The Last Spartan: Different Paths

by A. E. McCullough

  Climbing into the transport Talia asked, “How do you know all this?”

  With a slight shrug, Iaido smoothed out Diana’s hair. “Part of it is my training, part of it is my love of reading but mostly, UNA has been a good source of information in my line of work and many a mark has tried to hide down here over the years.”

  “Even after all these years, you find ways to amaze me Iaido,” Jay said. “I didn’t realize your knowledge of history went as far back as the Civil War.”

  Talia didn’t say anything but her raised eyebrow spoke volumes.

  Iaido answered, “Another name for the same war; but let me answer your first question Jay…head north to Lake Altoona.”

  “Why? What’s there?”

  “Xerxes should be waiting for us?”

  “How? Why?”

  “I signaled for him earlier today after my meeting with the General.”

  Jay was shocked and it showed in his tone. “You met with the General? And I am just now hearing about this?”

  “Well, it has been a busy day and after Diana told me that our files had been hacked, I had a feeling that we may need a fast way out.”

  “That was good thinking. What did he want?”

  Iaido shook his head. “Not now. UNA is a dangerous place for those who are unwary. Everyone keep their eyes open and their hands near weapons. Down here, only the strong and paranoid survive for long.”

  Putting action to words, Iaido gently placed Diana’s limp form on the backseat of the speeder and pulled out one of his Graver Mk7 pistols. Checking the power levels, he made sure the safety was on and offered it butt first to the Sylvan. “Do you know how to use one of these?”

  Talia hesitantly took the blaster. “Yes. But it has been a long time.”

  “Hopefully, you won’t have to use it but better safe than sorry.”

  The companions rode in silence through the winding tunnels of Underground New Atlanta. Most of the inhabitants of New Atlanta had no knowledge of the teeming culture that lived under their feet. It had its own stores, clubs, streets, living areas and laws. Typically the law was simple, survival of the fittest. Since there was no police force or government to speak of, only the gangs that staked out parts of UNA for their own controlled and regulated the violence. As they moved into a large open area, Jay halted the speeder at the edge of the opening. It was obviously man-made. The remains of bleachers could be seen to the left and right, however most were taken up with tents and other make-shift sleeping areas. The large field ahead of them seemed like a giant flea market with buyers and sellers all over the place. There had to be ten thousand or more people wandering through the stalls. Gang enforcers wearing different colors could be seen moving among them.

  Iaido said, “Welcome to the Georgia Dome. This is a no-man’s land and the largest trade center in UNA. Anything and I mean anything, is for sale here.”

  Jay asked, “Will they let us pass?”

  “Yes. Everyone is welcome in the Dome…that is as long as you have something to trade.”

  Jay asked, “And do we?”

  Iaido’s eyes scanned the nearby area looking for threats as he answered, “Only the lives of anyone who gets in our way.”

  Jay did a double-take at his friend but when he saw the fierce look on his face, he just nudged the speeder slowly forward. The gang enforcers glared at the intrusion but let them pass while the pedestrians just ignored them or moved out of the way.

  Talia just looked around wide-eyed at the multitude of unwashed and pale bodies. This was a part of humanity she had never seen or read about. It was beyond anything she had learned from the Sisterhood. After a few moments she couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer and asked, “Why are there so many people down here? Why don’t they live up top in the sunlight?”

  “Not everyone wants to live under the yoke of the UNCF,” replied Iaido. “That was proven by the settlements which broke away and formed the Confederacy. Those stuck planet side who don’t want to live under Coalition rule only have a few choices. Some move out into the Wastelands, where it’s a more simple life, kill or be killed. Those that can’t survive out there find a place to live here or in one of the other Renegade cities. UNA is the largest but there are others.”

  “But I thought that the Coalition included all the lands of Terra.”

  “Technically it does,” said Jay. “Every country that survived the Great Meteor Strike of 2012 and the Jihad of the latter part of the twenty-first century joined the Coalition. However, countries and people don’t always mean the same thing.”

  Talia shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

  “Humans believe in the rights of freedom and liberty of the individual above almost anything, except maybe family. In May of 1775 before the official founding of the United States during a speech to the Virginia Congress, Patrick Henry once proclaimed ‘Give me liberty or give me death!’ Among those in attendance were two future Presidents, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. That one speech is attributed for gaining the support of the Virginia troops that were very influential during the American Revolutionary War.”

  Talia looked back and forth between the two. “You Terrans are a strange lot. You seem to be a contradiction in action.”

  Jay grinned. “You ain’t just whistling Dixie, sister.”

  Talia cocked her head and tried to understand what Jay meant by that statement but was prevented from asking any further questions when Iaido hopped out of the speeder. The retired Master Chief slammed on the brakes and grabbed his blaster. Talia turned around in time to see Iaido squared off with three muscle-bound brutes with a Jovian in teal spandex sitting on an ornately carved throne watching with unveiled interest.

  Iaido seemed completely unfazed by the three brutes and totally ignored them. Locking his gaze on the Jovian he said, “Hello Ledrix.”

  “Greetings Spartan. You shouldn’t have come down here.”

  “I go where my path leads me. Currently it has led me past your brothel.”

