The Cyber Chronicles V - Overlord

by T C Southwell

  "My lord, there are Corsairs on that ship."

  "Are you refusing?"

  "No, My Lord. But our chances of saving her are not good."

  "Just do it."

  "My lord, Ramadaus and Ravian are requesting contact."

  "Allow it."

  Fairen walked over to the ring of pale circles and stood in one. Sabre's vision from the video feed was limited to the area above him, since he lay on his back, but the scanners gave him Fairen's location, and he was able to hear despite the dullness the venom caused. After a moment, Ramadaus' voice spoke.

  "I am glad to see you safe, Fairen."

  "The free cyber saved me."

  "Good. What you did was foolish. We tried to warn you."

  "Has an Overlord ever read a Corsair before?"

  Ravian said, "No, it's too dangerous, as you discovered. If not for Sabre..."

  "Who sent him?"

  "I did."

  "My thanks, Ravian."

  "Is he injured?"

  "Regrettably, he was bitten in the fight. He's dying."

  "No he isn't," Ramadaus said. "Cybers are immune to Corsair venom."

  "But he's sick."

  "He will be for a time, yes."

  "I'm pleased to hear it." Fairen paused. "I read the Corsair. They are depraved, utterly without conscience, compassion or merit. I have condemned them."

  "We saw you destroy their ship."

  "They should be wiped out."

  "They probably will be, in time," Ravian assured him. "I wish to visit you."

  "Certainly."

  "I also," Ramadaus said.

  "Very well."

  Silence fell, then Fairen returned to Sabre's side. "So, you will recover. This is good news. Medics, take him to the hospital and give him the best care."

  "Yes, My Lord."

  "Take the Corsair’s corpse to the lab. I want it studied."

  Sabre tried to speak again, but only another groan issued from his locked throat. Tremors racked him, and his muscles spasmed. The medics lifted him onto a floating stretcher, which swayed as they guided it out. Glowing corridor ceiling passed above him, and the medics murmured, too softly for him to make out the words. They entered a medical facility, judging by the antiseptic smell and white ceiling. The spasms made his breaths come in shuddering gasps, and fresh sweat poured off him from the exertion of the convulsions.

  The medics stripped off his armour and clothes, leaving his shorts. They commented on the red marks on his wrists and thighs from the Corsair's powerful grip. After hosing him off with cold water, they smeared ointment on his face and neck where the acid had burnt him. Their treatment, though thorough, was all too familiar, for it was that which humans usually meted out to cybers. Uncaring. He wondered how long the spasms would last, and recalled the painful immunisation regimen he had been subjected to at the tender age of five.

  Forty-seven injections of a deactivated form of the venom, starting with a tiny dose and increasing to an amount equivalent to a Corsair bite. Its effects had been painful, much like this episode, with hours of convulsions followed by days of weakness and vomiting. The subsequent doses had been administered before he had recovered from the one before, to save time. His worry for Tassin burnt in his heart like a lump of lead, adding to his misery.

  Fairen's men stood no chance against Corsairs, even if they reached the liner's armoury and armed themselves with lasers, which he doubted. They had been sent to their deaths, and might only provide a distraction, delaying Tassin's discovery. He glanced at the cyber's information; the bio-data showed red areas throughout his body, where the venom wreaked its havoc. The cyber had put his biological defence system into overdrive and started a fluid flush, speeding his heart rate to pump his blood through his kidneys quickly and cleanse it. This was its standard reaction to any foreign substance, but it would help to speed his recovery.

  ****

  "Where did he go?" Tassin demanded, turning to Tarl.

  He shook his head. "Beats the hell out of me. He was translocated. It's the only way he could just vanish like that."

  "Ramadaus!"

  "Probably."

  "We've got to rescue him!"

  "How?"

  Despair swamped Tassin. "Call Ravian! Or Fairen! Surely they'll help us?"

  "Against another Overlord? Unlikely. Besides, we have no way of contacting them. The only intercom patched into the interstellar transmitters is in the hold."

  "Then we have to go there." Tassin paced in a circle, her heart pounding.

