Warlord Conquering (The Great Insurrection Book 3)

by David Beers

  "Are you and the AllMother okay?"

  "We're fine, Pro. How was the meeting?"

  Alistair sighed as relief washed over him. He had the distinct feeling violence was coming for them on this planet and thought it might have arrived while they were in the restaurant. "I think the meeting went the only way it could have."

  "What do you mean?" Servia asked.

  "That was a prelim. There wasn't any way we were walking in there and getting permission to see a person who guards his privacy like this one does."

  Relm, listening on his comm, asked, "What do we do?"

  "We wait for him to come to us. If he doesn't, we're going to need to develop a plan B pretty damn quick."

  Chapter Eleven

  “Knowledge is all that matters.”

  —The Nameless One

  Once again, Alistair found himself impressed with Jeeves. The hotel rooms he'd rented for them were set up to allow each of them to sleep alone but also to protect one another if needed. The rooms connected, and security parameters allowed for the touch of a button to alert the others in the party that something was wrong. Also, there was no way to block the connections since doors didn't separate them, just a thin membrane that was easily breached.

  On a planet of this size, with this much economic activity, there were hotels for every need, even protection.

  Night had come on this world, and it apparently lasted thirty-six hours. The people of the planet usually slept seven to eight standard hours, then went about their business regardless of their star's light level.

  Alistair lay on the bed with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling. Obs had curled up between his feet but was also awake, sensing his master's apprehension. Alistair's hands were at his sides, and his Whip rested beneath his right.

  He knew they were still being watched. All of them. Perhaps this nameless one even watched him now in this bed, but the answer today hadn't been the truth. That was why the eyes still followed them.

  Hours passed, and though sleep beckoned Alistair, he resisted its advances.

  When the voice spoke, it was familiar. Not even Obs had heard someone enter, though he stood up immediately, the hair bristling on his spine. His master was calm, so he didn't bark.

  "You asked to see me."

  Alistair slowly sat up. He kept his hand on the Whip, though he made no sudden moves.

  Darkness shrouded the area, but Alistair could make out a bald head and deep-set eyes in a chair across the room. It was the man who had been in the restaurant.

  He seemed different. His demeanor was calmer.

  "Didn't I already see you today?" Alistair asked.

  Obs sat on his haunches, though his hair remained on end.

  "Don't worry about what you saw today," the man said. "Worry about what you're seeing now. My associates and I share a certain resemblance, though I promise you we are not the same."

  "Okay," Alistair said. "Obs, go to the floor."

  The drathe hopped off the bed and stood next to it, not taking his eyes off the newcomer.

  The man continued speaking, his voice the same as that of the person from the restaurant, though without the disdain. "You're the reason for the commotion in this part of the universe, am I right? You're the one that ancient civilization is chasing?"

  Alistair was surprised. He'd never heard of the Commonwealth referred to as an ancient civilization. Despite this place's majesty, Alistair had no doubt the Commonwealth could lay waste to it if necessary. He didn't bring that up, only said, "It's possible."

  The man shrouded in darkness chuckled. "You offered credits today, but a man in my position doesn't need credits. Knowledge is what runs my world, and that is what I trade in, young man. You are the one they call Alistair Kane, and the old woman in the room next to yours is known as the AllMother. For years I have been curious about her, as well as her brother, though my business has never crossed theirs."

  A long pause ensued, and since Alistair wasn't quite sure what to say, he kept his mouth shut.

  The man spoke again. "You're after one of the AllMother's direct subordinates, or one who was one of hers but is now yours. Best I can tell is you have picked up her mantle as your own, though that reason has been kept from me despite my best efforts. That is why I came here tonight—because there was only one thing I couldn't discover about you. That means you have knowledge I wish to purchase. Tell me, what made you join up with this woman? Why do you lead what she used to?"

  Alistair didn't understand, or at least, he didn't think he was hearing clearly. "Hold on. You're saying if I tell you why I'm with her, you'll help me locate my friend? Is that correct?"

  There was a slight nod from the other side of the room but nothing else.

  "I don't believe you," Alistair said simply.

  Another chuckle from the man in the dark. "One doesn't reach my position by lying, at least not to those you're going into business with. You may lie to authorities and the like, yes, but it’s wise to be truthful when it comes to exchanges."

  What the hell did it matter? It was a simple thing to tell him and wouldn't hurt Alistair's cause. "My wife. The only chance I have of seeing her again is defeating the Commonwealth."

  The man's face didn't betray his thoughts. He was quiet again for a bit and then gave a simple nod. "It’s a long shot."

  Alistair shrugged. "All the other options available are no-shots."

  The man stood up. "You use standard time, I imagine?"

  "For the most part."

  "In five standard hours, meet me at the restaurant you went to today. Bring the AllMother and the drathe. I'd like their company. The rest of your party should remain here. Our business doesn't involve them."

  "Do you guarantee their safety?" Alistair asked.

