The second cyber almost intercepted her, but Sabre attacked him, forcing him to take evasive action. The first cyber hit her from the side and sent her sprawling. The force of the impact made her skid across the floor, clawing at the smooth surface. She jumped up and raced towards Ramadaus once more, glimpsing Sabre to one side, smashing a soldier's face into the floor. Several guards converged to protect the Overlord, pointing dart guns at her. Sabre charged them, forcing them to aim at him. He leapt high to avoid the darts, landed almost on top of them and knocked several down.
Tassin tried to reach Ramadaus, a shard of glass still gripped in her bloody fist. Once more a cyber smashed her aside, punching the wind out of her, and her ribs made an ominous cracking sound. She lay stunned, trying to suck in air as the world receded into a red haze. She wondered why Sabre had not protected her, then spotted him locked in battle with the other cyber. They moved with fluid grace, their actions a blur as they matched each other's blows as if predicting them.
More poison darts hissed past, and Sabre used his opponent to aid his leap this time. Landing beside the second cyber, he dropped into a crouch and tried to sweep his opponent's legs out from under him, but the cyber leapt over his leg. A dart hit the first cyber in the chest, and he collapsed, his blank eyes glazing in moments.
Tassin sucked air into her aching lungs before the darkness closed in, pain flaring from her ribs. "Sabre! Take the Overlord hostage!"
Sabre leapt high again as more darts whispered past, performing a graceful backflip. His boots passed within a hair's breadth of his opponent's chin as the cyber jerked aside to avoid the blow. The move took him closer to Ramadaus, who retreated. Ramadaus' cyber raced after Sabre, who spun in time to avoid the blow aimed at the back of his neck. He dropped flat as yet another volley of darts flew past, over him this time. Ramadaus' cyber flung himself at Sabre, who rolled aside and leapt up. He charged the Overlord, smashing aside the two guards who rushed into his path.
Ramadaus' cyber jumped up and gave chase, and again Sabre was forced to spin and face him. He blocked the blow this time and struck back, but once more the conflict became a match of blows and parries, fluid motions too fast for the eye to follow. Darts shot past, but Sabre avoided them, hardly distracted from his battle with his clone, who looked so like him that it was hard to tell them apart. Only Sabre's scars gave him away, for he now possessed the same blank expression and sightless eyes.
Tassin tried to crawl towards Ramadaus, but sharp stabs of pain from her ribcage made her gasp and stiffen. The situation was hopeless. Ramadaus' cyber would not allow Sabre to reach the Overlord, and eventually a dart would hit Sabre, ending the conflict, and his life. Tassin gazed at Sabre, her heart heavy with grief and anguish.
An alarm whooped, making her start, and Ramadaus glanced around. "What now?"
"My lord, we are in stasis lock," the disembodied voice said.
"Stasis lock? Who the hell would dare to attack me?"
"Overlord Fairen."
Ramadaus muttered a foul curse and swung to face the screens. The blackness of space had been turned blood red by the massive Scorpion Ship. Tassin's jaw dropped. Fairen's ship was far too close. The thousands of tiny lights scattered over its hull glittered like tiny diamonds. Ropes of green light blazed from the huge emitters on its curving legs, which closed upon Ramadaus' ship as it clasped its prey. A shudder went through the floor, and a distant, gargantuan metallic groan echoed through the Moth Ship.
"My lord," the disembodied voice cried, "we are in direct contact!"
"That bloody idiot!" Ramadaus said.
The fight between the two cybers continued unabated, but the darts stopped, either because the soldiers had given up trying to hit such an elusive target, or because they had run out of ammunition. Sweat sheened the cybers' skin and their brow bands flashed in energetic, identical patterns. Now Tassin understood why two cybers would fight each other until exhaustion claimed them. The control units had become synchronised, matching each other perfectly. They hardly landed any blows; every punch and kick was avoided, and their speed defied her eyes to follow them. Sweat sprayed from their arms and brows as they spun and lashed out. She wondered how long they could keep it up, amazed by the energy and stamina they displayed.
