The Cyber Chronicles VIII - Scorpion Lord (32 page)

Fairen said,
"Scorpio, battle mode."

Shrain lowered
the com-link, raised his eyes to the screens and stepped back into
the shadows.

Fairen walked
closer to the screens, glaring at the battle station. "You picked
the wrong Overlord."

Estrelle
sidled up to Sabre, who folded his arms as he gazed at the vista.
She whispered, "What's happening?"

"The Scorpion
Ship is an AI. It's also the most formidable of the Overlord ships.
Fairen just ordered her to fight the battle station. It should be
interesting."

Streams of
green fire poured from emitters on the Scorpion Ship's foremost
pair of legs and mantled the main arms, forming a scintillating net
of light in front of the ship. The battle station's arms stopped
aligning, and the glowing ends flashed brilliant vermilion.
Estrelle squeaked and grabbed Sabre's arm. He unfolded them,
allowing her to grip his wrist. The net of vermilion light swelled
as it shot towards the Scorpion Ship. It hit the web of green fire,
which shredded it, vaporising all that it touched. Remnants came
through to strike the front of the ship with a sound like distant
thunder. A wave of green light swept over the Scorpion Ship's hull,
burning away the plasma.

The battle
station's weapon fired again, and another net of plasma particles
shot towards them. Everything froze as the stasis field clamped
down, releasing them a split second later. Estrelle swayed,
clinging to Sabre. Martis doubled over, retching. The battle
station remained in the forward screens, but side-on now. Flames
sprouted from its edges as it turned towards them. The Scorpion
Ship had translocated to avoid the second plasma net, reappearing
beside the battle station.

The husky
female voice spoke. "Main gun, ready. Targeting. Preparing to
fire."

Sabre wished
he could see the huge main gun fire, but it was above them, out of
sight. A beam of blue light shot past from above, struck the mirror
sphere and made it blaze. A bolt of scarlet plasma followed,
spreading into a net of glowing, deadly super-heated particles. It
struck the orb, shredded the lattice of silver struts and ate
through them to the core, which disintegrated into a cloud of
particles. Shreds of plasma passed through the orb and struck the
moon beyond, mottled its smooth golden face with a pattern of dark
craters and raised a cloud of silver dust.

Fairen said,
"Scorpio, exit battle mode."

Shrain came
forward, consulting his com-link. "Superficial damage to the moon,
My Lord."

"They will
survive with a mottled moon," Fairen commented. "A small price to
pay for salvation."

"The leader of
the Thayta Three defenders wishes to speak to you, My Lord."

Dull booms and
groans echoed through the ship again as it reconfigured, and Fairen
inclined his head. "Bring him aboard."

A few minutes
later, a tall, lean man in a sparkling silver uniform entered,
surrounded by Fairen's men. They stopped some distance from the
dais, and he bowed. Fairen strolled to the dais, stepped up onto it
and went over to the throne, where he sat down with unhurried
arrogance. He raised a gloved hand and beckoned to the Thaytan
commander.

"You may
approach."

The handsome
grey-haired man marched to the edge of the dais and bowed again. "I
bring the gratitude of an entire civilisation, and a planet, My
Lord." He clasped his fist before his chest. "Thayta Three is
forever in your debt. Thank you for coming to our aid. We will
revere the Scorpion Lord for all time."

Fairen tilted
his head. "A small matter, Commander."

"For you, My
Lord. Never have I seen such power, such magnificent omnipotence.
We were doomed without your help."

The young
Overlord glanced at the screens. "I'm afraid I damaged your moon,
Commander. Convey my regrets to your people."

The Thaytan
commander shook his head. "They won't mind, My Lord. A small price
to pay."

"I know how
Thaytans prize beauty above all else. Your world is beautiful, and,
until now, your moons. Now one is scarred. Some regret is in
order."

"Then I accept
it, on behalf of all Thaytans, My Lord."

"Did the
battle station fire on Thayta?"

"No, My Lord.
It was strange. The Corsairs attacked our ships and started a
battle, but the station remained behind the moon until you
arrived."

Fairen nodded.
"It was meant only to attack me. It seems the Corsairs wish to
destroy an Overlord."

