The Complete Warlord Trilogy: An Aeon 14 Collection

by M. D. Cooper

  “I wouldn’t know,” Katrina replied. “I’ve never had a wife.”

  “Sorry to stop you on the way to the altar with your girl toy out there,” Jace said as he sat across from Katrina. “I’m not entirely unwilling to work with you, Katrina. I’m sure I can find something for you to do here in the castle, away from the sun and Liam’s whip.”

  Katrina drew a deep breath. It was time for a new persona. “Oh, yeah? You need someone who actually knows what they’re doing to run things around here?”

  “Eh?” Jace asked, surprise coloring his dark features. “What are you angling for?”

  Katrina shrugged. “Your job. You obviously need someone who knows what the hell they’re doing. You sure don’t have a fucking clue.”

  Jace leaned forward in his chair, his hands gripping the armrests. “Careful, woman.”

  “Seriously, Jace. The fact that Anna is still in this room tells me that you’re just a bit player. She’s a moron. You should have killed her the moment you had me.”

  Jace glanced at Anna—whose face quickly shifted from red to white—before turning his eyes back to Katrina. He held her gaze for a moment, and then shook his head and laughed.

  “You’re right. I should kill Anna. She’s a scheming blowhard, but I made a deal with her, and I don’t go back on my deals.”

  Katrina turned to Anna, who had taken a step back, her eyes wide. “Hear that, Anna? You can keep bungling as long as you want. His Imperial Softiness, here, has declared you to be untouchable. Go on now, I’m sure there’s someone somewhere who wants to hear you prattle on about how amazing you are. Well, probably not, but you’ll talk someone’s ear off, nonetheless.”

  Jace waved his hand at Anna without turning to look at her. “She sure has you pegged, Anna. I guess you were too heavy-handed—not that it surprises me. Get lost. I’ll let you know if I need you for anything.”

  Anna opened her mouth to reply, but then appeared to think better of it, and slunk from the room. If she’d had a tail, it would have been between her legs.

  “So, how’s the wife?” Katrina asked as the door closed. “Malorie, I believe? I hear she’s a bit of a battle axe.”

  Jace’s eyes widened for a moment before they narrowed to slits. “You’ve a good set of ears on you. I see you haven’t wasted these past few days.”

  Katrina shrugged, pretending to be at far greater ease and comfort than she really felt. It was taking everything she had not to vomit on the chair next to her—though the thought of ruining it did appeal to her.

  “I can see what you’re doing. Wear me down, play my love for Juasa against me. Offer me a place in your lovely castle here, make me trade something to get Juasa in here as well. Hold her safety over my head, etcetera, etcetera…. Can we just skip past all that?”

  Jace gave a short laugh and leant back in his chair. “It looks like you know how this all works.”

  “I’ve played this sort of game myself more than once,” Katrina replied. “Though usually from your chair, not mine.”

  “Back whenever you came from…” Jace said, leaving the statement hanging.

  “Yes,” Katrina nodded.

  “And when was that?”

  Katrina snorted. “A long time ago. Too long to matter. The real question is what can I offer you? My nanotech, data I hold in my head, secrets that could make you rich and powerful.”

  A smug smile formed on Jace’s lips, and he spread his arms wide. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m already rich and powerful.”

  “Yes, if you were living on Earth eight thousand years ago. But really, how many ships do you have? A dozen? Twenty? Not so many that you could stand your ground when a system like Bollam’s World sends their space force after you, I’ll bet. You’re not even top dog on your own planet. Subservient to whoever runs the show from the capital.”

  “None of that matters as much as the fact that I hold your life in my hands,” Jace replied.

  Katrina nodded and took a moment before she replied. “Noted. But I have what you want, and right now, I’m not feeling inclined to share with you—largely because you’re such a raging asshole.”

