Seeds of Earth

  'What of the drone?'

  'Will be reprogrammed and fitted with anti-personnel

  systems and self-destruct.'

  Cora nodded and turned to Kao Chih. 'Well, this is it,

  KC - it's been a rollercoaster ride but we got there in the

  end. So see you in another life - or another hell!'

  She smiled and winked, just as the Henkayan touched

  something cold and metallic to his neck. Immediately,

  everything below his head went numb and like a puppet

  with severed strings he fell but was neatly caught.

  Bizarrely, he was still conscious and fully alert but with-

  out any control over his neck muscles so that his head

  lolled this way and that as Compositor Henach carried

  him from the room.

  'Your new body will be remarkable, Human - we do

  only remarkable things here and you will see it all.'

  The Compositor placed him in some kind of cradling

  couch which had a row of folded surgical extensors

  along one edge, like the hooks and pincers of a

  grotesque creature, glittering and retracted. He only

  caught glimpses of it as the Henkayan fastened him in.

  Kao Chih wanted to cry out, even curse his captor, but

  the deadening effect encompassed his vocal chords.

  'So - augmentation of legs, arms, hands, chest, and

  perhaps spine also.' Kao Chih could see die Henkayan

  lean over then heard a series of tiny clicks, and a holo-

  gram of a human body appeared overhead, an image

  stripped of skin and showing muscles, arteries, organs,

  the stark, pale orbs of his own eyes staring up, his

  toothy jaws gaping but unable to speak, an exhibition in

  red. A sense of helpless despair filled his mind.

  'Hmm, no dataweave, no cranial conduit, and no

  implants . . . except for molecular attachment in lin-

  guistic centre ... hmm, still largely unblemished Human

  brain - most refreshing . . .'

  Suddenly the couch gave a slight jolt and out of sight

  there was a metallic clinking, and the clatter of some-

  thing falling to the floor. The Compositor cursed under

  his breath, put his grin back in place and looked at Kao

  Chih.

  'First, we cut open your legs, insert builder seeds and

  guide membrane,' he said. 'Quick, easy, you feel noth-

  ing, then .. .'

  This time the entire room lurched and Henach was

  thrown sideways to fetch up against the wall. He let out

  a shriek of rage and dashed across the room towards

  something out of Kao Chili's sight. Outside the surgery

  alarms were warbling in the corridors and a moment

  later he heard the Henkayan say, 'This is Compositor

  Henach - what is happening?'

  'So sorry, Compositor, but the Strigida drone has

  broken free of its stasisweb and caused damage to the

  inner hull...'

  'I am working! - no excuses, recapture it!'

  'Yes, Compositor, at once. When we find it.'

  'What? How can you lose it?'

  'It found a way into the maintenance interstices, sir,

  and the security scuttlers aren't reporting anything . . .'

  The opencom voice was blotted out by a deafening

  crash in the room, the sight of flying fragments of what

  looked like deck tiles, and a terrified howl from the

  Compositor, swiftly cut off. For a second or two there

  were only the ticks and knocks of bits of debris falling to

  the floor and an odd, muffled, mumbling sound. Then

  the familiar dumb-bell shape of Drazuma-Ha* drifted

  into view.

  'Greetings, Gowchee - I see that you are about to

  undergo some physical modifications, which would cer-

  tainly enhance your ability to defend yourself in the

  future. Would you like me to return later?'

  Robbed of his voice, Kao Chih could only frown,

  glare and mouth various demands and imprecations in

  an attempt to get his meaning across.

  'Ah, I deduce that this would be unwelcome - very

  well.'

  All of a sudden he was plunged back into the sensa-

  tions of his entire body again, as if he had convulsively

  awoken from a nightmare, or into one. Shivering, itch-

  ing, coughing, he scrambled out of the surgical cradle

  and saw that Drazuma-Ha* was restraining the

  Compositor with a forcefield extension wrapped around

  the Henkayan's mouth and neck. Rage mottled his fix-

  tures and despite the forcefield gag he was still trying to

  shout and threaten, which accounted for the muted

  throaty muttering.

  'So, how did you . . .' Kao Chih began, but was

  forced to break off by a coughing fit.

  'Obtain my freedom? Well, our hosts, who think very

  highly of themselves, reasoned that providing our female

  hijacker with the specifications of the Strigida design

  would ensure success. They failed to realise that over the

  course of several thousand years I might have intro-

  duced some modifications of my own, like

  improvements to my power grid as well as multiple

  redundancy in the vital systems. Thus I was able to

  reroute my core functions, disable the stasisweb and free

  myself.'

  Swallowing painfully, Kao Chih looked down at the

  long gaping hole in the floor. 'Well, it certainly worked.

  What shall we do now?'

  'Getting off this space-going torture chamber would

  be most preferable,' Drazuma-Ha * said. 'I managed to

  tap into the security web and sealed the intermodule

  access doors, but that will only last until they splice up

  a workaround.'

