The Last Spartan 1: Different Paths

by A. E. McCullough

  Sensing that his master was waiting for him to speak, Iaido replied, “I will strive to understand the lessons of the forge, Sensei.”

  “I know you will my son but in this case time is moving against you. You are out of rhythm with the forge.”

  Iaido shook his head. “I do not understand, Sensei.”

  Taking a deep breath, the Sensei reached out and lifted a fallen cherry blossom. “This bloom is like you and me. It was a bud; it bloomed at its peak before falling to the earth. There it will wither and die but it will nourish the ground and so the cycle repeats.” Dropping the bloom, the Sensei fixed his pupil with a stare. “Everyone dies, Iaido. The secret is to fulfill your destiny before your time is ended.”

  “And how do you know what is your destiny?”

  “That is the lesson of the forge.”

  Still not sure if he understood what his master was trying to teach him, Iaido decided to try a different approach in his questioning. “You know about the Sgt. Major’s death?”

  “Yes, his spirit will be missed but his destiny was not yours. He walked a different path than you.”

  “Sensei, my path was chosen for me. I was created to walk this path.”

  “No. You believe your path to be laid before you. You have walked your own path by your own choice. We all choose which path to walk.” He gestured at the two of them. “We decided to walk different paths than the average person. It was not preordained that I would become the Sensei; I chose my path. My parents wanted me to follow my father and grandfather and become a physician. That was the path I was to follow but I chose a different path. Your feet were set on a certain path at the beginning but you have chosen to continue that path. It was not your birth, the only difference between us is that I was born of nature and you were born of science.”

  Iaido tried to absorb the meaning behind the Sensei’s words. It seemed that his mentor was trying to tell him something important, something cryptic; but Iaido couldn’t grasp the full meaning of the words.

  Waving his hand as if to dismiss the subject, the Sensei continued, “I have an errand for you.”

  “What is it you desire of me?”

  Pulling forth the scroll case, the old man handed it to his pupil. “I need you to take this to Haven. There is a man named Ishmael who runs a small store there, give him this. He will know what to do with it.”

  “I will do this for you Sensei but surely there are faster couriers. It may be months before I return to Haven.”

  “You will arrive at the time foretold of this I am certain.”

  Still confused, Iaido accepted his mission. Bowing his head slightly, “I am honored to do this for you Sensei.”

  The Sensei returned the bow. “Now humor your old teacher and promise me you will be here for this evening’s lesson. I have a few dignitaries in from the old country and I would like you to perform for them.”

  “I will be here Sensei.”

  Suddenly the old man shivered as if cold and looked around the garden slowly. After a moment, he waved his dismissal to Iaido and said, “It is time for my meditation and you have an investigation to do.”

  “It is always a pleasure to see you master. I shall contemplate your words.”

  Iaido moved away slowly and glanced back once more at his master. The old man had his eyes closed and his hands resting on his knees, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. Iaido felt slightly troubled at his abrupt dismissal and moved through the dojo in a fog. The words of his Sensei came back to him time and time again. Still unable to grasp the full meaning of the lesson, Iaido rearmed himself and moved out into the streets of New Atlanta.

  Chapter 7

  As he watched his favorite pupil depart, Sensei was filled with sadness.

  Even now, he wished he could’ve told him more but the words of honor spoken in the past still bound him as secure as iron. Taking one last look around his garden, the old man slowly made his way past the koi pond and the cherry trees to return once more to the shrine. As he knelt before the sacred altar, the Sensei wasn’t surprised to find the second sword of Musashi missing.

  “You can come out now. We are alone.”

  A dark shape moved out of the shadows to stand before the old man. Dressed in black, the shadows seemed to cling to his frame, masking the true form underneath. Brief hints of the figure could be gleaned if one stared long enough. When the shadow spoke, it was in a hoarse whisper.

  “Hello Sensei.”

  “The prodigal son returns,” Sensei said without looking up. “Have you returned home only to kill those that love you?”

  “Love?” The shadow spit out the word. “Love is for weak fools. What most would call love is the lust between two primitive species drawing them together to help procreate the race.”

  The shadow lifted the ancient blade and pointed it at the old man. The firelight glinted off its razor sharp edge. “I just came to New Atlanta to pay back some old debts and collect a few things. This is one of them.” He rested the ancient blade against the Sensei’s neck. “I’m only going to ask this once, where is the sword’s twin?”

  “Gone. I sent it away.”

  “That was foolish old man.”

  “No. It was the honorable thing to do.” The Sensei looked up at the shadowy figure for the first time. “I knew this day would come. No one believed me about you. I knew you were flawed from the beginning. I knew your heart wasn’t pure.”

  “Pure? I may be different from my brethren, more enlightened maybe but none of us were pure. No thanks to those of you on the project board.”

  Seeing the look of shock on the old man’s face, the shadow laughed a husky chuckle.

  “Yes, I know your true role in our creation. That fool Achilles doesn’t but I am no fool.”

  “So, I am to die? So be it, I have lived a good life. My karma is clean.”

  “You think I want to kill you?” The shadow shook his head. “I have something more devious in mind.”