  Jace clenched his jaw, then worked it back and forth as he considered her. “I was hoping to have a more fruitful conversation with you, but it seems that maybe Anna—for all her faults—was right for once. Nevertheless, my squints believe that they can pluck the secrets from your mind, even against your will. Given what a flaming bitch you are, I’m inclined to let them try.”

  Katrina hoped that Jace would do just that. If his techs tried to access her mind, she’d turn the tables on them so fast their heads would spin. If their internal net security was as pathetic as everything else, she’d be through it in no time.

  And then I’ll get the codes for this damn collar.

  “You’ve not really earned my trust,” Katrina replied. “Stars, you said there’d be some refreshments, and those haven’t even arrived yet.”

  Jace shook his head and rose from his chair. He walked to a side table with several decanters on it and poured a glass of red wine.

  “Here, try not to choke on it,” Jace grunted as he walked toward her with the glass.

  Katrina took it with a silent nod and sipped the cool liquid. She had to be careful; in her current state, half the glass would probably put her under the table.

  “I’m prepared to negotiate with you,” Jace said. “You tell me where your ship went and give me working override codes to get aboard and take control, and your life will get a lot more pleasant.

  Katrina met Jace’s eyes and shook her head. “Put Juasa on a ship you don’t control that’s headed far from here, and we can have that conversation.”

  “Ha! Nice try. You and I both know that Juasa is the best leverage I have over you. Take her out of the equation, and you’re bound to try something nuts.”

  “Well, I do still care about my own hide,” Katrina replied. “But you’re right. It is tougher. But there’s certainly no conversation to be had while Juasa is out in those fields. What happens to her is directly related to how cooperative I am.”

  She took another sip of wine, grateful for the drink, though pissed that he would give her something like wine on an empty stomach.

  Jace didn’t respond at first, though he did stroke his beard seventeen times—Katrina couldn’t help but count—before giving a curt nod.

  “Well, let’s have the squints make a go of it first, then,” Jace replied, his tone measured and even. “I’ll tell them not to drill too many holes in your skull.”

  Katrina snorted. “I appreciate it.” She looked at her glass of wine, said, “Aw, fuck it,” and downed the whole thing.

  Jace laughed. “You’re gonna need it.” He gestured to the guard who had accompanied Katrina into the room “Take her to the lab.”

  Katrina rose slowly, feeling the towel pull at her skin further, wincing from the pain.

  “Oooo…that looks harsh. I bet it’ll hurt like a bitch when the squints pull it off.”

  “Go fuck yourself,” Katrina muttered as she turned and walked from the room, hoping she appeared steadier on her feet than she felt.

  “I have people for that,” Jace called out after her.

  Katrina was tempted to tell Jace it didn’t surprise her that he needed slaves for sex, but the drink was hitting her, and she couldn’t figure out how to organize the words properly. Better to let him be the one to shout the final epithet than blurt out something nonsensical and sound like an idiot.

  PROBED

  STELLAR DATE: 12.31.8511 (Adjusted Gregorian)

  LOCATION: Jace’s estate

  REGION: World of Persia, unknown system

  The guard led her down the corridor to a blank space on the wall. He waved his hand, and the entrance to a lift opened up.

  “In,” he said.

  Katrina obeyed, wobbling a bit and glad for the low rail that ran around the edge of the conveyance. Though the wine was bad for her menta
l acuity, the electrolytes were welcome, and she could feel energy returning to her limbs.

  Normally her internal med systems would be able to strip electrolytes from internal stores, but they were rendered inert by the threat from the collar.

  This damn collar.

  It surprised her how much she really relied on the technology within her body to manage her day-to-day life. She wondered if it was a weakness; in the past she would have said no, but such a basic device as the collar had defeated her utterly.

  At first Katrina had tested its bounds to see if there was a way she could circumvent its detection. What she learned was that the device simply looked for any abnormal EM fields within her body. If it picked them up, it hit her with a torturous blast of electricity.

  Even performing three tests had greatly diminished the amount of free nano within her body, and had probably caused some cellular damage as well.

