Fire and Steel

by Gavin Magson

  The braiding lacerated Ajax’s hands, forearms, and elbows, as he continued the onslaught until the simulant’s arms dropped. He could see the organic matter through gaps in the once protective metalwork, and within that was the flitter of a heartbeat.

  Ajax grabbed a split braid and pulled until it unravelled and came free from the Believer’s flesh. He reversed his grip on the braid and speared it through the opening in the simulant’s chest, piercing the mechanical organ. The heartbeat continued, but now the yellow fluid spurted vigorously from the chest wounds.

  Ajax stepped back and watched the simulants final moments as it looked down at its wounds and, despite the mask, seemed to be entirely confused by its death. The knees gave way and it crashed to the floor, and again Ajax heard the distorted scream, much quieter this time. The body toppled backwards and lay still on the floor.

  In the observation room Major turned to Valentina, who wore a half smile as she watched the end of the bout, a fixed stare locked to Ajax.

  “Treat his wounds and patch him up; I want Ajax ready for his assignment by morning.”

  “Understood, Major. Will you want a full damage report?” she asked.

  “Yes, no rush to provide that by the morning though. Anything you need direct the request to Raúl and he will make sure you have it.”

  Major waited until the doctor had left the room before turning to Lixion, who had scarcely moved since last he spoke.

  “Well, your thoughts?” asked Major.

  “You know the answer already, Major; you’ve got a formidable killer at your beck and call who will make me a very powerful and wealthy man. Tell me more of your plans for him in the Outerlands.”

  Ajax traced his finger along the thin line, feeling for a scar he knew wouldn’t be there. Just like his forearm the skin was new and pale, contrasting his lightly tanned flesh.

  “You won’t be left so pretty by injuries out on the battlefield, so don’t get used to such a sight.” said Valentina. “Your ribs were much easier to realign than that arm, they are probably close to fully healed in fact, whilst the lung appears to be inflating without issues. You can remove the mask now.”

  Ajax did not hesitate to unfasted and remove the mask strapped to his mouth, which the doctor had ordered him to wear for an uncomfortable length of time. He had watched the same displays as her, which he was glad showed his airflow to be normal.

  “Its good work, doctor, probably better than the nanomachines could ever do. Have I any restrictions because of it? Another long wait before I can enjoy combat again?” he asked.

  “Quite the opposite, in fact; Major wants you prepared for deployment this morning. You’ll find clothes behind that screen, you can get dressed whilst I inform him that you are ready.”

  Valentina walked across her office, sitting down behind a low white desk, which emulated the sterility of everything else in sight. Ajax removed the sheet that covered his lower body and swung himself off the table, walking barefoot and naked to the screen Valentina had indicated. Behind it were clothes by name alone, he laughed at the sight of them.

  Moments later he stepped out from behind the screen and, when Valentina turned back, she too laughed at the image. Ajax was dressed for the desert, outfitted in loose fitting long trousers and shirt, both a washed-out sand colour, and tall boots that seemed a mismatch as they were a shade of grey. What amused Ajax the most was that the clothes were well worn, or fabricated to appear as such, since he had watched Valentina produced them an hour or so ago.

  The office doors opened and Major stepped in, flanked by the seemingly ever present Raúl. Ajax’s eyes were drawn to what the scientist carried, a short but wide case embossed with the same crest Major and every one of the soldiers under his command bore.

  “Has your budget been blown, or did I disappoint last night, and my punishment is these hand-me-downs?” asked Ajax.

  “No, you more than impressed in your fight against the simulant. Raúl tells me it will take him several weeks to repair all the damage you caused; the man seems quite pissed at you, truth be told.”

  “I am here, sir.” chimed in Raúl, his cheeks reddening. “It’s true, the damage was quite extensive, unnecessarily so. I have a lot of work ahead of me to return it to operational.”

  “I wouldn’t bother, I could beat it twice as fast next time. How about a higher ranked soldier next time? Do they have an equivalent of a sergeant?” asked Ajax.

