Blaedergil's Host

by C. M. Simpson

  She didn’t leave the room, but stopped and palmed open a panel hiding a small storage room, the other tech following her. Together they returned with a hard, flexible covering they put over the platform. As they began to lock it down, Tens grabbed me by the arm and took me to a panel that slid to reveal another alcove.

  “We need to make sure there isn’t any on your boots,” he said, and I stood still while he did the necessary cleaning. He also sprayed down the combat suit, and then ran hot air over me for a quick dry.

  “I still don’t—”

  “You don’t need to. Now, get up onto that platform, and go get our captain back.”

  I went, relieved he hadn’t called Mack my captain, given he’d been privy to that conversation, too. He chose not to comment on that, his focus apparently on the controls before him, but I wasn’t fooled. I’d have been willing to bet Tens could operate the teleport and come up with a smart aleck reply. I’d even have bet he wouldn’t have broken a sweat while he did it.

  31—Crewmen Found

  “Get your head in the game, Cutter!”

  The light snapped away from me, and Tens’ voice jolted me back to where I was... which was—I looked around—not where I expected to be. For one thing, there was elegance in the modern furnishings around me—and, for another, the carpet underfoot was white, which made me extra glad Tens had washed the gore off my boots. For some reason, I’d have felt guilty tracking that across the white pile underfoot.

  The only problem was that I didn’t see a single sign of either Mack, or Delight—or any evidence that they’d ever been here.

  “Look harder.” Even in my head, Mack’s voice sounded like he’d been gargling gravel. Man was hurting.

  “Just move your ass, Cutter.” Delight didn’t sound any better.

  This time, I didn’t know whether or not I was happy that they’d made my implant such a party line, but I was glad to know they were both alive.

  “Yeah.” Mack’s voice didn’t hold any confidence that this was either a good thing, or that it would last for much longer.

  I found a corner where I was out of sight of the both the wall-length picture window, and the two doors leading into what appeared to be a living room... in white... and with all the modern amenities a high-born clansman could ever want. Although, given it was the place Tens had pulled Melari from, perhaps I was looking at all the amenities a high-born clansman thought were necessary in seducing a high-born clans-woman who outranked him twice over.

  “Just find them!” Tens sounded impatient. “Don’t make me come down there!”

  Oh, yeah, he was impatient all right.

  “Don’t you dare,” Mack responded to Tens’ threat. “Just stand by to pick us up. Trust me; this grab is going to make catching us off Blaedergil’s mansion look like a walk in the park.”

  It was? Because that hadn’t been like any walk in any park I’d ever known. I thought about not finding him, but shrugged. The job was what it was, and we couldn’t all live forever.

  “Who says any of us are going to live?” Mack wanted to know, and I focused on finding him.

  The security feeds were on the same access Delight had given us, but running a facial recognition search through it came up with nothing, which meant that...

  “Oh, fuck. Tens look for a second complex under this one, or a transport... or maybe a ship boosting from orbit.”

  “A ship?” but he didn’t argue, and seconds later I was torn apart in a flash of white.

  I landed hard, with Tens voice in my ears.

  “Start shooting.”

  I didn’t ask why, but raised the Blazer and did exactly as he’d instructed.

  “Now, run!”

  My eyes were still adjusting from the sudden flare of white, but I ran, finding a space between the shadows and continuing to fire at anything that moved.

  “Take the door on the left.”

  By that stage, I could make out walls and bulk-heads.

  “Where the fuck are we?” I asked, reaching for the control panel beside the door, only to have the door open up in front of me.

  “You don’t want to know,” Mack replied, and I vectored towards his voice.

  “Close your eyes.” Tens.

  I obeyed, and the light that flashed beyond my lids would have been painful, even with the suit compensating.

  “Open, them.”

  The first thing I saw was Mack shackled to a wall like somebody’s idea of poster art.

  “Don’t stop to admire the view, Cutter. Shoot the shackles.”

  Damn. Man had a sudden surge of faith in my aim, but I was firing as I thought it, taking comfort from the thought that, if I missed, Mack could always grow it back.

  “We’re gonna talk about your attitude,” Mack growled, as the first shackle blew apart, but I ignored him, and took the second shackle out, freeing his hands. He was falling even as I shot one of his legs free. The last shackle released of its own accord, and he hit the deck before I could fire a fourth time.

  “Delight’s next,” Tens told me, but I was already pivoting, scanning the walls for the ice-hearted Odyssey agent.

  “You have no idea,” and her tone was as cold, as I’d just thought of her heart as being.

  She was shackled to the opposite wall, but she was already dropping, and I guessed Tens must have finally hacked the system enough to have access to the locking mechanisms on the wall-mounted restraints. I tossed Mack his locator, and ran towards Delight. No way did I want to try throwing the locator that far, and risk it breaking, or me missing her and losing the damn thing in the shadows of this room.

  “You need to be in the other hold,” Mack said, and I pulled Delight to her feet and began pulling her towards the door.

  “Goddammit! You need to get that, Cutter.”