  When he stood, the man was tall. Not like Alistair, but he easily towered over most people on this planet. He waved the question away as if it were a fly buzzing around his head. "I'm a businessman. What good would it do to kill your compatriots while we meet? You paid what I asked, and now I will give you what you want."

  Alistair was quiet as the man turned to the door. He studied him closely and felt confident it was the same man he'd seen in the restaurant. Except for the way he acted, the physicality was exactly the same.

  He exited, leaving the Fallen Titan and the drathe alone. The drathe looked at his master, and Alistair shrugged. "I don't know any more than you do. You want to go to the meeting?"

  Obs walked across the room to the corner and laid down. Alistair chuckled. The son-of-a-bitch was telling him he was on his own.

  "You got a good sense of humor for a dog. Get some sleep. I think tomorrow might be a big day."

  The AllMother was on his right, and Obs was on his left as they stood on the street outside the fancy restaurant. Alistair felt out of place, given that he was about to walk in with a drathe who came up past his hips.

  For her part, the AllMother seemed not to have a care in the world. "I bet their food is delicious," she said, looking through the windows at the guests.

  Alistair sighed. He knew she said it to push his buttons. The old woman had an unusual sense of humor. She and Obs would probably really enjoy each other's jokes.

  He reached forward to open the door, but the first woman from yesterday opened it before he could touch the handle. "He's expecting you. Please follow me."

  She didn't wait for Alistair to respond but walked deeper into the restaurant. Alistair had to move quickly to follow. Obs let the AllMother go before him, then followed with his nose low to the floor.

  The group had gone right yesterday, but today they turned left. They passed through black drapes that didn't let eyes pry into this side of this building and found themselves in a narrow hallway. The woman didn't turn around but kept walking forward as if her only job were to go from point A to point B.

  Finally, she stopped at the end of the hallway in front of a single door that had none of the poshness of the restaurant. It looked ancient.<
br />
  The woman turned. "I can't go in. You must go alone." With that, she whisked back down the hall. Obs had to squeeze against the wall to let her through, and he was not pleased about it.

  Alistair turned the handle and pulled the door open.

  He stepped inside and then stopped, his mind trying to adjust to what he saw. The AllMother walked in on his right and Obs went to her right, sandwiching her between the two warriors.

  Alistair's eyes narrowed. Endless replicas of the man they'd met yesterday stood and sat in this room, which appeared to stretch on for much longer than possible, given the building’s layout.

  The bodies were motionless, androids or robots of some kind. Whatever he'd sat with in the restaurant hadn't been a real person but one of these.

  Slowly, Alistair walked forward, feeling more creeped out by the second. The androids were in different positions, some looking angry, others shocked. Some even had their faces contorted as if they were sobbing.

  "I don't know what we've gotten ourselves into," he said. "AllMother, do you?"

  She smiled slightly. "I think these dolls are terrific."

  He shook his head and walked deeper into the massive room. After another thirty yards or so, he saw an office on his left. The door was open, and the living model for all the androids sat behind a relatively small wooden desk.

  The man stood, and Alistair saw that the android from yesterday had been a version of him, but not one that adequately captured him. "Hi. Welcome." He stepped around his desk and met them at the door.

  The man looked at the AllMother first. "For many years, I've been wanting to meet you. I'm glad I finally get the chance, Alexandria."

  Alistair turned his head to the AllMother, shocked. He'd never heard her name. He had figured she had one but thought that no one alive knew it any longer. The AllMother's face grew harder. "I haven't been called that in a long time. How do you know that name?"

  "My business is knowing things. Do you know who I am?"

  The AllMother shook her head. "No, I don't, but if I wanted to, I could find out."

  The bald man smiled. "The rumors are true, then. You do have abilities that men would kill for. There is no need to go inside my head for information. Who I am doesn't concern you; what I know about your friend does."

  Alistair raised his palm. "Hold on. I need to step back a second and ask what is going on behind me. There are, like, a million replicas of you outside, and I imagine each would pass as one of your aides if it was activated. I need to know what I'm looking at before we talk any further."

  The man gave a small smile and beckoned them into his office. "Come. Sit."

  Alistair led the way. There were two chairs to the right of the desk and a spot for Obs on the left side. The drathe scanned the room quickly, then laid on the floor. Alistair understood it was a sign of trust. The drathe couldn't speak, so he was doing what he could to show his master his thoughts.

  It set Alistair a little more at ease. The AllMother took the far right seat, and he took the other. The nameless man closed the door, then sat behind the desk. He motioned behind them with his hand. "No one else on this planet has seen what you did and lived more than minutes afterward." He raised his hand in a stop gesture. "Do not worry, my word is good. You’re in no danger from me, and I don’t fear showing you these versions of me. The chances of you making it off this planet are so small, I put them at zero. Again, not at my hand, but at the will of the people you're trying to find. I figured to have someone like the AllMother sit in my office before she died was worth the slight chance that you three might live. If you do and decide to speak of what you saw here, I will have you killed."

  Alistair ignored the other talk, focusing on a single fact. "I still don't know what I’m seeing."

