighter, striving to preserve the last of
his warmth. His lungs demanded air, and the control unit directed
his system to burn protein. The brow band's heat shunt was failing,
and cold invaded his brain. Soon he would be a chunk of ice. He
writhed.

Something
gripped his arm, and he turned. A Corsair loomed out of the
darkness, its mouth open to reveal venomous teeth. What the hell
was a Corsair doing in deep space? How was it still alive? He
lunged at it, all his instincts urging him to kill it. Perhaps
because it was his enemy, or because it had attacked him, or maybe
just because it was the last thing he would do before he died. His
hands closed around the alien's neck and squeezed. It struggled,
plucking at his hands. Sabre tightened his hold.

The Corsair's
face twisted, and it squeaked, "No! Sabre! Stop!"

It sounded a
bit like Tarl. Sabre released it, recoiling. His feet were on solid
ground. How could there be solid ground in deep space? He staggered
back, hit something and fell, banging his elbows and the back of
his head on a cold, hard floor. Metal clattered and chimed around
him, prickling his pounding head with fresh pain. He discovered
that his eyes were closed and opened them.

A glowing white
ceiling filled his vision, and he realised that he lay on his back.
Raising his head, he winced as a rush of data scrolled through his
brain, and switched the control unit off. Objects and beings
snapped into sharp focus. Tarl sat close by, rubbing his throat.
Several white-clad men stood around, their expressions alarmed.
They looked like Myon Two technicians, and Sabre tried to spring to
his feet. His legs buckled, and he sprawled on his side, his hands
encountering sharp-edged metallic objects on a smooth floor. A
familiar voice reached him through the haze of pain and confusion
that fogged his mind, calling his name in a worried tone. He
glanced around. Tassin stood a couple of metres away, Kole beside
her, holding her arm.

"Sabre," she
said again, "it's all right. You're safe."

Sabre pushed
himself into a sitting position, looking around again. Aseptic
white walls and a number of beeping machines surrounded him. A tube
was attached to his arm. He consulted the scanners, but his head
was empty, and he switched the control unit on again.

"He's
confused," Tarl's voice said. "That's to be expected."

Sabre frowned
and ripped the tube out of his arm. Data flowed through his brain,
mapping part of a vast ship and the life signs of many people. His
mouth seemed to be stuffed with cotton wool, rather like his head.
His vision was misty, too.