The Cyber Chronicles VI - Warrior Breed (17 page)

Sabre rose and
headed for the door, glimpsing her forlorn expression but unable to
meet her eyes. Guilt and shame filled him, and he needed to be
alone to deal with it. In the corridor, he found Tarl and Kernan
hanging about, and gave Tarl a shove that sent him crashing into
the wall with a grunt of surprise. Sabre longed to vent the pent-up
frustration and ire that plagued him, but Tarl was probably not the
ideal target, annoying though he was.

While Sabre
stood in the hot shower in his own quarters, letting the running
water soothe him, he thought about what had happened. The Trykon
woman had taken away the control he had fought so hard for, and
which Tassin had gone through so much to help him achieve, and that
had angered him. The episode had been strange and disturbing, and
had roused unpleasant feelings he had no wish to experience, yet
was now forced to endure. His anger towards Tarl had been the
strongest he had ever experienced, even though much of what he had
said was true. Sabre had woken when Tarl had touched his hand, and
listened with growing horror to the ex-tech’s spiel about crushing
skulls and involuntary reflexes. Tassin’s faith in him warmed his
heart and made his love for her grow stronger, but he was somewhat
amazed that she still loved him after listening to that.

Then again, he
really had no idea why she loved him in the first place, and he
still could not shake the deep seated knowledge that the feelings
he had for her were wrong, and forbidden. In spite of this, keeping
her love and ensuring her safety were his main missions in life
now. Broken killing machines, however, were not supposed to fall in
love with girls. They were not supposed to have feelings at all,
and he was developing more and more of them. He had no idea how to
deal with them, and did not want to, yet situations kept cropping
up that forced him to, and increased the tug-of-war in his mind
between his human side and the cyber’s programming.

When he
emerged from the bathroom, clad in his combat clothes, which he had
put through the auto washer while he showered, Tassin was sitting
on his bed. Sabre looked away, throwing the towel he had been using
to dry his hair on a chair.

Tassin patted
the bed beside her. "Come here."

He eyed her
hand. "What for?"

"Does it
matter? Are you afraid to be near me now?"

"No."

"If you're
feeling guilty, don't. That woman is to blame. You had nothing to
do with it. You were the victim."

He snorted, a
bitter smile curving his lips. "It's not what she did that makes me
feel guilty."

"It's because
you wanted to let her seduce you."

He glanced at
her in surprise. "That doesn't make you angry?"

"No. Flesh is
weak, but you were strong enough to foil her. I'm proud of you."
She patted the bed again. "Come, sit and talk to me."

He obeyed.
"What do you want to talk about?"

She slid
closer. "How do you plan to punish that woman?"

"Tisha? Trykon
law has no punishment for seduction, any more than ours does."

"She drugged
you."

"Yes. For that
she could get twenty lashes."

"Do that, but
also make her your spouse."

"What?" He
glanced at her in surprise, raising his brows.

"I don't mean
that you should consummate it."

"Oh... good.
So why? To humiliate her?"

"And Diarda.
She'll lose her rank as commander of the women, won't she?"

"Yes, unless
she challenges Tisha, but she knows I don't like her, so she
wouldn't."

"How does it
work?"

He ran a hand
over his damp hair. "A Trykon woman chooses a man she likes, and if
he likes her, they become a couple. There's no marriage ceremony,
it's just an understanding. They announce it, and it's done. If
another woman likes the same man, she can fight for him, and if she
wins, she gets him, provided he accepts her. It works the other way
too, although, if a Trykon man wins a woman, she doesn't have much
of a chance of beating him in combat. But Trykon women are
formidable, so she'd probably make his life miserable, I would
imagine." He glanced at her. "That's all I know."

Tassin smiled.
"Of course, you only know what they taught the cyber."

He nodded.
"So... you want revenge on Tisha, and twenty lashes aren’t
enough?"

She shook her
head. "I'm not that petty. I think there's something else going on.
I sense intrigue, and I'm pretty good at finding it. Once Tisha’s
your spouse she has to do as you say, doesn't she?"

"No."

"No?"