  Looking past the shadows that clung to the figure, Sensei finally locked eyes with those of his wayward pupil. For the first and last time of his life the Sensei knew fear.

  Chapter 8

  After leaving the dojo, Iaido made his way to the scene of his friend’s death and took the elevator to the thirty-second floor. It had been nearly two years since he had last seen his friend.

  Even if he had never been to the apartment, it would’ve been obvious which apartment had been the Sgt. Major’s due to the bright yellow ‘Do Not Cross’ police tape stuck to the doorway. However, someone had cut the security seal and the door was slightly ajar. Iaido removed his dark shades and tucked them into a pocket.

  Drawing his Graver Mark 7 energy pistol, he toggled the switch to power it up before he pushed open the door with his foot. Using the doorframe as a barricade, he scanned the apartment for any hostiles.

  Nothing moved.

  The apartment was in shambles. If a tornado had landed in the living room, it couldn’t have made more of a mess. Someone had been through the apartment looking for something and didn’t care if they destroyed everything to find it.

  Iaido moved slowly through the apartment with his weapon at the ready.

  The study was only halfway trashed as if whoever was searching had been interrupted. The desk had been overturned and the drawers pulled out and smashed. The Sgt. Major’s pictures and medals were thrown all about the room. Oddly enough, the picture and frame of Omega Squadron was still intact and lying face up on the remains of the desk. Iaido powered down and holstered his Graver Mk7.

  Kneeling down to retrieve the photograph, he studied it for a few minutes before removing the photo from the frame and tucked it inside coat. Ignoring the rest of the room, Iaido studied the markings on the bookshelf until he found three studs that seemed slightly out of place. He tried several combinations of pressing or twisting them until he was rewarded with a loud ‘click.’ Stepping back, Iaido watched as the fish tank slid out into the room to reveal a hi
dden passageway.

  Squatting down, Iaido glanced inside. The room beyond was dimly lit and he couldn’t see any movement within. “Eve, you can come out now.”

  It was several moments before her blonde locks and emerald eyes peeked around the corner. “Is it safe?”

  “Yes princess… it is.”

  “Uncle Achilles!” Eve screamed as she leapt into Iaido’s arms and hugged him tightly. After a moment she asked, “Where’s my daddy?”

  Taking a deep breath, Iaido knew he was about to step on fragile ground. Telling her the truth at this time could be detrimental but lying to her was wrong, so Iaido decided to be vague. “I’m sorry Eve but your dad is gone but I’m here to take you someplace safe.”

  “I’ve been so scared. Daddy and Amy have been gone for so long. Then, bad men came and made this mess but left when the police arrived.”

  “How long ago was that?”

  “A long time ago.” Cocking her head to one side, Eve glanced toward the main entrance. “The bad men are coming back.”

  Setting her down, Iaido faced the doorway and waited.

  It wasn’t long before two men in black suits with short dark hair and dark sunglass moved into the room and took up flanking positions on each side of the doorway. Even without his armor’s senses, Iaido could tell that both of these goons had full military-grade combat augments just by the way they moved. Iaido gently nudged Eve back into the panic room passageway. She moved inside without complaint but didn’t close the hatch.

  The three men stared at each other for several moments each sizing up his opponent. It’s a natural thing, especially for those who walk the warrior’s path; every person you meet is another predator or prey, ally or enemy, friend or foe. Most warriors do this on a subconscious level but in a meeting like this, it’s almost a tangible thing that fills the air. After a moment, the goon to the left of the door began to reach into his inside jacket pocket. The ringing sound of Iaido’s katana clearing its scabbard filled the room and caused both goons to flinch.

  Iaido kept his voice low when he said, “I don’t know you buddy…but if that hand moves any faster or comes out of your jacket with any type of weapon, it will be lying on the floor a few seconds before your head lands beside it.”

  The goon moved his hand with exaggerated slowness and pulled out a small black metal box that Iaido recognized it as a portable holo-emitter. He pressed the button, placed it on the ground and stepped back.

  A blue-white light filled the air above the emitter. Slowly it refocused until it became a floating head which Iaido instantly recognized. The disembodied head scanned the room briefly before fixing his one good eye on the bounty hunter.

  “Achilles. Please forgive the rudeness of this meeting but somehow I don’t relish being within range of your blades again, even after all these years.”

  “Hello General, what do you want?”

  “Actually its President now or haven’t you heard?”

  “Semantics. General, President, High Chancellor… it doesn’t matter what title you call yourself, you will still be a coward. Now get to the point. What do you want?”

  Anger flared across the President’s face for a brief second before he regained control. “Watch your tongue, pod-born. I could have you killed in the blink of an eye or shipped off to New Leavenworth again.”

  Iaido sheathed his sword. “Get to the point General. You didn’t arrange this meeting to exchange threats about the past.”

  “No. You are quite right. I need your unique skills.”

  “Sorry, not for hire. I’m already working a case.”

  “Yes, I know. The murder of retired Sgt. Major Spenton and his wife, Amy…but my job and your case are linked. They were killed on orders from your former commanding officer, Major Marcus T. McDowell.”

  “So you say.”