  "That's too dangerous."

  "Without Sabre, we don't stand a chance of getting off this ship alive."

  "True." Tarl sat on the sofa. "But there's not much we can do about it."

  "We have to do something!"

  "We're in no position to rescue him. We need rescuing ourselves. I think we should sit tight and hope Sabre can escape by himself, and maybe bring help."

  Tassin turned to scowl at him. "Just sit here and hope for the best?"

  "What else can we do? We have no idea where the Corsairs are, and if we leave this cabin we could be caught."

  "Can't you do anything? Use the access panel in here to call for help?"

  He shook his head. "Only the cyber can hack into the ship's computer."

  Tassin stared at the three ships on the vidimage screen. "They must know we're here. Why don't they save us?"

  "We're not important enough."

  ****

  Fairen rose to greet his guests as Ravian and Ramadaus entered his private chambers.

  "Well, it's been some time since three of us met."

  Ravian's eyes flicked over him. "What happened to your face?"

  Fairen raised a hand to his cheek. "The Corsair... drooled on me. The medics say it will clear up in a few days."

  "It touched you?"

  Fairen gestured to the couch. "Sit, please. Something to drink?"

  "Tell me what happened."

  The boy sighed and turned to the refreshment centre to pour a drink. "Yes, it touched me. It took me hostage. My men's weapons had no effect on it."

  "They wouldn't," Ramadaus said, sinking down on a white velvet couch. "Corsairs are immune to poison."

  "So I discovered."

  Ravian came closer to study the red marks on his face. "What did Sabre do?"

  "He was... amazing." Fairen sipped his drink. "He pulled the creature off me in a flash. Then it had him, and it wouldn't let go. My men were useless; it killed four of them. They fought for twenty-two minutes. I have it all on vidimage."

  "I'd like to see that," Ramadaus murmured.

  Fairen swung around. "He saved my life. You will not execute him now."

  "You're giving me orders now?"

  "Take it any way you will. I shall protect him from you. Before he leaves this ship, I'll give him a long range transmitter. If you capture him, you will be in conflict with me."

  Ramadaus’ brows rose. "You would attack me?"

  "I owe him my life. Yes, I will."

  Ramadaus glanced at Ravian, who smiled, a little smug. "No Overlord has ever attacked another. What would the punishment for that be?"

  "Who could punish me?"

  "The others."

  "They would start a war between us."

  Ramadaus shook his head. "He's just a damned cyber. They die protecting their owners all the time. It's what they're trained to do."

  "But he's free. He didn't have to save me."

  "If he hadn't, someone would have executed him."

  Fairen glared at Ramadaus. "When he attacked the Corsair, he touched me unintentionally. He was not doing it because he thought he had to, but because he wanted to. His mind was clear of everything but one purpose. To save me." His hand trembled, and he slammed the glass down on the sleek black counter. "Do you have any idea how terrible it was for me to be touched by something as evil as that thing?"

  Ravian put out a hand to comfort him, then thought better of it and poured herself a dri
nk instead. "It must have been awful."

  "I feel dirty still."

  "The main thing is you're all right. How is Sabre doing?"

  "He's getting the best care in my hospital."

  "That's good. Sit down, you're upset. What of his friends?"

  Fairen sank down on the couch. "I've sent some men over to rescue them."

  "They'll be slaughtered," Ramadaus said.

  "What more can I do?"

  "Translocate them," Ravian suggested.

  Fairen nodded. "Good idea. Commander, find the free cyber's two friends and bring them aboard."

  A voice spoke from the wall. "That will require some form of identification, My Lord."

  Fairen turned to Ravian. "I haven't seen them."

  "The girl is small, with black hair and blue eyes. The man is large, middle-aged, with brown hair and light blue eyes."

  "I will start a search for them at once, My Lord. Shall I recall the men?" the disembodied voice of Fairen's commander enquired.

  "No, they might succeed."

  "Yes, My Lord."

  Ramadaus snorted and shook his head. "Overlords concerned with the fate of two people. What are we coming to?"

