The Cyber Chronicles V - Overlord (3 page)

"You will be
judged. If you wish to save your companions, go to the airlock and
step out into space. No suit. Do it now."

Tassin leapt
up. "No!"

"Be
silent."

"No! You can't
do this! You can't kill him now!"

Sabre stood up.
"Leave it. It's over for me. This is better than letting the
enforcers take me back to Myon Two."

"No, I won't
let him kill you!"

"How do you
propose to stop him?"

She shook her
head. "I don't know! Think of something, please!"

"I've run out
of rabbits, I'm afraid. There's no escape, but at least I can save
you."

Tassin grabbed
his arm. "No, please, don't do it! What if he's lying, and he's
doing this just to get you out of the way?"

"Overlords
don't lie," Kole said.

Sabre nodded.
"He's right, they don't."

"No, Sabre.
Please don't do it. After all that we've been through... It's not
fair!"

"No. I want you
to live. Go home, be happy, and forget about me. I'm not worth
it."

"You are!"

The Overlord
said, "Fifteen seconds to comply, cyber, then you all die."

Tassin glared
at the vast ship. "You don't have the right! He's done nothing! All
he wants is to live in peace!"

"Ten
seconds."

Sabre pulled
Tassin's hand from his arm and thrust her at Kole. "Hold onto
her."

Kole nodded,
hanging on when she fought to get free, shouting curses.

Sabre gazed at
her with a sad smile. "Be happy, Tassin."

"
No
!" she
wailed as he turned and sprinted down the corridor, vanishing
around the corner at the end of it. Kole cursed when she stamped on
his foot, and Tarl stepped closer to pull her into a firm
embrace.

"Hush. Let him
go. There's nothing you can do to stop it."

"No! He's going
to die!"

Tarl bowed his
head. "I know."

Kole glanced at
the console. "Airlock two is depressurising."

"Let me go!"
Tassin yelled, struggling afresh. "I have to stop him!"

Tarl held her
tighter, shaking his head. "You can't. It's too late."

"Sabre!"

"How long can
he survive out there?" Kole asked.

Tarl shrugged.
"Until his oxygen runs out. Twenty minutes."

"Oh, god,"
Tassin moaned, her knees buckling.

Tarl followed
her down, holding her.

"The outer door
is opening," Kole said.

"No... god...
no," she wept.

Tarl's chest
heaved, and she realised that he wept too. She bowed her head and
sobbed.

"We're being
moved to a docking port," Kole informed them.

"I'll kill that
bastard," Tassin said.

Tarl glanced up
and whispered, "Don't say that. He's still listening."

"I'll kill you
if I get the chance, you whoreson!" she shouted. "I'll rip out your
heart with my -"

Tarl clamped a
hand over her mouth. "Hush. Don't let Sabre have died in vain by
causing your own death now."

Tassin sagged,
fresh tears overflowing her eyes. Tarl removed his hand and patted
her back as shuddering gasps racked her. "Why... why did he have to
kill Sabre?"

"I guess he's
on the enforcers' side after all."

"Overlords are
supposed to be impartial," Kole commented.

"Let's just
keep our opinions to ourselves, so we can get out of this alive,"
Tarl said.

Tassin wiped
her eyes. "I don't care what he does to me now. Sabre's dead."

A grating clang
rang through the ship, accompanied by a slight jerk, and Kole said,
"We're docked."

"Why doesn't he
just let us go?" Tassin demanded. "He's got what he wanted."

"I have no
idea."

The console
hissed, and a new, commanding voice issued from it. "Open your
airlock, Blue Sun."

Tarl rose,
helping Tassin to her feet, and touched a button on the console.
Down the corridor, the hull door slid open to reveal three men in
silver suits with tiny weapons holstered on their hips.

The foremost
beckoned. "Come with us."

Tarl urged
Tassin towards them with an arm around her shoulders, and Kole
followed. They followed the soldiers into a broad black corridor
lined with intricately embroidered white silk hangings lighted from
behind by a soft golden glow, and thick grey moss cushioned their
steps. Tassin gazed around in awe, and Kole's jaw dropped.

