The Cyber Chronicles VI - Warrior Breed

by T C Southwell

  The man with the brow band said, "He has some sort of metallic reinforcing on his bones, Marek, and his head band appears to be sophisticated. I've never encountered anything like it, but who would go to such lengths to strengthen such a weakling? He should have been strangled at birth."

  Sabre eyed the man with the brow band. "You have bio scanners?"

  "Amongst other things."

  "So what will it take to see your commander?"

  Hallel shrugged. "You'll have to get past us."

  Marek smirked and cracked his knuckles. "I want him."

  Sabre turned his attention to Marek. "Do I have to fight you all together, or one at a time?"

  Marek guffawed. "You're mine, little man."

  Sabre held up a hand as Marek stepped forward. "Is this to the death?"

  Hallel tilted his head. "Do you really think you could kill him?"

  "Easily."

  Hallel grinned and stepped back. "Then do it."

  Marek took a step closer. "I'm going to snap your neck, little man."

  "That's impossible, I'm afraid."

  Marek growled and lunged at Sabre, his huge hands reaching for the cyber's throat. Sabre leapt high and kicked Marek in the face with a crunch of breaking bone. The cyber performed a graceful backflip, powered by his contact with the huge warrior, and landed like a cat. Marek flew backwards two metres and sprawled on his back with a terrific crash, sliding along the floor with a scrape of armour on steel. He twitched for a moment, then lay still, his face crushed. A stunned silence fell as the four Trykons stared at their dead comrade, then Hallel turned to Sabre, frowning.

  "How the hell did you do that?"

  Sabre shrugged. "I was bred for it. Now do I get to meet your commander?"

  "No. You get to meet our third sub-lieutenant."

  "Do I have to do the same thing to him?"

  "That's up to him. You've only killed a soldier in unarmed combat, which doesn't get you many privileges."

  "And if I kill your lieutenant, I meet the commander?" Sabre asked.

  "Perhaps. Marek was taken by surprise. That won't happen again."

  "A warrior should never underestimate his opponent."

  "Marek was a hothead, but he was a good fighter." Hallel's eyes slid past Sabre to Tarl, Kernan and Tassin. "What about these? They have no enhancements. What are they?"

  "They're my servants, and non-combatants, but they have lasers that they'll use to defend themselves. They're also under my protection."

  "A bold claim. It remains to be seen if you can protect them. One lucky blow doesn't give you much status."

  Sabre glanced at the other three Trykons. "So how many of you do I have to kill to get a lot of status?"

  "That's for the sub-lieutenant to decide."

  "Let's go then." Sabre's attention was drawn inwards as the scanner information reappeared in his mind, and moments later, the warrior with the jammer on his shoulder turned to Hallel.

  "He's scanning again, using a frequency I can't jam."

  "Then find someone who can." Hallel eyed Sabre. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

  "More than you can imagine."

  Hallel grunted and swung away, leading them down the corridor in the direction in which they had been heading. The other three Trykons fell in behind Kernan and Tarl, two of them carrying Marek's corpse. Tassin looked pale but determined, and Sabre wished he could offer her some reassurance. Tarl was right, however. Once he had gained sufficient status amongst the Trykons, he would be able to do as he wanted. Hallel turned into the doorway from which Marek and the other warrior had emerged and led them deeper into the ship.

  They passed several warriors along the way, all of whom had some sort of cybernetic augmentation in the form of robotic limbs, sensory enhancements or built-in weaponry, sometimes all three. They carried swords in scabbards buckled to their belts or across their backs, and a few had daggers strapped to their thighs as well. Their armour was varied, as was what little cloth they wore, bearing no shred of uniformity. They stared at the intruders with amusement, and some even stopped to chuckle and make scathing comments as the quartet walked past.

  Hallel led them to a door that slid open, and they entered a room where three men sat in front of a console, monitoring a bank of screens and tapping keys. A huge man stood at the back, his folded arms bulging with tattooed muscles. His shaven head bore a narrow strip of ash blond hair down the centre with black snake tattoos on either side of it. A small vertical scanner jutted above his left ear and a broad strap crossed his bare chest from shoulder to waist, supporting a double-handed broadsword at an angle on his back. Pale scars too numerous to count webbed his skin, and both his hands were robotic.