  Katrina found herself wishing that more of her enhancements were pure-bio, rather than based on silicate nanotech. If—when—they found the Intrepid, she would see to changing that.

  The lift dropped seven levels, moving far below the depth of her cell’s location. When it stopped, the door opened to reveal a short, white corridor with a pair of steel doors at the end.

  “I assume the men and women with the sharp sharp knives are behind that door yonder?” Katrina asked the guard.

  He only grunted in response and pushed her forward, eliciting another gasp of pain from her.

  As they walked down the passage, the doors swung open to reveal another corridor that ran left and right. The guard took her right, and then opened the first door on the left and gestured for her to enter.

  Katrina complied without hesitating, not wanting another shove. Instead, the guard reached out and grabbed the blanket, tearing it from around her.

  A shriek escaped Katrina’s throat as a dozen new scabs were torn open. Pus and blood began to ooze from her body once more, and she struggled to keep her breathing under control.

  The guard tossed the blanket into a trash bin and walked to a sink where he washed his hands.

  “You’re fuckin’ gross,” he muttered.

  “Trying to make my outside match your inside,” Katrina sneered through clenched teeth.

  The guard shook his head. “Nice try.”

  The room was cold, and she began to shiver—which was ridiculous, since her skin felt like it was on fire. Katrina did her best to ignore the warring sensations as she looked around the room.

  There was a medtable in the center. It looked passable; too many armatures for her liking, but given that she was in the basement of a castle, it was more advanced than she’d feared.

  The far wall had a row of counters holding various scanning implements. A small NSAI pod sat in one corner, and temperature-controlled cabinets stood to its right.

  She heard the door open and turned to see a man and a woman enter. They both wore gleaming white hazsuits with clear bubble helmets atop. Their eyes locked on her, and the man’s expression turned sour while the woman shook her head.

  “What a mess,” he said. “We’re going to have to get her stable before we start—she’ll go into shock in the first five minutes if we don’t.”

  The guard was eyeing the man and the woman in their hazsuits, looking uncomfortable. “Do I need to worry?” he asked.

  “Not unless you plan to get her bodily fluids on you,” the woman said. “Still, you may want to wait outside.”

  The guard pursed his lips. “I’ll go out after you restrain her. I assume you’re going to restrain her?”

  “Of course,” the woman said with a curt nod. “On the table, you; let’s get you patched up enough for this.”

  “So you can take me apart again?” Katrina asked.

  “Physically, this will be easier than working in the fields,” the man replied. “Mentally, it will be as easy as you let it.”

  Katrina hopped up on the table and gave the pair a warm smile. “Well, let’s see what you two can manage.” She laid back on the cool surface of the med table—a welcome feeling—and placed her arms and legs into the restraining cuffs. “Do your worst.”

  The pair glanced at each other, and the woman shrugged. “Sure, you got it. Tom, activate the restraints.”

  The male medtech approached a console at the head of the medtable, and cuffs clamped around her forearms and calves.

  “So, he’s Tom; may I have the pleasure of your name?” Katrina asked the woman.

  “Ainsley.”

  “Verisa, in case you didn’t know,” Katrina replied with a smile. “Looking forward to you fixing me up. I think I may be facing some serious dehydration from all the fluid loss. You guys going to seal all that up?”

  “Yes,” Ainsley replied. “Now can you shut up and let us work?”

  “Sure thing,” Katrina replied, her tone friendly and convivial.

  The techs began by hydrating her, both by giving her small drinks over twenty minutes, and by providing fluids intravenously. Then the medtable covered her in a salve that tended to her many open wounds and sealed them up with temporary skin patches.

  During that period, Katrina tested a theory and tried to send a low-level signal to the nano in her body.

  She got a response.

  She tried sending a stronger signal, but felt a warning tingle from the collar.

  It’s attenuated somewhat, but not off.