A commotion at the door drew her attention. The guards stationed there stepped aside, bowing, and a slight, hooded figure strode in. Immensely relieved, she tried to sit up, groaning when pain flared in her ribs.
Ramadaus faced his peer. "I did not invite you onto my ship."
"Nevertheless, I am here," Fairen replied, stopping two metres away.
"And now that you are, what the hell do you intend to do?"
"First, you can put an end to that futile display of fighting skill, which, although impressive, is pointless."
"It takes two to stop it."
"I'm certain Tassin will oblige." Fairen turned his head towards Tassin, who nodded, shooting Sabre a concerned glance.
Ramadaus said, "Cyber, stop."
One of the cybers leapt backwards, quitting the fight. Sabre started towards Ramadaus, following Tassin's last order.
"Sabre, stop," she said.
He turned and walked over to her, assuming a guard pose beside her, sweat dripping from his hands.
She sat up and held out her hand. "Help me up."
He clasped her wrist and hauled her to her feet, and she groaned as pain stabbed through her ribs.
"You have three broken ribs," he stated.
"That many?" Tassin clutched her flank, leaning on him.
Ramadaus turned to Fairen. "Release my ship."
"When you release the cyber."
"You dare to threaten a peer?"
"I dare a great many things that most Overlords don't. That's why I'm called the Wild Child, isn't it?"
"You cannot interfere with the judgement of another Overlord."
Fairen tilted his head. "Aren't you even going to offer me refreshment? How rude of you."
"You boarded without an invitation! You hold my ship in a stasis field! The only reason I allow it is because I don't wish to do battle with a peer. It's forbidden!"
"So I've heard." Fairen approached Tassin and Sabre. "What's wrong with him?"
"He's... under cyber control again," she said through gritted teeth.
Fairen turned to Ramadaus. "And you intended to execute him?"
"He can get free."
"But until he does, he's just a machine, no different from yours. All you're doing is destroying a valuable piece of property."
"Mine can't free themselves."
"Are you sure this is even the right cyber?"
Ramadaus nodded. "She admitted it."
"Ah, well she would, wouldn't she? This could be a ruse."
"But it isn't."
"Perhaps not. However, I lay claim to him." Fairen turned back to Tassin. "Transfer him to me."
"But..." Tassin hesitated, shaking her head.
"You want him to live? Do it."
She looked up at Sabre. "Sabre, what's your serial number?"
"This unit's serial number is XCA-6352-JY9019."
"Cyber XCA-6352-JY9019, command input, authorisation password, moonlight. Initiate transfer protocol."
"Password accepted. Transfer protocol initiated," Sabre said in a dull monotone. "Proceed."
"New owner's name is Overlord Fairen, transfer codes are..." Tassin closed her eyes, struggling to remember the codes. "Midnight, enigma, velocity... image... brigand, starburn."
"Codes valid, transfer accepted. Proceed with voice imprint."
"Make two voice imprints," Fairen said. "This one... and this is the second one." As he spoke the second sentence, his voice changed from the sexless tone to the soft voice of an adolescent boy.
"Voice imprint successful, two imprints stored. Transfer complete." Sabre released Tassin and stepped away, robbing her of his support, and she staggered.
"Stay with her," Fairen commanded. "Help her."
/> Sabre renewed his support, and she clung to him.
"We both know this is bogus," Ramadaus said. "Since he can free himself, he doesn't really belong to you."
"That's debateable, isn't it? By law, he does, and you're not allowed to destroy the property of a peer."
"You neglected to pay for him."
"I will, in due course."
Ramadaus spread his hands. "Then he's free to go. But if I find him again, I will execute him."
"Before you do, make quite certain he no longer belongs to me."
"I shall. Now release my ship."
Fairen drew a com-link from the folds of his robe and held it in front of his mouth. "Commander, withdraw."
"Yes, My Lord," a tinny voice replied.
A moment later, the shafts of green light winked out, and another shudder ran through Ramadaus' ship, accompanied by a metallic groan.