  Kao Chih stared at the unrelentingly wrathful

  Compositor Henach. 'Does this vessel have escape

  pods?'

  'Yes, a small number for each module, but if we

  departed in one it would be an easy matter to send a

  recovery vehicle to bring it back in.'

  'We don't go,' Kao Chih said. 'He does.'

  'A diversion, very good, making sure that the pod's

  comm device is nonfunctional. Then, I assume, we will

  head towards the docking ring and your ship.'

  'Exactly - if you can make it appear that you have me

  restrained with forcefields, we can play guard-and-pris-

  oner.'

  'I have a better suggestion,' Drazuma-Ha* said as a

  shimmering aura formed about it, lengthened, altered its

  outline, swirled with colours . .. and suddenly Kao Chih

  was looking at two Compositor Henachs, the real one

  glaring with undisguised hate at his impostor.

  Kao Chih grinned. 'The appearance is precise - can

  you sound like him?'

  'Of course, puny Earthling!' said the mech in the

  Compositor's voice. 'My vocal simulacrum is unri-

  valled!'

  'Then let us carry out our plan

  'You may like to keep this with you,' said Drazuma-

  Ha*, tossing a silvery object which Kao Chih caught. It

  was a flattened oval with two springy arms tipped with

  dimpled pads. 'That is what our companion used on

  you - a nerve-blocker. It may be useful if we encounter

  difficulty.'

  It was not far from the augmentation rooms to the

&nb
sp; low, narrow escape pod bay, and there were no guards

  to be seen. It seemed that when Drazuma-Ha* had

  sealed off the modules, locking all the surgery doors in

  the process, most of the guards were in the adjacent

  module searching for a missing drone.

  Once the pod's comm system was disabled, the real

  Compositor Henach was thrust inside, his bellows of

  rage muffled by the closed hatch. There was a manual

  release in a wall niche which Kao Chih took great pleas-

  ure in pulling. A heavy thump, a furious hiss, and the

  pod leaped away, small chassis nozzles jetting. Another

  alarm started sounding so they ducked back out to the

  walkway and quickly made for the access door leading

  to the next module. Disguised as the Compositor, the

  mech paused nearby to crack open a wall panel, uncover

  the datalinks and modify the intermodule access status.

  As the door opened and the guards rushed in, shouting,

  Kao Chih assumed a listless stance, a drooping head

  and a vacant expression.

  'Compositor Henach!' said the guard sergeant, an

  angry Gomedran with saliva gleaming on its fangs. 'You

  have left your . . .'

  'Do not delay me, cretin! - this ordag must be wiped,

  orders of Castigator Vuzayel!'

  'But sir, is this the Human recently arrived? Its

  machine has caused much disruption . . .'

  'Are you calling me a fool? Are you} This different

  Human - fugitives use escape pods, cretin!'

  'I see, I understand . . .'

  'Why are you waiting for them to escape?'

  Wilting in the face of such towering rage, the

  Gomedran sergeant saluted and hurried off while Kao

  Chih and Drazuma-Ha* proceeded through to the next

  module. No one stopped them as they continued up the

  ramp to the gantry which led along the docking ring.

  There was a Gomedran guard who challenged them but

  Kao Chih's speechless, shuffling act got him into the

  right place to pounce with the nerve-blocker.

  This is a useful device, he thought as he pocketed it

  and stepped over the sleeping guard. Wish I'd had one

  before Cora invited herself on board.

  Drazuma-Ha* used a field probe to bypass the dock-

  ing ring security and open the hatch. Moments later

  they were back in the familiar, cramped, odorous sur-

  roundings of the Castellan's cockpit.

  'Gowchee, I rigged a two-minute delay on the dock-

  ing clamp release,' said the mech, now returned to his

  usual, curved, featureless self. 'I would advise strapping

  into your couch as I am readying the main thrusters for

  a fast burn . . .'

  One of the transparent console screens gave a blink

  of static before showing the Chaurixa leader, the

  Kiskashin Vuzayel.

  'My friends, why such a hasty departure? - there is so

  much we have yet to discuss, and I would rather

  exchange words than weaponsfire

  The Castellan lurched free of the docking ring. In the

  next moment acceleration slammed Kao Chih back into

  his couch and left him struggling to breathe against the

  sudden pressure. He had wanted to make an obscene

  gesture at Vuzayel's image but Drazuma-Ha::' cut the

  link.

  'Vile creature,' Kao Chih said. 'And a vile place,

  Drazuma-Ha*. How soon can we leave . .. oh, but have

  we any usable course data?'

  'I'm checking that now . . . interesting, they had

  already commenced merging several course data sets

  into the navigationals, purely as place-holder templates.'

  'So those course data are out of date?' Kao Chih said,

  spirits sinking.

  'By about thirty-six to forty-eight hours.'

  Kao Chih groaned. 'We went through this trying to

  escape from Blacknest! Are we going to have to make

  another blind hyperjump out among the stars?'

  'It may come to that, Gowchee, assuming we cat

  evade the small craft that are now gaining on us.'

