“My people!” Benjar announced. His voice was so amplified that each word made the floor vibrate. “For too long we have sat idly by, hoping our enemies would heed our faith. Too long we have seen the Circuit suffer under the sullied hands of those unwilling to see the light! We showed the Ceresians mercy all those long years ago, and for it they have not repented. They have not changed their ways. Instead they have turned to the help of the exile and traitor, Cassius Vale!
“Edeoria was under his guard, and you see now what he thinks of those he’s sworn to protect. Thousands have been left dead in the most heinous attack on the Tribune since the war. Yet it is not just us. He has taken the Circuit itself hostage! He and the Ceresians have apparently colluded to orchestrate an attack on one of their one mining colonies on Kalliope, and while we were distracted by the horrors committed here, he brought us to blame! But I swear upon the Spirit that we had nothing to do with that cowardly massacre. We do not murder innocents! We show them the proper path. Unlike he who has slain your beloved Tribune Nora Gressler in cold blood!”
The entire crowd followed the lead of the Earth Whisperers and bent down to touch the floor in reverence after her name was spoken. Sage did the same. She’d never been under the direct command of Nora, but the speech was working. She knew she didn’t belong and yet still her blood began to boil in rage.
“Cassius Vale has used the Solar-Ark he stole to broadcast these lies,” Benjar continued. “He seeks to shake your faith in us, but we have never been stronger!”
Broadcast. Clearly Cassius had been busy since she had left, but she was with him the whole time during and after the attack on Titan. He couldn’t have attacked the asteroid Kalliope, at least not directly. Again she knew someone was lying, but she was getting used to that enough not to care.
“The Ceresians seek vengeance for what they claim we have done. Our Executors in the belt have reported that parts of their fleet are mobilizing to attack. They think they can catch us off guard, but we will meet them head on. Not even the great Cassius Vale can help them, for the Spirit of the Earth guides us!”
He paused, allowing the entire of the crowd to repeat, “The Spirit of the Earth guides us.”
“Your Tribune stands with you! Prepare yourselves, my people. We are going to war!”
The hangar erupted into cheers, and Sage imagined that they could be heard all throughout the settlements of the Tribune. The people tired of the Earth Reclaimer War after it went on for years, but the more years that had passed since its ending, the more ready it appeared they were to dive back in.
Sage knew the feud wouldn’t last long this time. After living amongst the Ceresians, a small part of her almost felt badly for them. They’d been weakened by decades of reduced trade and the decimation of their robotics industry, all while the Tribune prepared for one last unifying sweep through the Circuit. Maybe I won’t be able to take Elisha home after I find her, Sage realized. It might not be left.
As the crowd calmed and continued going about their preparations, Sage lingered in her position. Hand Yavortha walked into the room while Benjar was still there. He had a bloody bandage covering half of his face, and wore a grimace hard enough to grind stone. He whispered something in Benjar’s ear and the Tribune’s expression immediately soured as well.
Sage was too far away to hear what exactly they were saying, but she was able to get the gist of it by reading their lips. They were discussing how to deal with her. Yavortha recommended dispatching Executors, but that only served to make Benjar angrier. Most of the Executors in the region were already occupied with hunting down Cassius.
Their faces got so close together that it was hard for her to make out exactly what was said next. Yavortha responded with a sentence that included the words “secure” and “vulnerable points,” as well as “monitor the girl.” Benjar offered an unenthused nod before storming out of the room with his entire Honor Guard at his side, leaving Yavortha alone to glower into the hangar with a single working eye. He looked equally panicked and enraged.
“Aye, let’s go,” a soldier came up behind Sage and ordered.
She nearly jumped in surprise. She’d been so focused on Yavortha, picturing his fist slamming into her jaw over and over, that she hadn’t heard the man coming. “We’ve got orders to move.”