The commander
frowned. "Then they were grievously in error, My Lord."

"Indeed, but
had it been another Overlord, such as Astravan, they might have
succeeded. Only the Red Death, the Golden Griffon and the Black
Widow are capable of destroying a battle station like that
one."

"Surely an
Overlord who was unable to take on that battle station would have
fled, and called another who could?"

Fairen nodded.
"Let's hope so, if it happens again."

"And perhaps
the Overlords should look to arming themselves better, too. The
universe needs them. The destruction of one would be a terrible
blow to society all over the galaxy."

"Your support
is noted, and well received. Farewell, Commander."

The Thaytan
bowed again, clasped his fist and backed away, then turned and left
with his escort.

Fairen turned
to Shrain. "Prepare for translocation to Myon Two."

"Yes, My Lord,
at once."

Once more the
dull booms and groans echoed through the ship, and Kole let out a
huge sigh, spreading his hands. "Wow. That was...
unbelievable."

Fairen rose
and stepped down from the dais, walking towards Kole, who backed
away when he got too close. Several armed men emerged from the
shadows around the walls, their dart guns aimed at Kole. Fairen
stopped and gestured, making the men retreat, then faced Kole.

"I have saved
twenty-two worlds from destruction, and destroyed seven."

Kole gaped at
him. Fairen turned and exited through the side door. Sabre freed
himself from Estrelle and wandered over to the hacker.

"Still think
Overlords are planet-killing scum?"

"I never said
-"

"Yeah, you
did. Your exact words were, 'I don't like anyone who goes around
blowing up planets'."

"I didn't call
them scum."

Sabre smiled.
"Don't worry, he can't hear you. But, as you just saw, they save
worlds too. More than they destroy. Oh, and your ship is being
repaired, refuelled, and overhauled. You should show some
appreciation, like the Thaytan commander. Now that was a man with
class."

Kole opened
his mouth to reply, but Sabre swung away and stalked after
Fairen.

The boy
glanced up from the sofa when Sabre entered his private lounge,
looking exhausted, his hair tousled. The cyber sat beside him,
eyeing him.

"You need to
get some sleep."

Fairen yawned.
"I still have to deal with Myon Two."

"They can
wait. We have eight hours before the enforcer ships get there. You
need to rest, you're not indestructible."

Fairen sighed,
gazing at Sabre with watering eyes. "If I rest, some other
emergency will come up."

"Then let
someone else deal with it. You're going to get some sleep."

The boy
chuckled. "Now you're telling me what to do?"

"Yeah, that's
what friends are for."

The young
Overlord looked away, a muscle jumping in his jaw. "I get so tired
sometimes..."

"We all do. I
could use some sleep too."

Fairen's eyes
drooped, and Sabre gave a grunt of irritation. Rising, he scooped
up the boy and tossed him over his shoulder.

"Where do you
sleep?"

"Hey, put me
down!"

"Nope. You're
going to sleep, if I have to knock you out."

Fairen
giggled. "Through the other door."

The cyber
walked towards the door to his right, then froze as dozens of armed
men stepped from hidden recesses, dart guns aimed at him.

"Release
Overlord Fairen," one ordered.

Sabre bent and
lowered Fairen onto his feet, and the boy swung around, his brows
drawing together. "Get out!" he bellowed.

"My Lord
-"

"Out! Now!"
Fairen strode towards the nearest man, who fell to his knees and
bowed his head. Fairen kicked him, making him grunt and drop flat
on the floor. The rest of the soldiers put away their guns and
headed for the door. Fairen marched over to the closest shelf,
picked up a priceless crystal ornament and hurled it at them. It
smashed on the wall beside the door the soldiers vanished through,
and the one on the floor jumped up and fled after them. Sabre
grabbed Fairen when he picked up another article to throw, and the
door slid shut behind the men.

"Okay, take it
easy." He eased the ancient porcelain figurine from Fairen's grip.
"They're gone."

"They won't
leave me alone! Always they're here, watching me! Sneaking around,
listening in! I'm sick of it!"

"They're just
protecting you."

"I'm tired of
being the centre of this bloody universe, everyone fawning and
bowing, scraping and crawling! I want to be left alone!" His face
twisted. "And yet I am alone. All these people serving me, and no
one to talk to, not one!"