  Ledrix looked around at his gathering; not counting his girls, he had at least seven enforcers within ten steps of Spartan. “This isn’t topside. You’re on my turf. With a snap of my fingers, I could have your legs broken.”

  The three brutes in front growled as if on cue.

  Iaido shifted his gaze to the thugs within arm’s reach. The one directly in front of him was the same one that had gotten in his face earlier that day. The two on his flanks held baseball bats and were so similar in appearance that they must’ve been twins.

  Iaido glanced back at Ledrix. “Are you sure you want to walk this path? It would be easier just to tell me what you know.”

  Ledrix nodded and opened his mouth to speak but whatever he was going to say was lost to the wind as the bounty hunter attacked.

  Using the palm of his hand, Iaido struck the bridge of the nose of the brute directly in front of him. The bones shattered and several fragments were shoved up the nasal cavity and into his brain causing massive hemorrhaging and a stroke. The poor bastard was dead before his body hit the ground.

  Without waiting to see how the other enforcers would react, Iaido launched himself straight up into the air and lashed out with both feet at the two flanking brutes. When his feet connected with the chests of the thugs, the balls of Iaido’s feet unerringly struck the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of them and taking them out of the fight. Landing lightly, Iaido calmly stepped toward Ledrix.

  One of the enforcers standing behind the Pimp King reacted first. Raising his club, he began to rush forward when the crack of a blaster echoed through the Dome. When his club blew apart a mere inch from his hand, everyone in the surrounding area froze and looked towards the speeder.

  Talia frowned. “Dammit. I was trying to take his thumb off with that shot also.”

  The brute dropped what was left of his club and stepped back behind the Pimp King.

  Iaido casually folded his arms across his chest. “No worries. If his par
tner decides to move, you can take off his whole hand.”

  “But the hand is too easy of a target. How about I just shoot off his thumb? Or better yet, his left ear?”

  “If you must.”

  Seeing the look of fear on the enforcers and the slowly expanding pool of yellow liquid at the feet of the one who was still massaging his hand, Iaido knew that they were properly cowed and locked eyes with the Pimp King. “I doubt it will be necessary. Ledrix was about to tell me what he discovered. Correct?”

  The Jovian stammered but finally found his voice. “Yes…yes I was. I’m sorry about this misunderstanding. My enforcers need more training.”

  Iaido shook his head. “No, they need to find a different line of work. A coyote may scare the sheep but to a wolf, it is nothing more than a yapping dog.”

  Ledrix chuckled. “Even after all these years, I don’t understand you. One moment you sound normal, the next you sound like a fortune cookie.”

  Iaido didn’t respond. Just cocked his head to the side and stared.

  Ledrix gulped and pulled out a memory crystal. “I found some odd things in your friend’s recent past. Stuff I thought you might find interesting.”

  Iaido took the offered crystal and walked backwards slowly, his eyes never leaving those of the Jovian. He had casually rested his left hand on his holstered pistol. No one in the crowd missed the implied threat.

  As soon as Iaido was on board the speeder, the retired Master Chief took off at a bit faster pace than earlier. Jay glanced over his shoulder at Talia and noticed that she was paler than usual.

  “Nice shooting there Tex.”

  Talia shook her head. “No, it wasn’t. I was aiming for his chest.”

  Iaido nodded. “Then, nice bluff. That took some real cojonés to do that.”

  Talia cocked her head to the side. “Cojonés? I don’t know this word.”

  Jay suppressed a laugh. “It’s a slang term for courage.”

  “Courage…that I understand.” She hesitated for a moment before adding, “I was so nervous. I haven’t used a blaster since I was a kid. And when I saw everyone’s expression when the club blew apart, bluffing seemed like the logical thing to do.”

  Iaido nodded. “Well played. Your actions prevented me from having to kill anyone else and gave Ledrix an easy way out.”

  “An easy way out? What do you mean?” asked Talia.

  “Ledrix was always going to give me the information. It was in his best interest but by me showing up during normal business hours and at his main brothel, I forced him to react in such a manner to keep up his reputation.”

  Talia jerked her head to the fading Dome. “Then what was all that about?”

  “Posturing. In the underworld, many times your reputation means more than credits or goods. By showing up like we did, we forced him to react with violence. If he had just handed me the information, his reputation as the Pimp King and supreme information broker would’ve suffered. As it is, both of our reputations grew from that encounter.”

  Talia shook her head. “That is nonsense. Violence only begets violence. Nothing good was gained by that fight.”

  Jay chimed in. “Don’t be too sure. I bet there are already rumors flying around about the Sylvan sharp-shooter that accompanies Spartan the Bounty Hunter. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear you being compared to Annie Oakley.”

  “Who?” asked Talia.

  “A Terran folk hero from the late 1800s,” answered Iaido. “She was reputed to have been able to split a playing card, edge on, at ninety feet with a small caliber rifle and put five or six more holes in it before it hit the ground.”

  “It that true about Annie Oakley?”

  Iaido nodded.

  “Do you think what Jay says will happen? I mean about me?”

  Again Iaido nodded.

  “That’s ridiculous. No one in their right mind will believe such a thing.”