She noted how his voice was slightly distorted by his helmet, and hoped that if she mustered her deepest tone to respond she might sound like a man herself. The armor of each Tribunal Soldier was coded, and she was supposed to be male. She also made sure to step up directly beside him as she turned around, to avoid providing him a clear view through her visor.
“Yes sir,” she said in her best tenor. He nodded in response. As long as she didn’t try and communicate over her unit’s com-system she figured she’d be fine.
They quickly caught up with a group of soldiers, escaping Yavortha’s gaze. What she had seen him and Benjar discussing was enough for her to know that heading for the brig anytime soon would be suicide. They were going to ensure she couldn’t make a move without alerting all of Edeoria, along with the entire crew of the Ascendant, to the presence of a rogue Executor. The ship too was massive to constantly watch every corner, but experience taught her that they’d keep security heavy by the brig, engines, control room, fusion core, and everywhere else that had sensitive equipment. Getting to any of those places would require her to remove her helmet and undergo at least a retinal scan.
She’d have to blend in and wait for the turmoil of battle to make her move. That she could do. She knew the Ascendant well, so if there were security checkpoints she was sure she could find ways to slip around them. She’d just have to be patient and stay focused. Not a problem. Those were virtues all Executors were trained to cultivate.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE—CASSIUS
What Must Be Done
Cassius was led to a holding Cell in the Morastus Compound on Ceres Prime. It was a tiny hollow of rock sealed by a circular hatch. A literal hole in the wall. He didn’t have to sit for long before the entrance popped open and Zaimur stood alone in it, bathed in shadow.
“That didn’t go as well as expected,” Cassius mused. “Have you come to pay your respects before my execution?”
Zaimur didn’t answer right away. He instead turned and resealed the hatch, ensuring that any guards outside couldn’t hear anything. Cassius subtly shifted his feet so he’d have proper balance. He identified a somewhat sharp outcrop of rock nearby which he could use to his swift advantage if it came to that.
“Surprisingly no,” Zaimur admitted. “What did you expect going in there?” He stopped a few feet away from Cassius, safely out of harm’s reach. “You would have been of better use to us fighting the Tribune on your own.”
“I already have been. My efforts on Titan will accomplish more than that Lakura fool will by striking first.”
“I don’t doubt that, but I was a fool to think they would openly discuss your assistance. Maybe I was a fool to consider it myself.”
“A fool who may just be willing to do what is necessary to survive the coming battle. There are no easy decisions when it comes to war, especially when you must protect your people.”
Zaimur’s features tightened. “What about you? Did you hesitate when you did what you had to? When you earned the hate of an entire culture?”
“The entire Circuit now,” Cassius corrected him, grinning. “My people died the day my father surrendered to the Tribune. It was easy for me to sacrifice when I needed to.”
“And now you expect me to allow you to do the same with my people?”
“They’re dead either way. The only difference is that I can help you ensure that there is a future for their daughters and sons.”
“How!” Zaimur shouted. As he did there was a blur of motion. A patch of rock shifted and an arm flew out, grasping him by the throat and hoisting him into the air. The rock dissipated and the figure of ADIM was revealed, two flame-red eyes boring through Zaimur’s te
rrified façade.
“What is this?” Zaimur murmured, his voice muffled by the strong grip crushing his trachea.
Disguised as rock, Cassius thought. Amazing. He was in here the entire time and I had no idea. “This is ADIM, Zaimur. My Creation.”
“Tell…him to release me...”
ADIM turned his head to Cassius, his eyes spinning. “He’s worried that you’re going to attack me,” Cassius responded. He got close and placed his hand on ADIM’s shoulder.
“I’m not…not yet,” Zaimur grated. “But, you’re already a dead man if they have their way.”
Cassius nodded at ADIM and made a flicking motion with his wrist. ADIM released Zaimur, though he didn’t step back even an inch. The Morastus Prince clawed at his throat, gasping for air.
“He has a weapon, Creator,” ADIM said.
“Relieve him of it,” Cassius replied.