"A stroke of good fortune for you, finding him returned to cyber control," Ramadaus commented as he wandered over to the refreshment counter to pour himself a drink. "What would you have done otherwise?"
Fairen shrugged. "I would have thought of something."
"The others will hear about this."
"I'm sure they'll find it most entertaining." Fairen turned and beckoned to Tassin. "Come, we will go to my ship. You appear to require medical attention."
Tassin nodded, shooting Ramadaus a wary look, but he merely raised his glass and sipped the drink under the folds of his hood. Fairen headed for the door, and Sabre followed, supporting Tassin, who hobbled beside him, clasped her ribs and gasped with pain. After a few strides he picked her up, making her groan, even though he was gentle. She wound her arms around his neck and clung to him. The young Overlord led them to a waiting shuttle, where his men bowed and ushered him aboard, showing Tassin to a crimson and black cabin where Sabre placed her on the bunk.
On board the Scorpion Ship, Tassin was whisked off to hospital. Sabre left her to follow Fairen at his command, before she could tell him anything. The doctors ignored her protests and gave her an injection that brought blessed relief from the pain, but also sent her to sleep.
Chapter Twenty One
Tassin woke with a start, momentarily disorientated and confused. Someone called her name, and she turned her head towards the sound. A boy, clad in immaculately cut black clothes, stood beside her bed, gazing down at her with the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Raven hair topped a face that possessed the peerless beauty of extreme youth, with its perfect, creamy skin. His cheeks flushed a pale pink as she studied him.
"What is it?" She tried to sit up and winced, flopping back.
"Don't be alarmed. I must ask you something."
She recognised his voice with a spurt of surprise. "Overlord Fairen?"
"Yes." He looked away. "I have decided to trust you with my identity."
"I... I'm honoured." She stared at him, fascinated.
"Why won't Sabre free himself?" he asked.
"Well... how long have I been asleep?"
"Twelve hours. What's wrong with him?"
"Nothing. He did it to save me."
"From Ramadaus?" A faint frown wrinkled his brow.
"No. From... There's a girl, on the ship I was on. She... she has powers. I don't know how, but she took control of Sabre, and Tarl. She controls all the men on that ship."
He leant closer, looking concerned. "This is important. How did she do it?"
"With her mind. She's like you, but stronger. That's all I know."
"Like me? Sabre told you I'm an empath?"
"Yes."
"I see." He straightened. "And she was going to kill you?"
"Yes. Do you know what she is?"
"I think so, unless she used drugs and hypnosis."
Tassin shook her head. "She couldn't have done that to Sabre."
"No." He glanced away. "Commander, bring me the girl on the scavenger ship at once."
"At once, My Lord," a voice replied from the ceiling.
"Is that safe?" Tassin levered herself up on the pillows. "What if she does it to you?"
"She won't." He swung away and marched out. She glared at the door in frustration, then slid off the bed and located her clothes in a cupboard. Bandages strapped her ribs, lessening the pain her movements caused, but she still gritted her teeth while she donned her clothes. When she was dressed, she left the sterile white hospital and hobbled along a black corridor until she met a crewman and asked him the way to Fairen's quarters.
"Overlord Fairen is not in his quarters. He's in the interview room, awaiting a prisoner," he informed her.
"Right. Where's the interview room?"
"If Overlord Fairen had requested your presence, you would have an escort."
"I have to speak to him. It's important."
"I will take a message."
"No. Just tell me where the damned interview room is."
The crewman shook his head. "You won't be allowed in without an invitation from Overlord Fairen."
"I'll get one. Take me to him."
He hesitated, then nodded and led the way down the corridor and along a maze of passageways until he stopped in front of a door that two soldiers guarded.
"This woman wishes to see Overlord Fairen."