  "A man has never saved an Overlord before. I'm in his debt."

  "He's not a man."

  Fairen glared at him. "If you say that one more time, you will leave my ship and never return."

  "Come, Fairen," Ravian said. "Don't let him upset you. Will you take me to see Sabre?"

  "Certainly." Fairen rose and headed for the door, pausing when Ramadaus stood up. "You're coming too?"

  "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

  The hospital smelt of antiseptic, and Ravian wrinkled her nose as they entered it. Medical personnel bowed and stepped from their path. A senior doctor guided them to a cubicle, and she stopped in shock. Sabre lay on a steel floater-bed, almost naked, and he breathed in harsh gasps. Ridges of muscle stood out on his belly as convulsions racked him, making him quiver. The brow band had more red lights in it than usual, and veins bulged on his neck and forehead. His face and throat were blotched with red marks similar to Fairen's, only worse, and a film of yellow ointment covered them. Pale scars marked his chest and arms, some apparently made by swords, judging by their size.

  Fairen frowned at him, then turned to the medic. "Did you save his eyes?"

  "They seem all right, My Lord. Impossible to tell, though, since cybers don't use them."

  "He's not..." Fairen waved the man away. "Never mind."

  Ramadaus went over to Sabre and touched his shoulder. "Amazing creatures. Right now his core temperature is probably over a hundred degrees. The venom causes paralysis that stops the breathing, and death follows swiftly."

  "Read him, Ramadaus," Ravian urged. "See what we saw."

  He snatched his hand away. "No. He's not... I'm not interested."

  Fairen approached, hesitated, then pulled off his glove and placed his hand on Sabre's brow.

  Ravian raised her brows in surprise. "You hate touching people."

  He nodded, gazing down at the cyber. "But not him. He's like a breath of fresh air, and right now he's helping to wash away the Corsair's taint. It's good to touch someone pure for a change. He's aware of us. He's concerned about the girl." He snatched his hand away with a hiss.

  Ramadaus cocked a brow. "Not so pure after all?"

  "He's in a lot of pain." Fairen glanced around and addressed a doctor who hovered nearby. "Give this man painkillers."

  "But My Lord, he's a -"

  "Do it!"

  "Yes, My Lord."

  Ramadaus said, "If he was still under cyber control, he wouldn't feel it."

  "Do you really believe that?” Ravian asked. “What scientific explanation makes that possible?"

  "The cyber unit blocks it."

  "How?"

  "Do I look like a technician?"

  Ravian smiled. "No. But if you asked Sabre, he'd tell you that cybers feel pain. They just aren't allowed to react to it."

  "And you believe him?"

  "Why would he lie? Besides, unlike you, I've read him, and he's not lying."

  A medic hurried in and injected the drip that was attached to Sabre's arm, then left with a bow. After a couple of minutes Fairen placed his hand on Sabre's brow again.

  "That's better."

  "How long will this last?" Ravian enquired.

  Ramadaus shrugged. "That depends on how much venom was injected into him, and where."

  Fairen glanced at the doctor, who said, "He wasn't bitten, My Lord. There are no bite marks on him anywhere. It was the venom that got into his eyes."

  Ramadaus said, "Only a small amount then, but close to the brain, which is bad."

  ****

  "Look!" Tarl pointed at the vidimage screen, where a shuttle had just left Fairen's vessel and moved towards the liner.

  Tassin peered at it. "Why would Fairen send a ship here?"

  "To rescue us?"

  "He wouldn't do that."

  "What other reason could there be?"

  She shook her head. "I hope you're right. But how would he know we're still alive, unless he's spoken to Sabre."

  "Perhaps he took Sabre, not Ramadaus."

  "Why would he do that?"

  Tarl shrugged. "I have no idea."

  "Ramadaus is the only one who has a reason to take Sabre."

  "So what are Ravian and Fairen doing here?"

  "I don't know!" Tassin cried in frustration.

  A scratching came from the door, and Tarl glanced around in alarm as it shuddered and rattled. "They've found us."