ADIM flipped the reeling Zaimur onto his side with ease. He then yanked a small firearm off of Zaimur’s belt and tossed it to Cassius. Cassius caught it and immediately dismantled it. Once it was in pieces, he dropped it to the rocky floor.
“What is this?” Zaimur grated, his eyes unfolding over ADIM in wonder. He crawled backward until his back propped up against the wall. There was no room in the cell for him to distance himself from the android any farther.
“As I said, this is ADIM. Don’t worry, he won’t harm you unless I ask him to.”
Zaimur used the craggy wall to pull himself to his feet. Once he was there he reached with one hand toward ADIM. The android wasted no time gripping him by the wrist and holding his arm outstretched.
Zaimur kept calm. He looked to Cassius and whispered, “May I?” It was the first time Cassius had seen another human look upon ADIM with anything but dread. Though the Ceresians had spent centuries living amongst lesser androids.
“Go ahead.” Cassius patted ADIM on the back and took a step backward. “ADIM, it’s alright.”
ADIM let go and stood still as Zaimur’s fingers grazed his face. The Morastus Prince circled his way around, ogling every part that comprised an android more advanced than any he had ever seen. ADIM rotated with him to ensure that he was continuously placed between him and Cassius.
“Remarkable,” Zaimur exclaimed. “You constructed this marvel?”
“I learned what I could from the rubble of Lutetia and then yes, I made him,” Cassius said proudly.
“And he responds only to you?”
“He responds to himself. He heeds my council, because we are the closest thing left in each other’s existences to family.”
Zaimur grasped ADIM’s arm and held it up to his face. He leaned in close to get a good look at one of the barely discernible blue lights running along the edge of a protective plate. “These are HOLO-Emitters aren’t they? That’s how he got the jump on me?”
Cassius could barely hold back his enthusiasm. It wasn’t often that he met someone who shared his affinity for mechanics. “With modifications, yes. He can shroud himself in any image.”
“Even a man’s?”
Before Cassius could say anything ADIM rendered himself to look exactly like Zaimur. The Prince jumped back as he came to look upon his own façade, but he recovered quickly. Was that an attempt at being playful? Cassius wondered.
“What I could accomplish with one of these,” Zaimur admired.
“His name is ADIM,” Cassius corrected.
“Yes. With this, ADIM.” Zaimur turned to Cassius. His face was bright with excitement. “You must show him to the others. There is no doubt they will believe that you are truly no longer a servant of the Tribune after they see him. I know Yara will. Her ancestors dedicated their lives to robotics. By the Ancients, after she sees ADIM she may just bow down and call you a god.”
Cassius laughed heartily. “Wouldn’t that be a sight? Yet, there is a fine line between reverence and envy.”
“True.”
“And what about your father? I could blow up New Terrene and he’d still have me hanged. I saw that clearly in his eyes.”
“Yes, him.” Zaimur exhaled. “The tired, old man should’ve been dead weeks ago, but he keeps on fighting his affliction. I should’ve sent him to the Keepers back when I had the chance. I’m his only heir. Once he’s gone, I’ll be in control of the Morastus Clan. Then we can decide if you can actually help us, or if you’d be better off dead.”
ADIM’s head snapped toward Zaimur. Cassius wrapped his hand around the android’s arm. “Relax, ADIM. I’m sure he didn’t mean that.”
Zaimur backed all the way against the wall again. “Of course. My apologies.”
“So you don’t believe I can help you?” Cassius inquired, grinning wickedly. “ADIM, show him the last recorded imagery of the Vale Protocol.”
ADIM stuck out his hand, and as pixels of light from the HOLO-Emitters above it began forming imagery, Cassius continued.
“I’ve served at every level of the Tribunal military,” he said. “I have known their minds. Bumped heads with their leaders. And I have seen their fleet laid out before me. Look.”
The projection in front of ADIM morphed to display the entirety of the Circuit. Tiny red blips shone throughout it, with the largest cluster of them coming in the orbit of Jupiter.