None of the
three silver-suited men bothered to draw their weapons or check if
Tarl or Kole had any. The corridor split into two, and they
followed the right-hand fork, moving through seemingly endless
skeins of glowing silk, which reminded Tassin of a tunnel spider's
web. If there were doors leading off the corridor, they were well
concealed, and the trio walked for several minutes through the
silken cocoon.

The corridor
ended in a shimmering force-curtain, which a guard deactivated to
allow them to enter a vast, silk-hung chamber lighted not only by
the muted golden illumination, but also glowing orbs that floated
above them. On the far side of the chamber, several massive
circular windows gave a view of stars and the buff planet. Three
enforcer officers were lined up on one side, their black and red
uniforms edged with gold. A hooded, black-robed figure sat on a
plain white bench on a raised dais in front of the windows. A black
veil concealed his face, and his hands were clad in matching
gloves. No part of him was visible, and even his form was well
disguised.

Their guards
led them to within five metres of the Overlord and stepped aside.
Tassin glared at Ravian, hating him with every iota of her being.
He considered them for several moments before he raised a hand and
beckoned to her.

"Come closer."
He spoke in the deep, sexless voice.

Tarl released
her, and Tassin found that her knees had turned to rubber. She
stopped about two metres away, uncertain of how close she was
allowed to go, but he seemed to find her proximity acceptable.

"You love the
cyber."

She nodded.

The Overlord
turned his head towards a man who stood beside the dais. "Summon
Atrashka."

Ravian faced
Tassin again, folding his hands. "You will have justice."

Tassin wanted
to shout that he was a murderer, and there could be no justice now
that Sabre was dead, but bit back the words, chewing her lip.
Ravian stood up and walked closer, surprising her with his action
and the fact that he was not very tall, despite the air of power he
exuded. She lowered her eyes and forced herself to stand her ground
when he stopped in front of her.

"You are angry.
You think I killed your beloved."

"You did," she
muttered.

Ravian gestured
with a slender hand. "Bring him in."

Tassin glanced
around as the curtains on the far side of the room parted and a
stretcher floated in, apparently under its own steam. Sabre lay on
it, and she gulped, tears threatening to choke her.

"You fetched
his body?"

Ravian shook
his head. "He's not dead."

"But..." Tassin
ran to the still-moving stretcher to gaze down at Sabre. She took
his hand and held it, revelling in its warmth. Tarl and Kole
started towards her, but several soldiers barred their way.

Tassin turned
to Ravian. "How did you...?"

"I translocated
him. He is only unconscious."

"Why did you
make him do that?"

Ravian turned
away. "It was a test, Queen Tassin. You should understand the
necessity of such things."

"How do you
know my name?"

"I know many
things. I am an Overlord."

"So you wanted
to see if he'd sacrifice himself to save the rest of us."

"Yes. There is,
after all, some doubt as to whether or not cyber hosts are entirely
human. Having never dealt with one, I had to know how human he was,
and what kind."

"And what is
your deduction?" Tassin asked.

"He is
human."

"The cyber
would have done the same thing if I'd told it to, and that's not
human," she said.

"The cyber
obeys its owner without hesitation or question, but it no longer
controls him."

"You thought he
might be a threat to you?"

Ravian shook
his head. "No. I wanted to see if he was worth saving. Overlords
rarely interfere with something this minor. Our time is better
spent deciding the fate of worlds or civilisations, stopping and
preventing wars, or bringing aid to famine-stricken planets. The
fate of one man does not usually concern us, but his plight moved
me."

"Can't you stop
Myon Two from making cybers?"

"I could, but
that would cause the economic ruin of two planets and the suffering
of millions."

"What about the
tens of thousands of cybers they torture and enslave?"

Ravian nodded.
"Regrettable. But there are millions of people in slavery, whose
fate is not much better than that of the cyber hosts. We have to
choose our battles carefully. Even all the cybers put together do
not warrant the intervention of an Overlord. We rarely concern
ourselves unless there are a couple of million lives at stake."

"Then why did
you come?"