  "We've got to get out of here!" Tassin shouted over the women's wails of terror.

  "How?"

  "An air vent! A door!"

  Tarl headed for the bathroom. "There might be a crawlspace in here. There usually is for the plumbing."

  "Hurry!"

  He paused just inside the door to glance around, then went to the basin and felt under it. "There is, but it's sealed." Tarl punched the cover, but his fist bounced off. "Shit!"

  "Hurry up!"

  Tarl wrung his hand. "I'm not a bloody cyber, okay? This thing is strong."

  "Use your laser."

  Tarl pulled out the laser and aimed it at the faint square indentation under the basin, firing it in sweeping lines along the edges of the square. Putting the weapon away, he sat down and kicked the panel, which flew inwards with a bang.

  "Get in!"

  Tassin dropped to all fours and crawled into the dark opening, cursing whoever had built it so narrow. The air was stale, and smelt of sewage. A weeping woman crawled in behind her, and Tassin moved along as fast as she could, her heart pounding. The bangs of the Corsairs' attack on the cabin door followed her, mingled with the wails of the terrified women.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sabre opened his eyes. His vision was yellow-tinged and blurred, but the convulsions had stopped and only faint shivers still racked him. Sitting up, he yanked the drip needle out of his arm and swung his legs off the bed, the room spinning. He waited for it to steady, then slid off the bed. His knees buckled as his feet hit the floor, sending him sprawling. His arm hit a steel table covered with instruments, and it fell with an ear-piercing clatter. Clasping his ringing ears, he struggled to his feet, swaying and blinking to clear the ointment from his eyes. His vision improved a little, but remained blurred. He spotted his clothes and armour on another table.

  Staggering over to it, he donned them, turning as a medic came in, drawn by the noise.

  The man frowned. "Lie down on the bed, cyber, you're not well."

  "I'm fine," Sabre said.

  The man's eyes widened, and he shook his head in disbelief. "Who's your owner?"

  "No one." Sabre clipped on his armour and brushed past the man, then turned and grabbed the front of his white jumpsuit. "Take me to Fairen."

  "No! You can't -"

  "I can break your neck with one hand, now take me to him."

 
"Guards!"

  Sabre cursed and punched him, knocking him senseless. He staggered from the cubicle, collided with a trolley and sent it crashing to the floor, scattering medicine. Groping his way along the wall, he found a door and reeled through it, his legs barely obeying him. In the corridor, he bumped into a crewman and grabbed him. Drawing a laser, he pressed it to the man's neck.

  "Take me to Fairen, or die."

  The man pointed down the corridor. "That way."

  Sabre leant on his captive, one arm locked around his throat. A little of his strength returned as they traversed several black-walled, grey-carpeted corridors, then lurched into Fairen's vast audience room. The scanners showed the presence of several guards, and three people stood together in the middle of the room. His captive tensed when a rustle of movement came from the men around the walls as they drew their weapons. Sabre blinked, clearing his sight a little more.

  "Don't shoot!" Fairen ordered, hurrying towards Sabre.

  The cyber holstered his laser and held up his hand. "I'm not here to hurt anyone."

  Fairen stopped a pace away. "What are you doing here? You're sick."

  "Where's Tassin?"

  "Ah. On the liner. We're going to translocate her, but we're still trying to get a lock on her, and she's moving now."

  "What's happened?"

  "The Corsairs found them, by the looks of it, but they've found a way to escape."

  "Then translocate her... Please."

  Fairen shook his head. "We can't while she's moving, and even when she stops, we have to get a visual identification from the on board monitors first or we might get the wrong person."

  "If you get the wrong one, do it again, but do it!"

  "As I said, she's moving now. We have to wait for her to stop. And if we translocate the wrong person, it will be several minutes before the translocators power up again."

  Sabre stared at him, swaying. "Send me there."

  "You're in no state to take on Corsairs now."

  "I'll be the judge of that. I promised to protect her, or die trying."

  "We'll get her out."

  Sabre's looked past him at Ravian and Ramadaus. "So, everyone's here. No one else will help, I suppose."