  “That was a sergeant.” replied Raúl.

  Ajax looked between Raúl and Major, the smaller man now avoiding his gaze whilst the powerful Major kept all emotion from his eyes.

  “Kept that one quiet, you bastards.” Ajax laughed suddenly, causing Raúl to flinch. “It was a good challenge, I’ll have to test myself against its superior next time I’m at the base. What’s next, Major?”

  “That’s a simple answer; the Outerlands. Raúl, give him the case. Go ahead, open it.”

  Ajax took the small case and flicked the twin catches open, revealing its contents. Inside were two items, one a clear rectangular piece of glass with a silvery backing and the other a thin bladed dagger inside a black leather sheath. When Ajax picked up the glass an image appeared on it, displaying a younger Major and a teenage boy, short cut blond hair and piercing blue eyes mirroring the look of his father.

  “What am I to do with these?” he asked.

  “When you find Ron I want you to give him those and, I hope, it will convince him to come home with you. If he won’t do so willingly, I don’t care if you have to drag him through the desert, just bring him home. Say goodbye to Valentina, it’s time you were up top.”

  Ajax closed the case and held out his spare hand until Valentina took it, shaking his hand gently.

  “Thank you for what you’ve done, doc, and for the gear. I’ll try not to come back with any more injuries for you to treat this time.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t promise you wouldn’t, I couldn’t see you keeping that. Be smart out there, lieutenant.”

  Ajax released his grip and turned to follow Major, who opened the door and stepped through without a backwards glance. Raúl stayed behind, leaving Major and Ajax to walk in silence until they reached an elevator that would take them to the top deck.

  When the elevator arrived, and the doors opened, they were greeted with five soldiers of varying rank, all of whom saluted Major upon seeing him. They stepped out and the two men entered, still not a word spoken. Ajax smiled as he realised from the panel that the soldiers had exited several floors early, no doubt only due to the presence of Major.

  When the elevator doors opened once more Ajax was greeted with a stunning sight, early morning light bathing the sea and sparkling on its surface. The air was cool and salty, a refreshing change to the dry and recycled air he had breathed in the base for too long.

  “Your ship is waiting for you, Ajax, there’ll be time for sightseeing soon enough.”

  Ajax followed Major to a much larger ship than he had travelled in when exacting his revenge on Henry, although the familiar female figure that waited at the bottom of the hanger steps was a relief to him.

  “Penelope will drop you a hundred miles east of my son’s likely location, just outside of a small settlement that will happily trade with someone carrying credits. You’ll find a pack on board filled with food and water, I’ll leave it to you to decide which of the weapons on board you take with you. Come back with Ron and I’ll make sure you get plenty of leave before a future deployment.”

  “Consider it already done. How do I arrange a pickup when I have Ron?” he asked.

  “Use your tablet but be wary of draining the battery as you might not find a suitable power source out there.” said Penelope.

  “Understood. I’ll see you shortly, Major.”

  Ajax walked up the steps besides him, followed by Penelope. Inside the spacious ship he easily spotted the bulging pack, propped up underneath a wall bearing eight different weapons; he felt spoilt for choice, so good
were his options.

  Penelope sat in the pilot’s chair and soon had the hanger steps retracted into place. Ajax sat in a chair besides her, watching out of the wide window as the ship gracefully moved away from the base. As they rotated to face his destination Ajax was stunned by the burning desert, the morning glow seemingly setting it ablaze. He knew that, soon, he would be out there and feeling as if the desert truly was a furnace. The ship accelerated towards the Outerlands.

  Chapter 40

  The hover was silent, its two occupants comfortable merely holding hands, both deep in thought about the other. Greg and Lev had gone ahead, leaving Ilya and Duke behind in the Haven to say their farewells in private. The plan was a sound one, yet neither had been able to make more than small talk as Ilya changed the dressings along his back. They had barely spoken then, what little conversation forced.

