Warrior Chronicles 2: Warrior's Blood (20 page)

“That will present some challenges for you, Cort,” Doctor Verne said. “Nutrition, waste, and rest all require you to remove your armor.

“I know. At best I have a few days in it. Even with nutrition and hydration bladders. Suggestions?”

Kim Point offered “Send someone else.”

“You know better, Kim. But I have an idea that should work,” Mike Rage said.

--

“Speral,” Cort said a few minutes later. “I have decided on my requirements.”

“Cort Addison, what are your requirements?”

“I want you to take me to one of the star systems currently under attack, then I want to accompany you to meet with your collaborative. After that, you will bring me back here where my people will decide whether or not we will help you.”

“Cort Addison, I cannot do so. You are too large for my ship. Perhaps another of your warriors may go in your stead. This would be acceptable to me. Your warrior can assess the situation and report back to you.”

Bingo
. Cort thought. “Wraith, step forward.”

One of the two powered suits next to the HAWC stepped forward. Cort casually dismissed its salute with one of his own.

“Wraith, you will accompany Speral. I will give you your orders. Be ready to leave in two hours. Dismissed.”

‘Wraith’ was actually Mike Rage inside one of Cort’s CONDORs. He would not have been able to move the suit without an ATLAS interface except for the strength augmentation provided by his own FALCON suit. Rage left the room and Cort turned back to his diminutive guest. “Speral, be ready to depart in three hours.” Cort stood as Speral began to put her suit back on. “But Speral, if you do not return Wraith to me safely, our people will never negotiate with you again. We will sit idly by as your collaborative is destroyed.”

“Cort Addison, I understand. I have one more inquiry before we depart.”

“Yes?”

“Cort Addison, how did your sire know what to designate you?”

“I don’t understand.”
Glydnal said something about my ‘designation’ as well.

“Cort Addison, are your people designated according to their station?” Speral asked.

“No.”

“Cort Addison, are you required to practice your designation upon maturity?”

“No Speral, we are not.”

“Cort Addison, then why did your sire designate you ‘Death’? Was your sire aware of your destiny?”

Cort was silent for almost a minute before Speral said, “Cort Addison, have I offended you?”

“No Speral. You did not offend me. Cort, my designation, are you saying it means ‘Death’ in your language?”

“Cort Addison, yes, Cort means Death.”

“In my family history, it is a variation of ‘Brave Counsel’. Though looking back upon my personal history, I believe your meaning is more appropriate.” Cort watched as Speral finished suiting up and said, “You may wait in your ship for Wraith. Goodbye Speral.”

“Cort Addison, I hope it is not.”

--

“I had planned on giving you this in a few weeks,” Kim Point said as she handed Cort a long slender box that was over a meter long. “There is another larger one as well, for the HAWC suit.”

Cort opened the box and lifted a sheathed black sword from the wrappings. Almost involuntarily he reached up and touched the scar on his cheek. As he reached back down to draw the straight blade from its scabbard he told her, “It’s beautiful. I’ve never learned to use a sword though.”

“Then learn. It’s called a ‘bastard’. In your CONDOR it will be more the size of a longsword though. It has a molecular edge that’s only one molecule wide when aligned. It will cut through anything we have, even the HAWC. After you use it, press this button on the hilt,” she said, pointing out a decorative insignia on the pommel. “That will realign the edge.”

“So I don’t even have to sharpen it?”

“Nope. And when you sheath it, any chips in the blade will self repair. Also, the scabbard works with the CONDOR’s universal mounts so you can mount it on your back.”

Cort took Kim in his arms and said, “Thank you, Kim.”

“Just come back to me.” Kim looked away as she broke his embrace and said, “There’s one more thing. Instead of your MAT, take this.” She handed him a long gun.

“What is it?” Cort asked.

“It’s a fractional. I’ve had the research and development people working on a portable one. It won’t fire in any other mode though, so don’t use it for close quarters battle. Not even a CONDOR would protect you from that shockwave, so use your sidearm or the bastard for close work. The rounds are only a half-kilo each, but they are high density and you can carry a lot of them. Fifty to a clip and you get ten clips. I didn’t know you were leaving, or I would have made you a better care package.”

“How tested is it, Kim?”

“Very. This one has had over a hundred slugs launched from it, and its maintenance cycle is five-thousand rounds.”

“I assume you’re putting them into production.”

“Yes. I was waiting for your approval, but you turned the military over to me so I approved them this morning. We should have one for every active CONDOR by the time you get back.”

“Great.” Cort put the weapon down and took Kim’s hands in his own. “Also, when I get back I expect your things to be here.”

“Gods, you are dense, Cortland Addison. My things have been here for days.”

“Oh. Damn.” Cort kissed her hands. “I never had a chance did I?”

“Neither did I, ‘Wraith’. Please come home. I couldn’t bear that loss again.”

“I will. This is just a look-see.”

“That’s what you said about the ‘scientific’ base at the pole. That nearly ended in your death.”