The guards eyed Tassin, then one touched a button beside the door and it slid open. She entered a black room whose dimensions beggared the mind, its echoing reaches shrouded in gloom, with four huge, round, star-filled screens in the far wall. Broad crimson columns ran up the walls at widely spaced intervals, and scarlet curtains shrouded flickering torches. The Scorpion Ship's design resembled the Moth Ship's, but, while Ramadaus' décor seemed to symbolise opulence, Fairen's appeared to betoken venom and fire. A grey-streaked black marble floor spanned the area around a raised dais in front of the screens. Fairen sat on a gold-patterned onyx throne, a veiled hood hiding his face. Four more torches burnt atop slender columns at evenly spaced intervals around the dais, incongruous, and probably dangerous on a space ship, Tassin mused, although the Scorpion Ship was so large that such strange accoutrements appeared quite fitting. Sabre stood beside the dais on Fairen's right hand, dart guns strapped to his thighs.
Fairen beckoned to her. "I'm glad you could make it."
"Thank you for allowing me to come."
He shrugged. "I need to speak to you about Sabre, anyway."
"What about him?"
"In my opinion, his cyber should remain in my name. This will protect him if Ramadaus captures him again. He must just relinquish control to the cyber if this happens. Do you agree?"
Tassin gazed at Sabre, noting the red bruises forming on his arms, legs and torso where he had taken blows from the other cybers. "If you feel it's necessary."
"I do. I will give you command privilege, just in case you need it."
She inclined her head. "That would be acceptable."
"I will also pay you a token amount for him, making the transaction legal, should Ramadaus try to have my claim overturned amongst our peers." Fairen drew a gloved hand from the folds of his robe and held out a glittering wafer.
Tassin hesitated, then stepped up onto the dais and took it. "How much is it?"
"One hundred thousand credits."
"You call this a token amount?"
"Yes."
Fairen turned to Sabre. "Cyber. Command input, password moonlight. Command privilege granted to Tassin Alrade."
"Password accepted. Input voice imprint."
Fairen signalled to Tassin, who stood tongue-tied for a moment, then blurted, "Thank you for rescuing us from Ramadaus."
"Voice imprint successful. Command privilege granted to Tassin Alrade," Sabre intoned.
Fairen nodded. "You are welcome."
"I wasn't sure you would come. It seemed... a lot to expect from someone who carries the weight of the known universe on his shoulders."
"And they're such young shoulders. I know you think it, so I'll say it for you. I'm not offended. I am young. And I k
eep my promises. I owe Sabre my life. That's not something I take lightly. As for the weight of the known universe, I'm not alone in carrying it, which is probably just as well."
The doors opened, and one of the guards who stood inside them announced, "Overlord Ramadaus."
Ramadaus stalked across the room, radiating disgruntlement.
Fairen rose and stepped down to meet him. "Greetings, Ramadaus."
"Fairen. You requested my presence. What's this about?" His head turned briefly towards Tassin.
"I'm bringing a prisoner for judgement. I might require your help."
"You?" Ramadaus snorted. "Since when do you need my help with a judgement?"
"She might be a control telepath. If she is, I will need you to block her while I read her."
"Control telepaths are a myth. But if she was, it would be too dangerous to read her."
Fairen tilted his head and folded his hands. "That's for me to decide."
"What makes you think she's a meerin?"
"I have it on good authority that she's taken control of the males on the ship you captured."
Ramadaus turned his head towards Tassin again. "She told you this?"
"Yes."
"What does she know about meerin?"
"Nothing. She only knows what happened on that ship."
Ramadaus shook his head. "I don't like it. Meerin are extremely dangerous. If she is one, and you read her..."
"That's why I asked for your aid."
Ramadaus turned to Tassin. "How long did it take her to control the men?"
"Four days."
"Then she's powerful." He faced Fairen again. "I won't do it. Call Sethar."
"Why Sethar?"
"He's almost as powerful as you, and he's older and wiser."
Fairen returned to his throne, flexing his hands in agitation.
Tassin stepped forward, her heart hammering. "Excuse me, but wouldn't it be better to call Ravian? This girl seems to be able only to control men."
The Cyber Chronicles V - Overlord Page 24