The Chaos Sutra

by Gregg Vann

  “We’ll grab a vehicle when we get to the garage,” he said. “We should be able to drive right out through the front gate, without suspicion.”

  “But won’t there be an alarm?” Ayel asked. “What about the fire inside the sphere? And the explosions? That’s an awful lot of destruction, surely someone noticed.”

  “The sphere is completely isolated,” Tien explained. “All of its systems are self-contained, and separate from the main building. That repellent plant was Awi Stenth’s pet project, and one he took great pains to keep to himself. Everyone knew about the vile thing, of course, but very few people were granted access to it. That secrecy worked in our favor, because anything concerning the sphere was routed directly to Chancellor Stenth’s office. And I already took care of the alarm.”

  Tien turned around to check the time scrolling across the bottom of conveyor’s control panel. He could have easily referenced his HUD, but old habits die hard.

  “There is going to be a shift change in thirty minutes, and the Udek I killed on my way into this complex will be missed. We need to be gone by then. Preferably, long gone. It will take them a little while to put all the pieces together and figure out what happened, but not so long that we have time to waste.” Tien shook his head. “The Corp has grown soft in my absence. I think the war must have thinned out the ranks of qualified personnel. This was too easy. They should have figured out something was wrong by now and caught us. Despite my familiarity with the building and the way the Special Corp operates, and the benefits provided by this android body, it should have been far more difficult for me to sneak into this compound and free you.”

  “I’m afraid that I don’t share your disappointment,” Maxal remarked. “Especially after what we just went through.”

  Before Tien could reply, the door opened and they all stepped out into the darkened garage—relieved to quit the tiny confines of the conveyor. Triggered by their presence, overhead lights sputtered to life, illuminating the open space beneath the Special Corp building. The walls were all tinted a dark shade of matte gray, and soaked up some of the copious light from above. But the floors were a vibrant, glossy red, and gave the appearance of still being wet.

  As Brother Ryll entered the garage he noted the low ceilings first, and the monk instantly sensed the immense burden they shouldered. There were no structural columns anywhere, and it was as if Ryll could feel the weight of the entire building hanging just above them—poised like an angry specter, waiting for an opportune moment to collapse. The sensation was disconcerting, to say the least, but Brother Ryll ignored it and continued to look around. He discovered a dozen of the same armored vehicles the Corp used to ferry them from the spaceport, parked directly ahead of them, neatly arranged in two rows of six each. The group approached the closest one and Tien toggled an exterior switch. The vehicle’s side door snapped open and Maxal and Ayel began lifting Eraz in ahead of them. But she resisted.

  “I have to drive,” she told them, trying unsuccessfully to shove the pair away. “None of you have a prayer of talking your way past the guards at the front gate. And even if they don’t stop us, they’ll be looking for an Udek behind the wheel, not some alien wearing a breathing mask.” Eraz’s hand weakly trembled as she pointed at Tien. “Or a fucking android.”

  “She’s right,” Tien said.

  “She looks like hell,” Maxal protested. “No offense. If they question her, it will be obvious that something’s wrong.”

  “Her worst is still better than our best,” Tien countered. “And the state Eraz is in right now makes her almost unrecognizable—which is what we need. As I explained earlier, the Corp isn’t exactly in top form these days, and I’m willing to bet that the guards at the front gate are some of the least-trained people here. That’s why they’re on guard duty. If Eraz can hold it together, we’ll get through. Let her go.”

  Maxal began to say something else but then abandoned his objection, realizing they were probably right. He released his grip on Eraz and climbed inside. The rest of the group followed him in.

  Everyone settled down into the back of the assault vehicle as Eraz slid into the driver’s seat, starting up the engine. A steady hum signaled its readiness and she pulled forward, turning toward the exit at the front of the garage. Eraz drove through the wide opening and up a steep ramp, emerging in the main courtyard of the Special Corp complex. She slowly approached the security gate leading out to the city and a guard stepped in front of the vehicle, motioning for her to stop.