  “Incidentally he is wanted on multiple accounts of grand theft, larceny, desertion, dereliction of duty and extortion.”

  “Not interested.”

  “There is a rather large bounty on the Major’s head… two-hundred and fifty thousand credits; dead or alive.”

  “Not interested.”

  The President continued as if he didn’t hear him.

  “I want you to find Major McDowell. His desertion is a stain on my honor.”

  “You have no honor.”

  Again the President ignored the insult. “No one has come forward to claim the bounty but I want him so I have increased the bounty to a half-million credits. I want the best and as much as I hate to admit it, that’s you.”

  “Not interested.”

  The holo-image of the President’s head frowned at Iaido’s continued refusals. “Let me ask you a simple question, Achilles.”

  “That is no longer my name.”

  “It was the name we gave you and it is what you were created to be; the ultimate warrior but that isn’t the issue or the question. What do you remember about a mission twelve years ago called Operation Lodestone?”

  Iaido thought for a second before shaking his head. “There wasn’t an Operation Lodestone, at least not for Omega Squadron.”

  “I assure you there was such an operation and it was the only mission Omega ever failed.”

  “We never failed to attain the mission objectives. Hell, even on Gilese when we lost the whole squadron we still held the pass. The price was high but tactically it was still a victory. We held the pass as ordered.”

  The President nodded. “What you say about Gilese is true but that was the remnants of Omega Squadron, basically the Second and Third Companies. We lost the entire First Company during Operation Lodestone.”

  Iaido’s look of disbelief was obvious. “I find that hard to believe. I was with Omega since its christening. Don’t forget I was the old man in the squad.”

  “How do you think you became the old man?” the President asked.

  Iaido shrugged his shoulders in response.

  “Let me ask you another question, what happened to your brother Hector?”

  “He was killed in an accident. Two cruisers exited hyperspace at the same time and ran into each other, both ships and crews were lost.”

  “Did Hector ever travel solo or on another military transport?”

  Iaido shook his head. “No.”

  “Then how did he die in a starship crash and not you?” The President paused before he added, “What you believe about your brother’s death are lies. We implanted those memories to help you overcome the loss of Hector and the rest of your pod-mates. Trust me on this.”

  “Trust is earned not given and after Gilese you haven’t earned that right.”

  The President nodded. “Point taken but whether you believe me or not, the fact remains that the few survivors of Operation Lodestone are being systematically killed.”

  The holo-gram shifted from the image of the President to a list of over a hundred names, all but four were marked through in red.

  “Over the last several months, there has been a rash of un-solved and mysterious deaths. Their only connection is Operation Lodestone, somehow they were involved. Maybe as an intel officer or a shuttle pilot but they were connected. Of the four left alive, only Major McDowell really knows what happened.”

  “Why don’t I remember anything about this mission?” Iaido asked.

  “According to Sgt. Major Spenton’s report, you were severely injured when you single-handedly dispatched a patrol of Lemurians that was blocking your squad’s escape route. When you three finally made it to the shuttle, you were more dead than alive. Medical records show that you had so many wounds, the med-techs were amazed that you were walking at all. You suffered massive blood loss and a severe concussion. They placed you into a regen-tank as you slipped into a coma.”

  “I still don’t understand what one mission, if it happened at all, has to do with this.”

  “Something happened on that mission, something not in the official report. With your memories modified and the Sgt. Major dead,
only Major McDowell has the answers.”

  Iaido pondered the implications for a moment before asking, “Can I assume that you were the officer in charge of planning the assault?”

  “Yes. We had good intel that the Lemurians were planning an assault on Earth and we sent in our best troops to forestall their attack. We didn’t expect you to fail.” The President’s hands made the quotation marks to signify his sarcasm as he said ‘best.’

  “Plan for failure, hope for success. Isn’t that what you taught us in training?”

  “True, every mission has a chance of failure but Omega had such a knack for achieving the impossible. After all of your successes, we got so used to you winning that we became overconfident. But back to the point at hand, shortly after your return from the mission Major McDowell made several accusations against the Coalition Intelligence Agency. Stating publicly that the military was given mis-information and he went as far as accusing several high ranking officers of collaborating with the Confederates.”

  “Was there any truth to his accusations?”

  The President shrugged. “Nothing was ever substantiated.”

  Iaido rubbed his chin as he digested what he was told before asking, “How long before Gilese was Operation Lodestone?”

  “One year.”

  “So the Major was under investigation before Gilese but was still left in charge of Omega?”

  The President nodded. “His accusations weren’t without basis and a full military tribunal was called but never convened due to the debacle on Gilese.”

  “And since the Major disappeared during Gilese, you needed a scapegoat.” Iaido nodded. “Now I understand why you had me charged with an article 94 - sedition.”

  “Yes. After the debacle of Gilese, the masses needed someone to blame for the loss of so many of our troops and you were it. It wasn’t personal, just politics.”

  Iaido’s hands clenched unconsciously at the thought of being used as a pawn. Of course, part of his mind realized the rational aspect of sacrificing a pawn to achieve an objective and as much as he hated to admit it, the President’s explanation made sense.

  “All this is interesting but you still haven’t explained why you need me?”