  I took it that Tens meant the door, which was now closing under its own power. I don’t know what he expected me to do, but I zeroed in on the control panel beside it. I could either hack it, or I could fry it. Frying it would be faster, but it didn’t guarantee a result—and I wouldn’t be able to hack it after. I yanked off the cover, and took a closer look at it.

  I wondered what had happened that had meant Tens losing control, but I took one look at it, and started pulling wires. We had about a foot of clearance by the time the door stopped.

  “Move! That won’t hold them for long.”

  I braced, and flicked the Blazer to the las setting.

  “Go!” I said, taking aim at the bottom of the door and pouring a steady beam of fire into it.

  If the damn thing let go, I was hoping I could weld enough of it that whoever was part-way through would have enough time to get clear. Delight didn’t wait to argue; she grabbed Mack and shoved him through the gap ahead of herself, and then followed him into the space.

  “Go! Go! Go!” Tens shouted, and Mack pulled her free just as the door started moving, breaking through the still-hot mess I’d made of its base.

  Fuck it.

  “Tens, door’s closed. Tell me you got them.”

  There was a moment’s delay, during which I guessed Tens was teleporting Mack and Delight out. I figured he was also trying to get me, but whatever had stopped us from locating them was obviously still working, because he came back on the line.

  “I can’t reach you.”

  I heard the defeat in his voice, and tried to comfort him.

  “I know, Tens. Thanks for trying.”

  “Cutter.” Mack’s voice came through loud and clear. “We are coming for you. Stay alive.”

  In the background I heard Delight murmuring softly, and then Tens’ sudden exclamation of horror.

  “Fuck me!”

  Mack kept talking, ignoring whatever was going on between them.

  “If you can convince them to let you out of the cell, we can reach you. We have the ship on scan, and are in pursuit. We are coming to get you, and Odyssey is going to owe us big time.”

  I just bet it was, but whether or no
t that would be enough to save me was entirely another question. I took the time to change the magazine in the Blazer, and re-set it to solids. I figured it didn’t matter if I holed this ship. Tens had it on scan, and would pull me out of the black before I exploded... Oh, stars, I sure as shit hoped he would.

  I took a deep breath, checked and reloaded the Zakrava, and double-checked the settings, energy charge, and magazine on the Glazer. When I was sure I had everything under control, I moved to the center of the cell to give myself time to see any threat that might come from around me. At the same time, I hoped the floor wouldn’t give way beneath me.

  Because that would really suck.

  When my ears caught the soft hiss of a seal giving way behind me, I almost sobbed with relief. I half turned so that I could monitor what was coming from that direction, and backed up a couple of steps. No point in giving them too much room to catch me in a pincer. I didn’t move all the way back, though, just in case that was how Delight had been caught.

  I wouldn’t put it past them to have put another door in each of the surrounding walls. I was getting a very bad feeling about this ship. I hadn’t seen much of it, but there was something subtly ‘wrong’, and I hadn’t been able to put my finger on it.

  I didn’t get much time to figure it out; the shadows around the newly opened door began to move, even as the door Mack and Delight had used to flee the chamber, creaked open. I glanced over my shoulder, just in time to skip forward as another shadow dropped from the ceiling. As I danced out of its way, I noted that there was no hole above me, and that was when I realized I was in more trouble than I’d known.

  The creature that gathered itself from the floor only made that horribly clear. It exploded under the hail of Blazer rounds, but the sound of the big blaster going off was just a counter-point to my first full-throated yell. As soon as it had shattered apart, I turned, looking for the other shadows I was sure were more than human.

  I’d once been terrified of spiders, and my time in Odyssey had only managed to reduce the fear to a manageable level. Now, I no longer froze, and I didn’t run... not if shooting the living shit out of the monster was an option. I took down four, before I’d shot the Blazer dry, after which I pulled the Zakrava and the machete.

  Four became five, as I kept the machete at the ready, and used head shots to reduce the number of potential opponents by two. After that, it was take whatever shot was offered, as I put the big blade to work, and tried to maneuver my way to a door.

  I hadn’t forgotten what Mack had said. I could hear him saying it, now.

  “Get out of the room. We can get you from there.”

  “I’m trying,” but even as I spoke two arach dropped down on either side of me, one risking being gutted by the blade as it wrapped two sets of hands around my arm, dragging me backwards, while it tried to sweep my legs out from under me.

  I might have been able to slide out of its grasp, if it hadn’t been for its partner, which had trapped the arm holding the Zakrava, and turned under it to push back against my chest, at the same time as it wrapped its calf behind my own. They combined their strength to drop and pin me, and then flip me onto my front, and drag my hands behind my back.

  Once they were done, they hauled me back to my feet, and held me between them, as the others came to stand before me.

  “Tell me, little human, why we shouldn’t kill you, right now.”

  I lifted my head, trying to see which one spoke. I was breathing hard enough that I could hear the air sobbing in my throat, or maybe it was just that I was terrified enough to be that close to tears. Either way, I lifted my head, and got a good strong grip on myself. I had one chance at this, and I was going to need my voice.

  “Do the clans have to avenge their dead?” I asked, my mind racing as I watched as the farthest shadow moved forward, the human-shaped arach warriors parting like water before it.

  “It is a custom.”

  “And I have killed from more than one clan?”