  "They're android versions of me, each programmed with a different personality. It's taken a long time, but accumulating an army like this allows me freedom from my enemies and any law enforcement agencies that want to find me."

  Alistair was still stunned. He hadn't known this technology existed or was even possible. "It doesn't make sense."

  "It doesn't have to. Know that it works for me, and if you breathe a word of it, Fallen Titan, you will never see your wife again—not that I think you will anyway. I agreed to see you after I learned who was seeking a meeting. You're a serious man, and those are rare. I try to treat serious men with the respect they deserve." He nodded at the AllMother. "Plus, the chance to meet a legend like her should not be passed up."

  He paused for a moment and placed his hands behind his head. "If you find this friend of yours, beat back the legions preparing to kill you, and somehow find your way at the Commonwealth's door, then defeat that ancient despot, what do you plan to do? Anyone who can do that is not a man but a god. Not a warlord but a true titan from the Greek myths. Will you simply give power back to the people, or will you expand the Commonwealth's reach to here? Will my empire need to worry about a new form of government?"

  The question was almost as shocking as what Alistair had seen outside. He hadn't even considered the answer. His purpose in overthrowing this government had been simple: to see his wife. After that? He didn't care.

  The AllMother spoke, though, and she didn't sound like a doddering old woman when she did. "When we defeat the Commonwealth, you'll have nothing to worry about from anyone here, nor from those who will come after us."

  The nameless man turned his gaze on her. "Ah, I see more clearly now. This man here is your tool, and you’re using him to do something you haven't been able to do without him. You're the ideology behind it all. He doesn't have any ideology outside of seeing his wife again. That right?"

  "Close," Alistair said, not liking the tone or the accusations, even if they were true. "If she says you need not worry, then you don't. Plus, we won't be living long anyway, right?"

  The nameless man smiled. "Yes, that's right. From everything I know, you've done a fantastic job surviving so far, but if you want my advice, leave your friend to his fate and fight this empire from some other angle. My home here is a glorious one, a wealthy one, but wherever great wealth is amassed, danger is sure to follow. You've already got eyes other than my own on you."

  Alistair shook his head. "Fine. Tell us what we want to know. Where is our friend? How do we find him?"

  The nameless man dropped his hands and placed them on the desk. "You won't take my advice and leave?"

  Alistair shook his head.

  He sighed. "I can't give you much help because doing that would endanger my interests. Whether or not you live, I’ll remain here. Your friend's current benefactors have paid a great deal of money to place eyes on you and your group. You're being watched, not only by my organization but by another. A competitor, you might say, but they operate by different rules than I do. To get to your friend, you'll have to survive their attacks. A bounty has been put on your head, Sir Kane."

  He flicked his finger at the door behind them.

  "The man you want is named Manius. Your friend is under his control. Manius is already looking at you, but if there's one thing our government won't put up with, it's blood in the streets, so he's biding his time until he can kill you without anyone taking too much notice. When people are murdered behind closed doors, it's mostly given a blind eye."

  Finally, useful information. This man loved to hear his own voice, though since it appeared he only spoke to android versions of himself, it might have been a while since he’d had a conversation. "Where do I find him?"

  "You needn't find him. He'll come to you soon. The information you want is this: don't kill all his men when they come. You'll want one of them to bring you to Manius."

  "We'll find our friend there?" Alistair asked.

  "Yes," the nameless man said. "You’ll find death also." He stood up, signaling that their time was up. "It was nice to meet you. All of you. Sir Kane, you do strike me as a serious man. I wish your quest wasn't so foolhardy. Knowledge is what matters in this world. That
is a reason to kill, to conquer. Love? It only leads to ruin. Heed my words, and perhaps you will make something of yourself, even after your disgrace."

  Again, Alistair didn't like the way he spoke, but the man had done as he promised. They knew what came next, and he understood they couldn't kill all of those coming. One needed to live. Alistair stood, and the other two did the same. "I hope that when I get my wife back, you'll hear about it way out here and understand you were wrong."

  "Me too," the nameless one said, "but I doubt it."

  Alistair, Obs, and the AllMother left the way they had come and headed back toward the busy street. The woman didn't lead them out this time or even look at them as they passed her station. It was as if they didn't exist.

  Alistair walked outside into the pitch-black night, with people moving all around him. Air transports flew above, landing at different levels of the buildings that nearly scraped the lower levels of the atmosphere. "This is a city that doesn't sleep," he said.

  The AllMother gave her sly smile but said nothing.

  They walked toward the hotel, Obs sticking close to the AllMother.

  "He was an arrogant bastard," Alistair said to no one in particular, thinking about what the man had said.

  The AllMother gave a little shrug. "He's an android. Love doesn't exist for him. Love is knowledge."

  Alistair looked at her with wide eyes. "Wait, that man we talked to wasn't a man?"

  She shook her head without looking at him. "Nope. He was another one of those creations we saw outside. Maybe there is a real nameless one somewhere, a human nameless one, but I doubt it. I think a very long time ago, that creature got a bit more information than his creator and took his place."

  The Written History of the Great Insurrection