  She began to prepare her nano for an infiltration of the collar, feeling better about both her chances and the state of her body.

  A check of her internal timekeeping showed that only thirty-two minutes had passed, which meant that the techs’ medtable was on par with thirtieth century technology. Nothing amazing, but decent enough, considering the fact that they were working in a pirate’s stronghold.

  “OK, Verisa,” Tom said as he fished out a hard-Link cable and looked for the port on her neck. “We’re just going to hook up to you and see what’s rattling around in that noggin of yours.”

  “It’s behind my left ear,” Katrina offered, turning her head.

  “Why are you being so helpful?” Ainsley asked.

  Katrina shrugged as much as she was able. “Probably because you don’t have the software to even attempt an infiltration of my mind.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Ainsley replied.

  Yes, we will, Katrina thought. Tom found the hard-Link port and connected the jack to it. The pair attempted a dozen different ways to handshake with her internal systems, all of which Katrina expertly rebuffed.

  Her time as a spy in Sirius had given her many tools to deal with this sort of attack. What the two were trying was a textbook infiltration…from hundreds of years before Katrina had been born.

  She could have held them off all day, but there was no doubt in her mind that if she didn’t give them something, they would resort to more drastic measures.

  Eventually she let them in over an ancient protocol, and allowed them to exploit a garbage collection bug in the protocol’s transport layer.

  “Oh yeah!” Tom exclaimed. “So much for your talk of our inadequate software. Thing is, we know all the flaws in the code that runs your mods. You’re an open book to us.”

  Katrina shot the man a dirty look as she guided his connection to the garbage datastore. Let him pull that out and rummage around in it for the next week. When he finally got it open, he’d find nothing more than random bits that didn’t mean anything at all.

  While they worked, Katrina directed the nano she had managed to amass to cross over into the collar. They infiltrated its control systems and began running through possible access keys to disable its suppression measures. She had to be careful. Though Tom and Ainsley had attenuated the collar so they could do their work, it would still hammer her if she did too much, too fast.

  At the same time, she piggybacked on their connection into her mind and connected to the table’s network. There was nothing interesting in its datastores, but it w
as connected to a subnet of systems in the castle’s basement.

  Infiltrating the network was slow going; she didn’t want to raise any alarms.

  “Jackpot,” Ainsley said as they accessed the store. “Exobytes in here; she must have the goods on some sweet tech.”

  Dammit, that was supposed to take them longer.

  “Just some poems I wrote,” Katrina replied. “You know how hard it is to sell poetry?”

  “Going to take some time to go through all this,” Ainsley said. “We should send her back into the fields.”

  “I’m not—” Tom began, but was interrupted by the lab door opening.

  Katrina craned her head to see a woman of middling height. She had long, ombre hair that started blue and blended into purple, before ending in pink at the tips.

  Her eyebrows were thin blue lines on her forehead, matching her eyes and lips. She wore a loose, white, sleeveless shirt with golden bands at the wrists and waist, and a pair of tight black pants that gleamed in the room’s harsh light.

  “What have you found?” the woman asked without preamble.

  “Umm…something, Lady Malorie,” Tom said. “She tried to keep us out, but we managed to access a large datastore. We think it might be some tech, or maybe logs and control specs for her ship.”

  “Or it could be her life’s to-do list,” Ainsley said, shooting Tom a dark look. “We really have no idea yet.”

  “We’ve not been properly introduced,” Katrina said with a wry smile. I assume you’re the lady of the castle?”

  Malorie snorted. “That I am, and you’re my husband’s latest little catch.” She looked to the two technicians. “Get her up, I want to have a chat with the mysterious Verisa.”

  Katrina rushed through the datastores she had found, gathering up what she could transport back across the hard-Link, and into her head.

  There were a few things she’d learned already. Jace’s stone fortress was named Revenence Castle, and the planet of Persia was in the Midditerra System—which meant nothing to her. There was no system by that name in the databanks accessed at Bollam’s World.