  He peered in through the front window and Eraz gave him a solemn nod. And after a moment’s hesitation—one that burned a pit in Eraz’s stomach, and made her feel even more nauseous than she already did—the guard returned the gesture. He stepped behind a row of thick, meter-high columns sticking up from the ground, and the guard punched a code into the side of the security gate. The barrier slid down into its reinforced base so the vehicle could pass, and then the guard gestured for Eraz to proceed with a disinterested wave of his hand. She didn’t hesitate, coasting forward to the edge of the road, and then easing out into the sparse, late-night traffic.

  Commander Eraz headed straight toward the docks.

  Miso peered out from the front of the spacecraft, torn between anger and annoyance.

  He decided to embrace both.

  In spite of his frustration at being dismissed by Awi Stenth—exiled to his stolen Bodhi ship while the chancellor attended to other matters he didn’t deign to share—Miso was pleasantly distracted. He was presently admiring the overpowering beauty of Nykor at night, the metropolis revealed in all of its immaculate splendor through the ship’s large anterior window. It looked like a painting that had sprung to life—an epic vista, worthy of one of Earth’s long-dead masters. Miso believed such a view deserved to be captured on canvas and displayed in a museum. Art imitating life, yet again.

  From his landing berth at the edge of the spaceport, Miso enjoyed an unobstructed view of the skyline on the opposite side of the lake, along with the city’s mirror-like reflection, stretched out across the placid surface of the water. Nykor’s colorful buildings, so resplendent in the abundant light of day, became muted as the evening fell, losing some of their eye-catching flair. But then the impressive display was transformed. As darkness overtook the city, multicolored lights began to play across its tall structures from pylon-mounted spotlights near the water—installed along the inner edge of an ample-sized walkway, tracing the circumference of the island. The projections bathed the targeted buildings in soft and ever-changing patterns of light, designed to highlight and accentuate their natural coloration. Some might have called the display garish—ostentatious, even. But Miso suspected few would ever voice that opinion to the Udek. Not if they were smart. The overall effect spoke to Miso’s sense of aesthetics, and he greatly enjoyed the view. The fact that it also calmed his rage confirmed the scene’s inherent power.

  Maybe I’ll resettle here when this is all over, he thought to himself. Once I’ve finished with the Bodhi. Ko’ln is as good a place as any. Why not?

  Miso realized with amusement that this was the first time he’d allowed himself to think about the future since his unexpected revival on Ulor XI. The first consideration of any future, really. He’d been so consumed by revenge since his awakening that all of Miso’s thoughts and energies were intensely focused—myopically directed toward a single, overriding purpose. One that left no room for idle curiosity about what might come after. But now, as that moment approached, and Miso’s goal was finally in sight, he began to entertain thoughts about what he might do with this new life of his.

  Once the Bodhi were all dead.

  Curse Awi Stenth and his endless secrets. We are so close now.

  They were making the final preparations for the attack on Bodhi Prime when Stenth received an urgent communication from Udek planetary defenses. After which he’d immediately dismissed Miso, as if what they were planning was a secondary consideration, and easily tossed aside. S
tenth instructed Miso to return to his ship and wait to be contacted, and he’d even assigned an armed escort to make sure the unpredictable android did exactly as he was told. The chancellor assured Miso repeatedly that his revenge would proceed as planned, and that he would get everything he’d been promised, Stenth just had something he needed to take care of first—an important matter that couldn’t be put off, or delegated to anyone else.

  The delay had left Miso feeling angry and disappointed. He viewed it as another in a long line of excuses offered by the Udek to mask their incompetence. But resistance wasn’t a viable option for him, not anymore. And a battle with Awi Stenth certainly not worth the danger such a struggle would entail. Miso knew he held leverage over the Udek, but he also understood how precarious and limited that power was. Chancellor Stenth had reminded him of that in no uncertain terms, and driven the point home with highly specific threats about how they could kill Miso—threats the Udek were more than capable of carrying out. So Miso had done as Awi Stenth asked, and he retreated back to his ship.