  The screen in front of Kao Chih flashed to a rearward

  view, showing two bright objects following - the per-

  spective jumped closer to one of them, revealing I

  tapered wedge shape with a large impeller drive and

  -

  two gimbal-mounted work arms, one tipped with grasp-

  ing claws, the other with a drill head.

  'Engine-modified scavengers,' Kao Chih said. 'But the

  Castellan should be able to leave them behind.'

  'That would be true if we were not heading into a

  debris field.'

  Kao Chih looked up at the viewport just as Drazuma-

  Ha* banked the ship to dodge a house-sized piece of

  wreckage sprouting twisted beams and buckled sections

  of deck and bulkhead. Beyond, the widening, bright

  crescent of the planet was speckled by an immense cloud

  of wreckage. He knew they would have to cut their

  velocity to avoid the possibility of a crippling collision,

  whereas the scavenger boats could use their superior

  manoeuvring to get in close. Not for the first time, he

  wished the Castellan had some decent firepower.

  'Could we ram them?' he said. 'Or even use our main

  thrusters as a weapon? ... of some sort. ..'

  'Creative suggestions, Gowchee,' said the mech. 'If a

  little fanciful. On the other hand, we could accelerate

  along a path I have mapped through the sparsest areas

  and thereby evade our pursuers.'

  Suddenly optimistic, Kao Chih gestured at the view-

  port.

  'Forward then, honourable Drazuma-Ha*!'

  The mech blipped the thrusters, an intermittent, muf-

  fled drone.

  'We need to bypass this approaching dense cluster of

  debris, then alter our attitude . ..'

  Ahead, he could see a portion of the starry darkness

  where unstarlike points and splinters of reflected sun-

  light hung like a huge shoal of menace off their

  starboard. As the Castellan's attitude changed, the glit -

  tering, dark shoal shifted to fill the viewport but then

  slid away to starboard again as the ship, drifting side-

  ways, came into alignment with Drazuma-Ha*'s

  intended trajectory. Another long moment during

  which a glance at the stern monitor showed the pur-

  suers dodging around ragged pieces of wreckage,

  swooping ever nearer. Then the thrusters cut in again

  and Kao Chih was shoved back into his couch as the

  Castellan surged forward. He was about to let out a

  whoop of delight when the ship jolted, as if struck from

  beneath.

  'What. . .'

  'Compensating for course deviation,' said the mech.

  Then a familiar voice came over the comm system.

  'Well, hi there, KC. Thought I'd come along for the

  ride ...'

  Drazuma-Ha * switched the external monitor to the

  ship's underside, and there was another of the boosted

  scavenger boats, induction grapples anchoring it to the

  hull while one of the gimballed arms reached out with

  heavy claws to a nearby housing.

  'You've really disappointed me, KC, as well as put-

  ting me in bad odour
with my masters - bring you back,

  I was told, or don't come back . . . oh, sorry, was that

  something important?'

  A high-pitched beeping sounded and red symbols

  flickered on the console. On the external monitor those

  extended claws were holding a torn-off piece of housing.

  'Secondary fuel port,' said Drazuma-Ha*. 'I've iso-

  lated it. She is coming through on the proximal helmet

  channel, Gowchee - shall I shut it off?'

  Kao Chih shook his head, reached out and fingered

  the channel reply.

  'Cora, instead of attacking us, why not come with us?'

  'Appreciate the offer, KC, but I have to keep up a cer-

  tain repute for the benefit of those who make use of my

  services - no repute, no job offers, y'see . . .'

  Kao Chih was looking out the viewport as he released

  the reply button.

  'Drazuma-Ha *, are there any wreckage pieces of sub-

  stantial size along our flight path and can you adjust our

  course to pass close by?'

  'How close, Gowchee?'

  'Very close. And can you position us for a 180-degree

  roll on approach?'

  'Yes. Tracking one now - ninety seconds till flyby

  from . . . now.'

  'You understand my intention, Drazuma-Ha*?'

  'Indeed I do, Gowchee.'

  It was the only course of action left to them, and they

  had to take it because Cora was determined to take

  them back or kill them trying. Because Kao Chih was

  done with being a captive or a commodity or some

  instrument to be used and discarded. Because he had a

  mission, because his family and friends and everyone

  back at Human Sept were relying on him.

  The dull brown face of the nameless world was loom-

  ing ahead, through all the strewn clouds of orbiting

  debris. Shafis System was a graveyard and was about to

  add to its burden.

  A muffled whine started coming up from below -

  like those pursuit droids back at Blacknest, Cora was

  trying to drill through the hull.

  'Thirty seconds till flyby,' said the mech. 'Fifteen till

  bank manoeuvre.'

  Grim-faced, Kao Chih thumbed the comm reply.

  'Cora,' he said. Tm sorry . . .'

  In the viewport the brown planet began to turn. A

  dark, gleaming mass swung round as it swept nearer

  and impact alerts began to sound.

  'Well, KC, you'll be the one who's gonna be ... you