  “It’s a beautiful day.” observed Duke, looking through the clear window beside him at the bright sunlight. “Of course I would be leaving Konar on a day such as this, not during one of its soul sapping storms, which would be easier to remember it by.”

  Ilya giggled and shook her head at the man’s cynicism. Before she knew it, Ilya was in a fit of laughter, struggling to stop them and snorting through the laughs. It was infectious to Duke, his own grin at the sight of her soon turning into a quiet laugh, which stopped when he saw the tears on her face.

  “I hope those aren’t for me.”

  “Yes and no, Duke. They are tears of joy, because you’ve made me so happy throughout my life, but there is sadness too; I don’t know if I will ever see you again.” Ilya tried to force a smile, not wanting Duke to see her sad.

  “I wish I could tell you that this isn’t truly goodbye, but if I ever see you on Troy it’ll break my heart that you have taken such a risk. If I can find reliable transport to a nearby colony, I will try to get a message to you and arrange somewhere a lot safer for you and the crew to meet me. Just know this, no matter how long passes I will always be thinking of you.”

  “Same here, dad. Don’t go tearing your stitches and lay off the drink until you aren’t reliant on the medication. I’ll come to Troy and berate you something fierce if I hear you’ve made yourself worse.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to take good care of myself. I’ve paid a lot of money to make sure I am around for a little while longer.” He sighed, allowing some of the nervous energy within him to dissipate. “Do you hate me for leaving before your birthday?”

  “Hate you? Don’t be so stupid. This is one of the few selfish things I have seen you do. I am always going to want you to be a part of my life, Duke, but I don’t need you by my side the whole way. I want you to enjoy your retirement, however brief it actually turns out to be, but know that I am going to have several drinks in your honour tomorrow night.”

  “I’m glad that you will, lass. I wish Ajax could make it, though who knows when next you’ll see him.”

  “Speaking of the permanently unavailable, do you know if Deborah is going to make it to the hub in time to see you off?”

  “I believe so, it depends on if she has finished with the engine maintenance in time. If not, I might see her in the docks, if it isn’t too hectic in there. You should see her at work, Ilya, I didn’t think I would find another mechanic like yourself until Greg introduced us. Class two practical experience is a dying artform, one that Konar should be sad to see go once you’ve forgotten all you know and replaced it with captain’s duties.”

  “Captain’s duties? You mean sit in a comfy chair, smoke cigars, tell Greg to do his job, and rake in all the profits? I think that I’ll manage just fine.”

  They laughed at this, sharing a knowing look before lapsing into silence, content to stare at the sector as its inhabitants awoke to a bright morning. Bricks and mortar shops were opening, awhile after the street stalls had done so, and the citizens rushed about oblivious to what was happening outside of their lives.

  Soon the transport hub loomed in front of them, visible from either window as it stretched the length of a street. Ilya could feel herself choking up, knowing that she was moments away from the final goodbye. She wound down the window and felt a blast of cool air wash over her face, which helped to stifle any tears.

  The hover began to slow, turning in a long arc to pull up nearest one of the hubs entrances. When it came to a stop neither occupant moved, Duke looking out of the window whilst Ilya stared at him. The driver stepped out and opened Duke’s door, snapping the man out of his trance.

  “Thank you.” said Duke, unsure of what else to say to his driver.

  He held the door for Ilya and closed it behind her, giving the driver a polite smile as the woman returned with his single bag from the hovers rear. The woman handed the bag over wordlessly before heading for the door she had stepped out of.

  Greg and Lev were waiting for them a hundred paces up at the next entrance, the mountainous figure of Lev had spotted Duke and was waving lazily until he finally was noticed. Duke held out the crook of his arm until Ilya took it and they walked slowly towards the couple.

  “Still needing Ilya for support?” asked Lev, no trace of humour in his question.

  “I always will, but not to keep me upright. I know you three are concerned I won’t make it to Aurora in one piece, but there really is no need to worry; I will be taking it easy for months to come.”