  “Only time will tell,” said Jay.

  The companions fell silent as they approached the outlying tunnels of UNA. When they finally pulled out of the sewer drain that they had been travelling in for the last hour, the open sky and still waters of the lake were a refreshing sight. A pale crescent moon hung in the night sky to light their way and this far north, the ambient light of the city faded away to a glow on the southern horizon. It was at least another hour before they arrived at Lake Altoona and the companions where exhausted both physically and mentally. Their flight from the Safehouse had taken its toll on them. The ever present danger of discovery, the stress of the unknown fate of Eve and the lifeless body of Diana all wore heavy on their souls.

  The lake and the surrounding fields were dark but a darker patch of shadow beckoned them forward.

  Pulling the speeder up in front of the massive ship, a red light clicked on at their approach and revealed the yawning mouth of the ship’s cargo hold. A large figure moved in the shadowy light, at first glance it looked like a seven foot tall praying mantis but on closer inspection it looked like a seven foot tall praying mantis on steroids.

  As far as humans knew there were only four intelligent species in the universe. There had been rumors of others but no confirmed sightings.

  The Terrans and Sylvans had been communicating with each other for almost a century but Terrans had only encountered the other two races within the last quarter century.

  The Lemurians were a bipedal man-sized reptilian race which was very reclusive yet extremely hostile. Nearly every encounter the Terrans had with them ended in death of one side or the other.

  Then, there were the Mantis or Mantodea as the Sylvans called them. Many just refer to the whole race as ‘bugs’ and believed that the wholesale extermination of the species was the right thing to do. This view came more prevalent during the Civil War when hordes of the Mantodeas joined with the Confederacy against the Coalition. When the war ended, it was determined that the bugs which had fought were basically slaves. The Confederate leaders had held the Mantodeas’ queen hostage and forced the workers and soldiers to fight.

  Iaido hopped out of the speeder and walked up to giant mantis. Placing his right hand on the Mantis’ chest, Iaido said, “Xerxes…it is good to see you my friend.”

  The large bug mimicked the procedure.

  “Diana has been injured and we are being hunted. Prepare the ship for an immediate departure.”

  The huge Mantodea spoke in a series of clicks and chirps.

  Iaido must’ve understood what the giant mantis asked because he replied, “I don’t know yet. It’s too early to tell. After we are safe Jay will properly assess her status.”

  Ignoring everyone else, Xerxes moved to the speeder and gently lifted Diana’s limp form before disappearing into the darkness of the ship.

  Iaido turned back to his companions and said, “Get on board quickly. Xerxes says he was scanned on his descent but he lost their lock in some late night commercial traffic but the Fleet won’t give up easily. It is only a matter of time before they locate the Nemesis. She isn’t a small ship after all.”

  “That thing is your friend?” asked Talia.

  Lifting Jay to a waiting hoverchair, Iaido turned back to Talia. “Look, I don’t have time for your prejudices toward Mantodeas. You have a decision to make, either you are with us which means you board the Nemesis right now and follow my commands or you don’t. If you want to stay here on Earth, I will leave the speeder behind for you. Make your decision quickly.”

  Talia could tell that Iaido was deadly serious. In her defense she tried to explain. “It’s just my people have a history with the Mantodea. They are rebellious and untrustworthy.”

  “That’s funny. That’s what Xerxes says about your people.” Seeing Talia’s body tense at that statement, Iaido grinned. “Now is not the time for this argument, the hounds are closing. You can go with us, although be aware that I have powerful enemies and I feel them moving in the background. Stay or go. Decide.”

  Talia glanced back at the lights of
New Atlanta. At this distance it was a beautiful city. The towers sparkled with light. The air traffic could be seen streaking along designated patterns which caused the city to have lines of light that winked in and out. It was truly a beautiful and wondrous city but it wasn’t her home. She had come to Earth to find her sister. Her only contact she knew was Sgt. Major Spenton and now he was dead. But the cards had pointed to another taking his place, a warrior-poet according to the cards.

  Glancing back at Iaido she felt a twinge in her stomach, she didn’t know if she had read the cards correctly but all the signs had led her to him. Talia took a deep breath. “I will go with you. For better or worse, you are my best hope for finding the truth about my sister.”

  Stepping onto the gangplank, a dark shape flew by Talia’s head with a loud squawk.

  “Edgar! How did you find us?”

  The raven seemed to understand her, squawking and croaking its reply before launching itself back into the darkness. Talia turned back to Iaido. “We must be away. Edgar says many vehicles are approaching.”

  Nodding his response, Iaido rigged the speeder to run solo, pointed it back towards the city and let it go. The speeder began its trek back into the darkness without passengers.

  “Come on, that trick will only buy us a few moments at best.”

  As they moved into the cargo hold of the Nemesis, Talia got her first good look at the Terran designed ship. She was so shocked at the difference from Sylvan ships that she actually stopped and stared.

  Every Sylvan ship is a masterpiece of engineering and artistry. They are handcrafted slowly. A master shipwright might spend a decade or more crafting a single ship. The Sylvan shipwrights would spend as much time on the aesthetics of the ship as the functionality. No two ships were ever the same.