"Even an
Overlord cannot ignore an imperative one distress call. To do is
illegal, and since we make the laws we must also obey them. Now I
am here, so I will interfere."

Tassin gazed
down at Sabre. "What are you going to do with him?"

"I have not
decided yet. Before I do, I will speak to him."

"He's a good
man, kind and gentle, he -"

Ravian raised a
hand. "Do not try to speak on his behalf. It does him no good. I do
not judge a man based on the opinions of others."

"Then you admit
that he is a man."

Ravian strolled
closer. "He is a cyborg, but that part of him that is not a machine
is, without doubt, a man. I have never studied one of his kind
closely before. I do not use cybers."

"Why not?"

Ravian spread
his hands. "Who would attack an Overlord?"

"There are many
madmen."

"True, but none
on this ship." He glanced around as a man approached him and
muttered a few words. Ravian nodded. "Take the enforcers in tow,
then go there." He turned to Tassin again. "My presence is required
elsewhere. An interplanetary war has just broken out in Drevan
Sector. You will be shown to quarters and wait there until the
cyber wakes up."

"I would ask
that we be allowed to stay together."

Ravian inclined
his head. "You will be accommodated suitably."

"Thank
you."

The crewman
gestured to the door through which they had entered, and Sabre's
floating stretcher headed in that direction. Tassin walked beside
it, holding his hand. Tarl and Kole followed, and the rest of the
Overlord's guards brought up the rear. The soldiers showed them to
two spacious, interconnected suites, hung, like the rest of the
ship, with embroidered white silk. They were mirror images of each
other, and furnished with soft white sofas and glass tables, the
walls between the silken hangings covered with black velvet and the
floor with grey moss. In the bedrooms, more gauzy white silk
festooned massive four-poster beds with quilted cream velvet covers
and white satin pillows. The sumptuous grey-speckled black marble
bathrooms and ultra-modern kitchens had silver fittings and black
glass cupboards. Floating light globes added to the subdued
illumination of the golden backlights, and the overall impression
was cool, understated opulence. As soon as the crewmen left, Tarl
went over to Sabre and examined him, then swore.

"What is it?"
Tassin asked in alarm.

Tarl shook his
head, his expression despairing. "Look at the control unit."

She peered at
it, and her heart sank. The seven control lights were green. "It's
regained control."

Tarl nodded.
"You're sure he can free himself?"

"Yes. He's done
it before."

"Obviously, but
that doesn't mean..." He hesitated. "I hope so."

"Why is he
unconscious?"

"I don’t know."
Tarl peered at the brow band. “He hasn’t been drugged; none of his
bio alert lights are on.” He picked up Sabre's hand and examined
the ends of his fingers. "No trace of frostbite; either the cyber
countered the cold successfully, or he wasn’t out there very
long."

"How long
before he wakes up?"

"Hard to say,
since I don’t know why he’s unconscious."

Kole, who had
been wandering around the room, rejoined them. "Well, at least
we've got nice big beds and a palatial bathroom."

"As if that
matters." Tassin frowned at him.

"Hey, just
making an observation. We don't even seem to be prisoners. The
door's open."

"That's because
there's no way to escape this ship," Tarl said. "Ravian summoned
Atrashka. I wonder what for?"

"Who's
Atrashka?" Tassin asked.

"Head of
Cybercorp."

"You think
he'll hand Sabre over to him?"

"He doesn't
need Atrashka for that. He could just give him to the
enforcers."

"He might still
do that if Sabre doesn't pass his next test," Kole remarked.

Tassin sat on a
sofa. "Why won't they just leave us alone?"

"We know
Cybercorp’s secrets," Tarl explained. "That's why I was condemned,
and now you know far too much, too."

"Can the
Overlord protect us?

Tarl shrugged
and wandered over to another plush sofa, sinking into it. "While
he's here, yeah."

"Maybe he'll
take us back to Omega Five."

"No, he won't.
At best, he'll let us go."

"Then we'll be
right back where we started."

"He might hang
onto the enforcers for a while. It all depends on Sabre's
interview."

Tassin sighed
and glanced at the cyber, wondering what was going to happen when
he woke up.