  “I’m more concerned that you are rushing this whole thing. Aiko has been monitoring governmental chatter for us and there hasn’t been any mention about the purchase of the medical equipment used in your surgery. If no one is even aware of it you don’t need to leave the moment you can walk, we all know your recovery is a long road that is put at risk by your impatience.” said Greg.

  “My urgency is only part because of impatience, I thought you all knew me well enough by now to know what is making me leave so quickly; it’s the three of you! If I am still planet side when someone discovers the amount of credits I have spent, without a legitimate source of them, then the three of you would be hauled in for questioning, and probably worse still. This way, if anyone ever comes asking, you can feint ignorance of my finances, and tell them the truth, that I have retired off world.”

  “Let’s not do this now, Duke’s mind is more than made up.” said Ilya, looking between the set faces of each of the three men. “This isn’t goodbye, not properly; the Illicit Jane’s new captain will see to it that we meet again. I want to remember this bastard well, not tainted by memory of your bickering. What are we- is that Deborah? I swear she looked at me.”

  The crew turned to look at the redhead Ilya pointed out, who had come out of another entrance further up and was swiftly walking away from the group. From this distance she looked vaguely like the woman, but in the throng it was difficult to tell anyone apart.

  “If it is, I won’t be waiting around for her to come back, she’s probably just in a rush to go back to the Haven for a nice shower. Now, as much as I love your companionship, I don’t want to draw this out longer than is necessary.” said Duke.

  The man stepped forward and offered his hand to Greg, giving him a firm handshake and a wide smile. Duke wasn’t surprised to see a glisten in the man’s eyes, since he knew him to be a little soft at times. He shook Lev by the hand too, which left him with sore fingers and a chuckle from Lev as he swore at him.

  Ilya put out her hand, which Duke ignore as he pulled her in for a tight bear hug, kissing her damp cheek as he did so. When he pulled away Ilya had steeled herself, composed once more.

  “I’ll make sure the records of ownership are updated on Aurora before I leave. This is only goodbye for Konar, I want to see you all soon and hear of how much better the ship is run without me. Me and my bag,” Duke raised the small bag in his left hand, the sight of it enough to cause the crew to laugh nervously, “have a reservation with a lovely woman called Lorna, one that I don’t intend to make her wait decades for again. You three take care and tell Ajax I’ll miss that tough b
astard too.” Duke turned to look at Ilya, savouring the sight of the young woman, free from the cruelty of her deservedly deceased husband. “Be good, kid; I love you.”

  Duke stepped back several spaces, taking in the sight of his old crew. They were well dressed for the occasion, such a strange sight for him having seen them all in their slovenliest states over the years. He waved before turning around and headed for the ticket office, tears in his eyes.

  Deborah did not have time to stop for the Illicit Jane’s crew. She had spotted them when leaving the transport hub but didn’t slow her march until she was several streets away. Deborah ducked down a quiet side street, out of the view of prying eyes and walked along its length until she spotted the hollowed-out shell of a shop front; she was stunned to find that the glass window was still intact. She opened the wooden door and stepped inside, shutting it behind her.

  The room was barren, the wooden shelving behind a long metal counter was the only remains of what had stood before. Deborah quickly checked the rear door, which she was relieved to find locked, meaning no one was likely to walk in on her. She turned back to the counter and emptied out the contents of her bag, disregarding all but the black cube as wide as her palm.

  Deborah picked up the cube in both hands. As soon as her fingertips touched the cool surface an audible click could be heard and a thin line around the cube signified it was unlocked. She pulled it in opposing directions to expand the device, which opened to display a small curved oval of metal with a mirror finish. Once the cube had been fully opened the image of Kahn appeared inside the metal oval, his voice coming through clearly from an unseen source.

  “I am glad this message has reached you, Deborah, I knew you were the only person I could trust with a task as important as this. My message will destroy itself afterwards, and you will be the only trace of its existence. Share this with no one, or your life is forfeit.