"Not unless I
make her."

"Could you do
that?" she asked.

"You want me
to beat up a woman?"

"Just make her
tell you what Diarda's planning."

"What makes
you think Diarda's planning anything?"

"I just do.
She hates your being commander of this ship, and I think she's
hatching a scheme to get rid of you."

"Then she's
playing with fire,” Sabre said. “Any attempt to kill me would be
treason, and she could pay for it with her life."

"There has to
be a reason for Tisha to try to seduce you."

"You don't
think it was because she wanted to be commander of the women?"

"No. She's not
the sort."

"And you don't
think it was because she found me irresistible?" He shot her a
smile, unable to resist the quip.

She returned
it. "I'm sure she did, but I still think there's more to it than
that. Diarda's up to something, I just know it."

Sabre
considered. "If you're right, it won't be easy to make Tisha tell
me her plans. Trykon women are tough."

"Have you ever
tried to frighten someone?"

He shook his
head. "No. Not really."

"You could do
it so easily."

"You mean like
punching a hole in the wall next to Tarl's head?"

"Yes, but he
wasn't scared. He knows you too well, as do I. But Tisha
doesn't."

Sabre spread
his hands and gazed at the faint scars on the backs of them. The
cuts on his knuckles had almost healed, leaving pink marks. "The
idea isn't very appealing, but I suppose there’s no harm in
it."

"So you'll do
it?"

He raised his
eyes to meet hers. "Okay." She reached for his hand, but he left
the bed in a bound and said, "I have to get some sleep now."

"Of course."
Tassin rose, avoiding his eyes.

Sabre knew he
had just hurt her badly, and watched her leave with deep regret,
but could not bring himself to call her back and apologise, even
though he wanted to. His ability to deal with their relationship
had taken a severe blow, and things had to return to the way they
had been weeks ago, for a while, at least. As she closed the door
between their adjoining rooms, he wondered how long it would take
him to get over the damage Tisha had done, and cursed the Trykon
woman.

Chapter Eleven

A hush fell
when Sabre entered the bridge after eight hours of sleep. Tassin
still rested in her rooms; a glance at the scanners had assured him
of that. Atrel turned to him and nodded. Trykons had no form of
salute or terms of respect, which their obedience implied. Sabre
admired many aspects of Trykon culture, especially their deep and
unshakeable sense of honour. Their ways were harsh, but fair. The
men at the consoles resumed their work, and Atrel ordered the pilot
to return the ship to the battle.

Sabre shook
his head. "Not yet. There's a matter that needs to be resolved
first. Atrel, bring Tisha and Diarda to the conference room, and
some witnesses."

Atrel's
expression stiffened, but he nodded and swung away.

When Sabre
arrived in the conference room a few minutes later, Atrel waited
there with Second Lieutenant Rodar, Third Lieutenant Viorn and the
women. Tisha looked nervous and Diarda defiant. All eyes followed
Sabre as he wandered around the long metal table and eight chairs
in the centre of the room, the tension acute. Like the rest of the
ship, the conference room, intended for officers’ battle strategy
meetings, had grey-panelled walls with a few battered axes, shields
and swords mounted on them, presumably trophies from previous
victories. Its floor was scuffed black plasfoam, commonly used on
ships due to its durability and the good traction it offered. It
was used throughout the Trykon warship. He stopped at the head of
the table and turned to face them.

"For drugging
her commander, Tisha will receive the standard punishment of twenty
lashes."

Atrel nodded,
and Tisha bowed her head. As Sabre had hoped, Diarda stepped
forward.

"I should
share her punishment. I ordered her to do it."

"Why?"

"You need a
spouse. I was trying to help."

"Right. Even
though it cost you your command, my happiness meant that much to
you."

She shook her
head. "I care nothing for your happiness. I was concerned for the
ship. Without a woman, a man becomes frustrated, prone to fits of
rage and rash decisions."

"Rubbish."

She raised her
chin. "A commander needs a spouse to help make his decisions, to
provide a second opinion and keep him informed of the crew’s
morale. Commanders always have a spouse."