  Hallel stopped beside him. "Third Lieutenant Dovan. I brought the intruders."

  The man's cold grey eyes slid over the quartet, and the nostrils of his broken nose flared with disdain. "Why? You should have killed them. What happened to your comrade, and why didn't you jettison his corpse?"

  "The intruder with the brow band killed him, Lieutenant. I brought his body for you to examine."

  The lieutenant glared at Sabre, then stepped closer to Marek's corpse, which the men had dumped on the floor, and studied it. "I see no sign of combat on the stranger."

  "He killed Marek with one blow."

  "He's smaller than my twelve-year-old son. How could he?"

  "He did. I witnessed it, so did they." Hallel nodded at the three warriors who accompanied them. "He has cyber enhancements."

  Jovan snorted. "That's a waste. And the ones with weakling weapons?"

  "His servants, under his protection, he claims."

  "Take them to the combat room and kill them. Keep the female for sport. We return to the battle as soon as we've completed our repairs; you'll be needed. And get rid of that corpse."

  Hallel bowed his head and headed for the door, the group following him. They trooped through the ship, receiving many more amused looks from the warriors they encountered, and paused to stuff Marek's body into a disposal chute. They arrived in a fair-sized grey room whose walls bore the dents, scrapes and stains of many battles. Ragged banners, dented armour and well-worn weapons also adorned them, trophies from victorious encounters, Sabre guessed.

  Hallel turned to the three warriors. "Who wants him?"

  The man with the jammer on his shoulder stepped forward the quickest. "I do."

  Hallel nodded. "He's all yours, Partek."

  Partek smiled, revealing a mouthful of broken teeth, and detached the heavy jammer, handing it to his comrade. Tarl drew Tassin over to the wall and stood in front of her. Kernan joined them, looking sour. Partek cracked his knuckles and leered, then drew a long dagger from a sheath on his thigh.

  Tassin's heart chilled with anguish, then pounded with rage. Pushing Tarl aside, she stepped forward. "That's not fair! Sabre's unarmed!"

  Hallel turned to face her, looking surprised. She cursed the fact that he could not understand her, and was astonished when he spoke in her language, with a thick accent. "Be silent, woman. This doesn't concern you."

  "Yes it does. You're supposed to be warriors, yet you show yourselves to be cowards by using a weapon against an unarmed man."

  "He's free to arm himself if he wishes. No one's stopping him. Now be quiet, or I'll silence you."

  Tassin looked at Sabre. "Use a weapon."

  His tired, wry smile tore her heart. "I don't need one. You should know that by now."

  "Against a monster like him?"

  "He's only a human."

  "A very large one."

  "It makes little difference."

  She shook her head. "Don't take risks. We're all depending on you."

  Hallel stepped towards her, scowling. "I said be quiet!"

  Tassin realised her peril as Tarl yanked her back and drew his laser, pointing it at Hallel, who stopped, his brow furrowed.

  "You'll be the next to die, little man. That, I promise. Keep her quiet, or you'll be t
he first."

  "Touch either of them and you die, Hallel," Sabre said.

  Hallel swung around. "Empty threats don't scare me, especially from a midget. Sabre." He spat. "A pretentious name for a weakling."

  Sabre glanced at Tassin. "You've only seen me use my full abilities against other cybers, and they can handle it. Believe me, this isn't a problem."

  Tassin shot Hallel a killing look, jerked her arm from Tarl's grip and swung away. Much as she wanted to, she knew that if she continued her protests it would only spark a conflict between Sabre and Hallel, which she did not want and he did not need.

  "When you've quite finished squabbling with your doxy, I'd like to get on with this," Partek said.

  Sabre turned to him. "In a hurry to die?"

  "Eager to kill you."

  Sabre spread his hands. "So what are you waiting for?"

  A slow smile stretched Partek's mutilated features, and he lunged, his right hand lashing out in a dagger stroke aimed to disembowel the cyber. Sabre skipped back and leapt into a forward handspring. His boots slammed into Partek's chest and sent him staggering backwards. Sabre landed on his feet and followed, giving Partek no time to recover. His fist cracked into Partek's jaw with a sickening crunch and a spray of blood, staggering the big man again. Partek snarled and stabbed at Sabre, missing as the cyber spun aside, moving faster than Tassin's eyes could follow.