  The warriors looked around at the dead, but, even to me, it was clear that I had killed warriors wearing different uniforms. I could only hope that meant different clans. Their leader came to a halt in front of me, and made a show of noting the dead.

  “Yesss.”

  “Then you need to have a contest to see which clan gets to avenge their dead by drinking me dry.”

  Somehow, I managed to keep my voice from breaking. I heard it waver, but that didn’t matter so long as it didn’t break. I had to keep that image of being a strong opponent—a worthy opponent—in all their heads. And I had used the words I’d heard the arach use earlier in the hopes of keying into the obligations of another custom.

  Now, I had all their attention.

  Their leader eyed me with a cold stare.

  Of course, that could just have been the way they all looked—inhuman—but I was hoping it was as unimpressed as I thought it was. Its tone seemed to confirm that.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “Do you have an arena?”

  I saw it turn its head, taking in the warriors around it, saw more than one of them dip their heads in a single nod, when their gazes met.

  “Yes,” he said when he looked back to me.

  “Then I would fight a gathering of the clan representatives, just as I have fought them, today. Those that survive when...” My breath caught at the thought of losing, but I caught it, took a second breath and continued. “Those that survive at the end, have won the right for their clan’s vengeance.”

  “And if there is more than one?”

  I swallowed hard. Reality said that there would be more than one, and I didn’t have a death wish. I closed my eyes and opened them, making myself look directly into the face of the creature in front of me, and somehow, I kept my voice steady as I replied.

  “They drink all at once.”

  I think I managed to surprise him, and I kept my eyes fixed on him while I waited for his reply. He wasn’t the only one I’d surprised, and I tried to ignore the voices in my head.

  “That’s brilliant!” Delight, to no-one in particular.

  “Are you fucking insane?” Mack, to me alone.

  “Searching the schematics.” Tens, getting on with the mission.

  They almost made me miss what the arach leader said next.

  “You will have one day to rest, while we honor our dead—and then you will fight in the arena. You will be dead before we jump.”

  They were going into warp?

  “Until, tomorrow,” I said, and made to sit down.

  The two arach holding me stopped me, and I felt them undoing my bonds. Their leader watched, as I massaged my good wrist, and then he made a show of having my weapons gathered and brought. After examining them, he turned to me.

  “You expended a magazine and energy pack for the Blazer and blunted your machete. You expended a second magazine for your Zakrava. The blade will be sharpened, and the magazines and energy pack replaced, prior to the battle tomorrow. We will hold your weapons in trust.”

  I held my ground, and then held out my hand.

  “A warrior should maintain her own weapons,” I said, but he shook his head.

  “A captive may not. These will come with me.” He turned away, returning towards the back of the room. Just before he stepped through the door, he stopped, and looked to the two soldiers holding me. “Make sure she has no other items on her.”

  So much for trust. I thought about fighting to keep what I had, but decided I didn’t want any more injuries before I faced down a handful of pissed-off arach clansmen bent on vengeance. I raised my hands, and settled them behind my head, and let the last two arach empty my pockets. They were thorough enough to take the boot knives, but they missed the locator, which sat right under the cuff of my armor.

  They also took the hood and mask for the armor, and made me kneel, before they were willing to let go of me.

  “Do not move until the doors are closed,” they said, “or your bar
gain will be forfeit.”

  I nodded, and watched them go. As soon as the doors had hissed shut, and I’d heard the dull thump of locking bars, I lowered my hands to my knees, and breathed a sigh of relief.

  It was going to be a long night.

  32—Home Again, Home Again

  I was still kneeling, when the door opened. I lifted my head, but didn’t move, and the arach who’d brought my food didn’t come in.

  “The Clan Leader says you are to eat.” He set a flask beside the tray. “And drink.”

  “Thank you,” I said, and wished I still had some of my scan equipment, so I could check for poison.

  For a long moment, I did not move, trying to work out what I was going to do. In the end, I left the food, and put myself through a rigorous series of stretches and relaxation routines. By the end of them, I was shaking with fatigue, and tired enough to sleep.

  It was hard to stretch out on the floor of the cell, and close my eyes, but I had to believe that the arach had a strong, clan-based warrior culture, and would keep their word. I knew I’d impressed them. Firstly, because I was still alive—and, secondly, because I’d been offered food, a courtesy, even if it was only to ensure I had sufficient blood for them to share.

  Pushing that thought out of my mind, I wondered how Mack and the others were going. I figured that, at the end of this, Mack was going to have more than a little to say. I listened in the silent dark of the cell and my mind, hoping Mack would do his usual trick of being around to answer me when I needed him to—but he didn’t, and I eventually drifted off to sleep.

  The arach came at the twenty-fourth hour. By that stage, I’d been awake long enough to work the stiffness out of my joints and muscles, and put myself through a set of warm-ups and kata that would see me as ready for battle as I could be. The food from the evening before still sat beside the door, untouched, and the arach who collected it looked askance.

  “It was a gift of hospitality from the leader of my clan,” he said, and I looked at him.

  “Would you have eaten or drunk?”

  From the look on his face, he might have, but then he thought about it, and some of the confusion ebbed out of his expression.