--

When ‘Wraith’ stepped out of his quarters, Mike Rage was waiting for him. “We have a problem, sir. Clare Gaines is missing. Rand just commed me.”

“God dammit!” Cort exclaimed as he opened a comm to Rand. When his grandson answered Cort asked, “Rand, what the hell? Have you gone through the security tapes?”

From across the planet Rand answered “Yes. It happened three days ago. She put on an atmosphere suit and overrode the airlock. There is also a MERV missing. I have Chief Rhodes checking the MPS feeds from the platforms around us. Cort, this isn’t your problem. I will handle it. Do your thing, and hopefully this will be resolved by the time you get back.”

“I don’t have a choice. I have more than one person to worry about. Hell, now I have more than one planet to worry about. Standby.” Cort added Kim to the conversation and filled her in. “I want every security code changed. Let Clare have access to the outer airlocks, but once she’s inside I want her locked in. And she could be going anywhere. So do it at every site, including the temporary structures at Tharsis. Once she’s found, take her into custody. She is a threat right now, and you will all treat her as such. Rand, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

Cort added, “Rand, I mean it. I know she’s your sister but don’t risk a colony to save her.”

Cort was approaching the proving ground when Rhodes commed him. “Cort, I found Clare. She’s approaching Speral’s ship, and about two thousand meters out.”

“Fuck!” Cort activated the security frequency. “Sentries. There is a MERV approaching the alien ship. Stop it at all costs.”

--

Jeff Pence was in charge of the sentry detail currently assigned to guard Speral and the proving ground airlock. When the call came through he immediately took control of the new railgun system at the entrance.

“Oh Gods,” Rand said over the security channel. “Please don’t kill her, Cort.”

“Don’t fire unless you have no other choice, Pence.” Cort opened a separate channel to Speral. “Speral, this Cort Addison. We have a rogue vehicle approaching your ship. Stay inside and do not interfere. We will stop it.”

“Cort Addison, I will not act. Please do not allow your vehicle to attack me.”

“I won’t. Stand by.”

“Twelve hundred meters,” Rhodes said over the security channel.

Pence said, “Sir, if she gets much closer I can’t use the railgun. What are your orders?”

“Use your MAT. Charged round only. Do not destroy the MERV unless you have to. I’m cycling through the airlock now.”

“One thousand meters Cort,” Rhodes said.

“Clare, it’s Cort. Don’t do this,” Cort said over an open frequency. “Stop where you are.”

“I told you never to talk to me again, you murdering bastard!” Clare screamed over the channel.

“Clare, it’s Rand. What are you doing, Sis?”

“I’m putting an end to all of this, dear brother. No one else is going to die.” Clare’s voice was calm now. “I’m saving us.”

Cort exited the airlock and said privately to the sentry team “I want all of you between Clare and the ship. If she gets past me, kill her. I need to hear that you all understand your orders.” After he got four affirmatives, he returned to the open channel. “Rand, if you can’t stop her, I have to.”

“Clare, please. You have to stop where you are. Why are you doing this?”

“Don’t you see, Rand? He’s going to kill us all. That’s been his plan all along. He planned this. Coming to Mars. Getting Grandfather and Mother killed. He’s a monster. When he found out he had a family, he set out to kill us. He doesn’t want us alive. Just him and his precious wolves. They are all that matter to him.”

Cort was directly between Clare and Speral’s ship, running toward Clare. Jeff Pence deployed his men in a semicircle with its base ten meters from the alien craft.

“Oh my Gods. Okay, Sis. So he’s a monster. He wants us all dead. Why are you attacking the Alien? She can’t be a part of his plan.”

“Cort, she’s accelerating. Five hundred meters from the ship,” Rhodes said.

“Dear Rand. You never did understand how I think, did you. I’m not going after the little porcupine. I knew Cort would try and save her. I’m going to kill him. He doesn’t want me. He doesn’t want any of us. We don’t want him either.”

“Oh Gods!” Rhodes screamed.

Cort stopped in his tracks. “Everyone stand down. That’s an order. If she wants to kill me, let her. Come and get me, Clare.”

“Cort, no! Don’t hurt her!” Rand pleaded through his own tears.

“I won’t. I’m letting her kill me. Do it Clare. Become me. Kill me now. Look, I’m putting my guns away. Kill me Clare.” Cort sat on the ground in front of her as he commed everyone on the security channel. “Do not interfere. I’ll be okay.”

Clare was only two hundred meters from the CONDOR now. The MERV was travelling at over one hundred kilometers per hour. Cort closed his eyes.
Well, Amber. You said this suit will survive a direct hit from a tank. Let’s find out.

Clare slammed on her brakes and turned, cutting it so closely that the MERV’s exterior roll bar clipped Cort’s body and spun him around. The rear wheel then clipped a rock and the vehicle began to tumble. As Cort regained his bearings, the MERV came to a stop upside down thirty meters away and Pence sent the two forward sentries to the vehicle. The augmented strength of the CONDOR Twos made it easy for them flip the MERV upright and open the door. They pulled Clare from the wreck as Cort appeared beside them.