Zaimur’s brow furrowed as he watched the map rotate. “What am I looking at?”
“This shows the location of every Tribunal ship within the last twenty-four hours. Freighters, fighters, frigates…even the New Earth Cruisers.”
Zaimur mustered the courage to approach ADIM again. “How could you have that?”
“I helped program the Vale Protocol that has been frustrating your people since the end of the war.” Cassius pointed to Jupiter. “You see how they are amassing here? After I released their secret about Kalliope they shifted to that position.”
“784 Fighters drawn by 124 Frigates,” ADIM calculated. “The New Earth Cruiser, Ascendant, also houses between twenty and forty fighters itself, as well as Mech and troop transports.”
“And more will come from Earth under the command of Tribune Cordo Yashan,” Cassius explained. He moved toward the projection of Earth and indicated the fleet there. “Whether they are dispatching those ships to search for me or to conquer your Cell I couldn’t be sure, but I’d wager that with that amount of firepower they could do both. I placed firewalls in their way when I was last on New Terrene, but the Tribunal engineers are not completely inept. My ability to see their moves will likely be gone by the next time I board my ship. But I have seen enough now to predict what they will do.”
“Even if every Clan sends everything they have, we won’t stand a chance,” Zaimur realized.
“Not alone. They’ve been waiting too long to end this. But the Ceresians will listen to your Clan when it comes to war. Allow me to aid you from the shadows. Let your people think that I have died for all I care, because I have no desire to shepherd weak men any longer. I will advise you in secret and when our victory is won, you will stand as their hero”
Zaimur took another lap around the map and pored over all of the Tribunal ships which were indicated. He was halfway around when he froze and frowned. “They may all listen to me, but my father won’t,” he said. “He’ll think I’m being ‘impetuous’ just like Yara, the old fuck.”
“I’ve known my share of impulsive men, Zaimur, and you are not one. You merely have the wit to see what I see. That this war cannot be won ship for ship. If your father stands in the way of doing what must be done to win, we may not have time to wait for the Blue Death to run its course.”
Zaimur’s eyes narrowed and he took a step toward Cassius before ADIM halted him. “Are you asking me to do what I think you are?” he questioned.
“I’m not asking you to do anything.”
“He’s my father, Vale. I won’t just—”
“I knew your father. I fought your father. The man I saw in that room is broken and dying. He’ll sit around deliberating while the Lakura Clan
is slaughtered. I came here to seek him out, but Zargo is in no state to lead. You are.”
Zaimur blinked. His grimace faded, and in his face Cassius saw a man seized by visions of a grand future. He shook his head. “He’s my father,” he repeated.
“Zaimur, your father was gone the moment he was afflicted. He’s dead already.”
Zaimur opened his mouth to say something, but wasn’t able to push any words out. Lines of tension pulled at his face. He was even breathing heavily.
“Just ensure that I survive the coming execution,” Cassius said, “and ADIM will make sure there is nobody standing in the way of your climb to the mantle of the Morastus Clan. Once you have the ear of Ceres, we will see this war to its end. I’ll give you everything I have on the Tribune, and more.”
Zaimur stared into ADIM’s fire-red eyes and then swallowed hard. “Say I was to throw some Pico at your executioners so that they go easy and let you incapacitate them. Say I then personally execute the image of you while the real you walks free, what’s in it for you, Cassius Vale? After all of this you’d return right back to the shadows you fought so hard to escape?”
“For now, freeing the Circuit from the Tribune’s reign will have to suffice as my answer.”
“I wouldn’t expect any more from you.”
“So, Zaimur Morastus, do we have an agreement?” Cassius asked. He extended an open palm and held it there.
He’d known from the moment he met Zaimur about his unresolved disdain for his father. Cassius had spent years harboring those very same feelings about his own. Zaimur took a deep breath. Cassius could tell just by his expression that he had him. He was merely waiting for the Morastus Prince to realize it himself.
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