  But now he was growing impatient. It had been hours since Miso left the Special Corp complex, and still he’d heard nothing. Miso had even made several attempts to contact the chancellor, but Stenth was ignoring him. He decided to wait one more hour—and not a single minute more—and then Miso was going to walk straight up to the two Udek guards stationed outside and kill them. After which, he would take their vehicle back to Special Corp headquarters for a personal, and very unpleasant chat with Chancellor Stenth. In anticipation of that next move, Miso glanced out the window to locate his presumptive targets.

  But they were gone.

  What’s happened to the guards?

  Miso saw their armored transport still parked off to the side of the ship, but there was no sign of the Udek themselves. No, he suddenly realized. That wasn’t entirely accurate. Miso used his enhanced optics to focus in closer, and he noticed two small pools of blood where the soldiers had been stationed. And then, back in the deep shadows of a nearby refueling and maintenance building, Miso discovered something else. He saw a second vehicle parked there, purposely hidden from view.

  Someone else is here. But who? And why?

  As Miso pondered the situation, a yellow light on the flight console began blinking in a rapid tempo, indicating that the ship’s main hatch was being opened from the outside.

  Miso brought the weapons array up in his HUD and ran toward the back of the vessel, knowing he would soon have his answers.

  Tien dragged the second guard’s body into the shadows and then stealthily approached the Bodhi vessel, careful to avoid any exposed lighted areas where he might be seen from inside the ship. He was alone, instructing the others to wait for him back in the Udek assault vehicle. Tien understood the full combat capabilities of the Bodhi androids, and even as a group the others were no match for Miso. If anything, they might prove a distraction in the fight that was sure to come.

  This was something Tien would have to do alone.

  He snuck past the landing struts and crouched beneath the leading edge of the primary fuselage, just below the cockpit. Glancing toward the rear of the ship, Tien noticed that the engines were partially disassembled. The injector cones and fuel rods had all been removed, and they were neatly stacked on pallets placed under the still-open cowlings. Tien looked across the short span at the secondary fuselage and saw that those engines were similarly disabled. Awi Stenth was telling the truth. The ship wasn’t going anywhere.

  Tien silently crossed over to the other side of the vessel and stepped into the open again, right beneath the main hatch. He punched in the code Brother Ryll had given him and the door levered open, making far more noise than Tien would have liked. As the bottom of it hit the ground, light from inside the ship spilled out onto the black tarmac, forming an elongated rectangle. At first, there was no hint of anyone inside—or indications of an attacker lying in wait to ambush him. But then Tien heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming from the front of the ship.

  He leapt through the door.

  Tien cautiously peered around a bulkhead to look down the corridor running the length of the ship, searching for the source of the noise. He saw Miso heading straight toward him and Tien launched two missiles, striking him in the abdomen. The force of the explosions caused Miso to double over, and knocked him back nearly two meters. The twin blasts also pounded an impressive pair of dents into Miso’s android body—blowing apart the midsection of the black robe he was wearing, and sending charred, still-glowing embers floating up through the air. Despite the damage, Miso was still standing.

  {Who are you?} he said, as Tien stepped out into the passageway to face him. {I don’t need to ask who sent you. That body you’re wearing tells me everything I need to know. It seems Brother Ryll survived his journey in the escape pod. That little monk is more resilient than I gave him credit for}

  “My name is Kiro Tien, formerly of Special Corp.”

  {An Udek? How unexpected…and confusing. Now I can’t decide if you were sent by the Bodhi or Awi Stenth. I’m certain they’ve both been plotting my demise, so maybe they decided to work together. I wouldn’t put it past either of them—such deceitful people. That must be why Stenth banished me to the ship. It was all part of his plan to isolate and kill me}

  Tien stepped in closer. “You needn’t worry about the chancellor. I killed him not thirty minutes ago.”