"Very well,
since it's a tradition, I will take Tisha as my spouse, once she's
had her punishment of ten lashes, and you the other ten."

Tisha slumped
with relief, and Diarda nodded. Atrel stepped forward and held out
a short, evil-looking whip.

Sabre raised
his brows in surprise. "I have to do it myself?"

"That's
usually the case. The aggrieved party metes out the
punishment."

"How poetic."
Sabre paused, discomfited by this unexpected turn of events. He had
no wish to beat a woman. The idea revolted him. If not for Tassin's
request, he would not have bothered with any punishment. Tisha
approached him and turned her back, then stripped off her armour
and blouse, holding her clothes over her breasts. Sabre noted
several lash scars on her skin, and his revulsion increased.

Shaking his
head, he turned away. "Atrel, you do it."

"She was my
spouse once. I'd rather not."

"Then choose
someone else."

Atrel beckoned
to Rodar, who grimaced and approached, taking the whip. The ten
blows he delivered raised ugly welts, and Tisha bore it in silence.
Sabre forced himself to watch without expression, fighting the urge
to stop it. Tisha left, pulling her blouse on, and Diarda's turn
came. Again the ten blows raised red welts on her unscarred back,
and she bore it stoically. Sabre wondered if Tassin's plan would
work, considering how well Trykon women handled pain. After Diarda
left, he led the officers back to the bridge, where the crew waited
to rejoin the battle.

Sabre glance
up as the door chimed and set his glass of fruit juice down on the
lounge table. The ship, which he had learnt was called Nemesis, had
quit the conflict after five hours, and he had spent half an hour
relaxing with Tassin in his quarters since then. His headache had
abated somewhat, so he had sent a message to Tisha, ordering her to
join him. He pressed the button on the bulkhead beside him that
opened the door, and she entered, clad in a flowing, pale green
velvet gown and darker green corset, her mahogany hair swept up in
an attractive style that framed her face with cascades of curls.
She looked a little nervous, and peeved when she spotted Tassin
sitting next to him on the couch.

Sabre gestured
to the chair on the opposite side of the chrome and glass table.
"Sit."

She obeyed,
shooting Tassin a frown, but the Queen merely raised her brows and
sipped her juice.

"How is Diarda
taking her demotion?" he enquired.

Tisha
shrugged. "She accepts it."

"And how are
you enjoying your promotion?"

"I accept
it."

"How is the
morale of the crew?"

"Well
enough."

Sabre picked
up his glass. "Good. Enough chit chat, then. Tell me what Diarda
has planned for me."

"I don't know
what you mean."

"Sure you do.
You don't think I believe that crap about wanting you to be my
spouse for the sake of the ship and its crew, do you? What did she
want you to do? Drug me so the two of you could stuff me down a
disposal chute? No, you did that, but you didn't get rid of me.
What happened? A sudden attack of conscience? Atrel smelt a rat?
You didn't think you could get away with it? So tell me, what was
the real plan?"

"There was no
plan. I wanted to be your spouse."

Sabre smiled.
"You're lying. One of the handy things that this does..." He tapped
the brow band. "...Is to be a very accurate lie detector. When you
lie, your heart speeds up, your blood pressure rises, and your
respiration becomes uneven. My bio scanners pick up all of that.
Tell me the truth."

"There was no
plan."

Sabre shook
his head. "So it was something bad. Is it worth suffering for, I
wonder? You were brave when you were punished, but I can do far
worse than that to you."

"You don't
have the stomach."

"Really. Why
do you say that? Because I didn't beat you myself?"

"And you
turned pale when I was beaten."

"Ah." He
shrugged and sipped his drink. "It's true, I don't enjoy inflicting
pain, or watching it being inflicted on others any more than I
enjoy having it inflicted on me, but that doesn't mean I won't do
it. If my life and that of my wards is under threat, I'll do what I
must to protect them, and myself."

Tisha glanced
at Tassin. "Leave us."

Tassin opened
her mouth, but Sabre was faster. "She stays if she wishes."

"I want her to
leave, and I'm commander of the women, therefore, she must go."