  His movements flowed as he used the momentum of his spin to power the lash of a leg, smashing it into Partek's shin. The bone shattered with a sharp report, and Partek reeled, his arms wind milling as he tried to stay on his feet. His broken leg buckled sickeningly. Sabre continued to spin, bringing one arm down in a blur of motion on Partek's wrist. Again the bone broke with a crunch, and the dagger skittered away across the floor.

  Partek sprawled with a crash of armour, roaring with pain and rage. Sabre walked over to him and kicked him in the head, and he went limp. The cyber looked at Hallel.

  "Must I kill him too?" He lifted a foot and held it poised over Partek's head.

  Hallel shrugged. "Up to you."

  Sabre lowered his foot and stepped back. "So who's next?"

  Tassin let out her pent breath, her heart buoyant with relief.

  Tarl shot her a tight smile. "There was no need to worry. They're only men."

  "I've seen him fight normal men before. He never beat them this easily."

  "Then he wasn't using his full strength."

  "And now he is, right?"

  Tarl inclined his head. "Almost."

  "He fought a big man on Omega, and almost lost."

  "What was his bio-status?"

  "I don't know."

  Tarl frowned at his boots. "Had he been in many prior conflicts?"

  "Yes."

  "Then it was probably quite low."

  Tassin chewed her lip. "I suppose so."

  "One of the few drawbacks cybers have is that they use up their energy very quickly, and if they're not eating cyber rations it takes a little while for them to recover."

  Hallel turned to his two remaining comrades. "I claim him."

  They frowned, looking resentful. Hallel drew the massive sword that was strapped across his back, hefted it and smiled at Sabre, who waited, relaxed.

  "Now would be a good time to choose a weapon, little man. You're well trained, I'll give you that, but against me you stand no chance. I'm the best warrior in my group."

  Sabre's lips twitched in a slight, cold smile. "I could crush your skull with one hand."

  Hallel snorted. "Your hand isn't big enough."

  "Let's get on with it."

  "You choose to fight me unarmed?"

  "Yes."

  "Then you insult me."

  Sabre shrugged. "That's not my intention."

  Hallel swung the sword in a complex pattern that sliced the air with supreme skill. He lunged, his weapon slashing the air where Sabre had been standing an instant before. The cyber spun, and his right arm lashed out at the back of Hallel's head. The big warrior ducked, turned swiftly, and stabbed the sword at Sabre's gut. The cyber dropped backwards, catching himself on his hands, and kicked upwards with one leg, hitting Hallel's wrist.

  The sword spun away, and again there was a sharp crack as the warrior's bones snapped. Hallel grunted, staggering back, then yanked a dagger from its thigh strap with his left hand and charged Sabre with a growl of rage. The cyber skipped aside and kicked Hallel in the back, sending him stumbling into the wall. He swung around, his eyes glinting with fury, a trickle of blood running from one nostril as a result of his collision. His comrades muttered, scowling, and Tassin found that her fingernails were hurting her palms and opened her hands.

  Hallel calmed himself with an obvious effort, showing that his training was better than Partek's. Hefting the dagger, he circled Sabre, who turned to face him. Hallel feinted, and Sabre stepped back, his eyes narrowing. The big warrior turned and circled the other way, feinting again and again, his lips drawn back in a fierce snarl, revealing several steel-capped teeth. Sabre's brows drew together in a frown of annoyance, or perhaps concentration. Tassin deduced that he disliked Hallel's new tactics.

  Tarl leant closer and whispered, "Sabre was toying with him, now he's trying to make Sabre attack, taking away his defensive advantage."

  "What will Sabre do?"

  Tarl shrugged. "Probably attack."

  "Is that wise?"

  "It'll just speed things up."

  Sabre sighed and folded his arms, which seemed foolhardy to Tassin. He stopped turning to face Hallel, allowing him to go behind him. Hallel gave a growl of rage at this blatant insult and lunged, his dagger flashing towards the cyber's ribs. Sabre swayed aside just enough to allow the weapon to slip past, grabbed Hallel's arm and twisted it. Raising his knee, he slammed the warrior's forearm across it. The sharp crunch of breaking bone made Tassin's stomach clench. Hallel reeled away as Sabre shoved him, his bent armour holding his broken limb at an ugly angle. He grimaced, his chest heaving, and backed away.