"I know, but
I'm here now, and you're going to go to bed and get some sleep,
right now. You're tired, that's why you're throwing a tantrum."

"Don't treat
me like a child!"

"But you are a
child, Fairen. Emrin. You can try throwing things at me, but it
won't do you any good. Bed, now."

Sabre hoisted
the boy over his shoulder again and headed for the door Fairen had
indicated earlier. It slid open to reveal a velvet-hung bedchamber
with a satin-covered bed at its centre. Screens in the black walls
gave views of space around the ship, a few containing images of
Thayta and its moons. Sabre tossed the boy on the bed, pinned him
down and tugged off his jacket, then released him and retreated as
Fairen sat up, glaring.

"Are you going
to do the rest yourself, or do I have to hold you down until you go
to sleep?" Sabre asked.

Fairen flopped
back, frowning at the ceiling. "You took a big risk, you know. They
could have shot you."

"Well, it's
debateable that their poison would work on me."

"It would,
it's mirrithyde."

Sabre sat on
the edge of the bed. "Hmmm. Four hours of coma for a cyber before
death. You could have given me the antidote."

"Really? You
can survive for four hours?"

"Yeah. Myon
Two couldn't completely immunise us, but it's not instant like it
would be for a man."

"Good. I
wouldn't want to have to slaughter all my men for killing you."

"I would think
not." Sabre glanced around as the lights dimmed, his brows rising.
"Does Scorpio read minds?"

Fairen smiled.
"No, she just anticipates, sometimes."

"Good for her.
What would she do if you died?"

"If I had no
apprentice to take over immediately, she'd self-destruct." He
yawned.

"No wonder
they want to protect you."

"Ugh." He
rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. "Sometimes I hate
them."

"Go to sleep."
Sabre rose and let himself out.

When he
entered his suite, he found Kole and the two techs seated on the
sofas in the lounge, apparently waiting for his return, since they
were housed in the adjoining suite. Their excited conversation
ceased when he strolled in. Sabre flopped down on a couch with a
sigh.

"Why haven't
we translocated yet?" Kole asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Fairen's
getting some sleep." Sabre rubbed his brow. "The poor boy's
exhausted."

"Boy?"

Sabre looked
up. "I said guy. Poor guy."

"No you
didn't. You said boy."

Estrelle
gasped. "Emrin?"

"No," Sabre
shook his head. "Emrin's just a cook's son. I'm tired. It was a
slip of the tongue."

Martis nodded.
"It's Emrin."

Sabre smiled.
"How could Emrin be an Overlord? Don't be ridiculous."

Kole eyed him.
"No wonder he wears a disguise."

"Agh, you're
all idiots." Sabre jumped up and headed for the bedroom. "I'm going
to sleep."

"We won't tell
anyone."

"Go ahead,
it's not true."

"No one would
believe us anyway."

"That's
true."

Sabre flung
himself down on the bed. For a while he lay awake, thinking about
the boy who commanded the most powerful ship ever built, and one of
the most ancient. The lonely teenager longed for friendship, and
had found a big brother, of sorts, in a broken killing machine
whose emotionless mind made his touch bearable. Ironically, it was
the very attributes Sabre hated about himself that appealed to
Fairen; his inability to experience true emotions, and his skill as
a fighter. What would happen, he wondered, if he ever gained the
ability to feel as other people did? He did not think he would lose
Fairen’s friendship, but he might not be able to give him the
affection he craved, and needed.

That would be
sad, but he knew Fairen’s aversion was for people who were tainted
by such base emotions as greed, jealousy, malice, and the lust for
power, none of which he ever wanted to feel. Fairen’s friendship
was precious to him, and they had quite a lot in common. They had
both been forced into lives they did not want, and would always be
different from the rest of humanity.

Soon he would
be back with Tassin, whom he missed more than ever. Martis’
reprogramming had eased his conflicts and given him fresh hope that
he could become truly human. His natural reactions no longer seemed
so alien, and the cold cogs and wheels of his machine-trained mind
were less intrusive. His love for Tassin had grown stronger, and he
longed to see her again.