  Tassin glanced at Tarl. "They don't seem to be very good warriors."

  He chuckled. "Against a cyber they have no chance, and Sabre's doing his best to make them look bad without killing them."

  "But they don't use their legs like he does."

  "He hasn't given them the opportunity."

  Hallel turned to his men and growled an order, and one went to the door and spoke into the com-link beside it. Sabre wandered over to Tassin, rubbing his reddened knuckles.

  "He's calling his first lieutenant."

  Tassin reached for his hand, but he pulled it away with a shake of his head. She glanced at the Trykons, who watched them with deep frowns and narrowed eyes, muttering amongst themselves.

  "What are they saying?"

  "Hallel knows I was playing with him, so he's furious, especially since he now has two broken arms and has lost a lot of status. The other two want a go at me, but he's their group leader, so if he can't beat me, neither can they. That's what he's telling them."

  "So what happens now?"

  He shrugged. "I guess I've progressed to officers."

  Chapter Eight

  A few minutes later, a red-haired giant strode into the combat room. He was as tall as Dovan, but more muscular, his long hair braided in many thin plaits that were tied at his nape with a thong. His scarred face was tattooed on both cheeks, and he wore a steel ring through his nose. Small scanners were attached to polished steel plates on either side of his head, and a pair of steel spikes protruded from his brow. Two warriors followed him in, one sporting a robotic arm and a scanner on the side of his head, the other a metal-plated head, a metal hand and a robotic eye. The red-haired lieutenant stared at Sabre, then turned to Hallel.

  "Report, Group Leader."

  Hallel shot Sabre a dirty look. "He's defeated me and Partek, and killed Marek."

  "He appears unscathed."

  "He is. None of us landed a blow."

  "Yet you have two broken
arms, and Partek is unconscious."

  "He moves very fast, and his bones are metal plated."

  The lieutenant snorted. "He's a midget. You're demoted to warrior, and disgraced. I'll deal with him."

  The lieutenant approached them, and Sabre turned to face him, blocking his path, but was forced to look up at him. The red-haired man's flinty brown eyes flicked over Tassin, ignoring the men who flanked her, then lowered to Sabre.

  "I'm First Lieutenant Rodar. Who are you?" he asked in Anglo.

  "Sabre."

  "Perhaps I should ask what you are."

  "You could."

  "And what would be your reply?"

  Sabre shrugged. "A man."

  "A very small man, who has humiliated a Trykon group leader. You're an outsider; one of the weakling races who dare not enter Trykon space. What are you doing here?"

  "An unfortunate accident of fate. We want to leave, but we need a ship."

  Rodar studied Sabre, his expression calculating, then thrust out a hand. "You have earned a greeting with your prowess."

  Tarl gave a theatrical wince and muttered, "Oh, I wouldn't do that if I was you."

  Rodar's eyes flicked to him. "Why not?"

  Tarl raised a finger and wagged it. "I'm guessing you're planning a test of strength, and I wouldn't advise it."

  "Cowardly advice." His gaze returned to Sabre. "Do you scorn my gesture of friendship?"

  "Not at all." Sabre gripped the lieutenant's hand, and Rodar's knuckles whitened as he tried to crush Sabre's hand.

  Sabre fought the urge to punch the idiot in the throat, and instead matched Rodar's strength, then surpassed it, crushing the big man's hand until he nodded and released his grip, admitting defeat.

  "Impressive. Impossible for a man of your size. I ask again, what are you?"

  "He's a cyber-bio combat unit, grade A. The most lethal killing machine ever..." Tarl trailed off as Sabre shot him a frown.

  Sabre turned back to Rodar and folded his arms. "It doesn't matter what I am. I need your ship. If I have to defeat your commander to get it, I will, and I can."

  "You're a long way from facing the commander. If you were a member of our clan, your skills would earn you great status, and you would be on the brink of a challenge, but you're an outsider. You'll have to prove yourself worthy of joining our clan, then you may challenge for leadership. Do you wish to join the Eagle Clan?"