  {Ah, that would explain why he isn’t answering my communications. Not Awi Stenth, then. So you are working for the Bodhi}

  Miso strode forward as well—to show that he wasn’t intimidated by Tien, or afraid. But Miso was concerned. Stenth’s death meant that his deal with the Udek was finished, unless Miso could salvage it somehow with another member of their government. But that seemed unlikely. Failure loomed large in Miso’s mind, pushing all reason aside, and his rage began building into something dangerous and uncontrollable.

  Just a few hours ago, everything was finally coming together—two centuries of hopes and ambitions nearing a climax that would see the Bodhi dead. All of them. But now it was falling apart, slipping away like a dream in the morning’s light, lost even to memory. And the only thing certain was that the man standing in front of Miso might have robbed him of his revenge. No matter what came next, he would make him answer for that. But Miso held that angry determination in reserve, projecting a calm demeanor so he could glean more information—only then could he retaliate. He thought that maybe there was still a path forward, some way to recover from this crippling setback. But Miso understood that the damage was probably irreparable.

  {I assume you intend to kill me as well} he said. {Why else would you be here?}

  “That is one option,” Tien replied in an even tone. “Another is that you surrender to me peacefully, and then I hand you over to the Bodhi to do with as they will.”

  {You’ll understand if I’m not enamored with that prospect. Our reunion has been rather strained, and there may exist a small amount of bad blood between us}

  Miso reached toward one of the surviving pockets on his robe and Tien instantly brought his arm to bear, aiming a bevy of missiles at him. Tien acutely recalled Awi Stenth’s immobilization device, and wasn’t about to let that happen to him again. The fact that the weapon was specifically designed to neutralize Miso argued against him possessing one himself, but Tien wasn’t taking any chances.

  {I only wish to show you something} Miso said.

  “Slowly, then.”

  Miso withdrew a faded black cylinder from the pocket of his tattered robe. He then held it out in front of him, clenching the weathered device firmly in his grip.

  {I imagine this is what you really want. The Bodhi sent you here to retrieve Brother Dyson. Am I correct?}

  “After all of the trouble you’ve caused them, I’m certain the Bodhi want both of you. There is no bargain to make here, Miso. You’re coming with me—one way or another. But whether that’s alive or dead is entirely up to you.”
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br />   Miso knew where things were headed and welcomed the inevitable confrontation. He couldn’t believe this fool actually thought he was trying to make a deal. Miso cocked his head to one side. {Tien… Kiro Tien. That name sounds familiar to me. I believe I’ve read it somewhere before. Yes, yes. I remember you now. You were Dyson’s little pawn in his war against the Brenin}

  “I am no one’s pawn.”

  {Believe what you will, Tien. But I know the truth. I have to say…I’m truly honored to be such a noteworthy assassin’s prey}

  “You were never my prey, Miso. Awi Stenth was. You? You’re just the means to an end. And that end is now.”

  Miso stiffened and stood up straighter. {I won’t permit you to take me or this soul chamber, Tien. I’ve grown rather attached to tormenting my dear brother. Stop allowing yourself to be used by the Bodhi and just walk away. If Awi Stenth’s death is truly what you wanted, then you’re done. Leave…while you still can} Miso was trying to get Tien to lower his guard so he could strike first. He had no intention of letting this Udek escape his wrath; Miso was setting him up for defeat. He thrust the soul chamber out in front of him. {Aren’t you tired of being a tool for these people? You owe no allegiance to the Bodhi. Think about yourself, Tien. The decision to press this any further is yours, as are the consequences of that choice}

  Miso got his response when plasma guns extended out from both sides of Tien’s head, framing the shiny ovoid with a veritable crown of lethal firepower. The second missile pod also locked into place as Tien raised his other arm parallel to the first. Miso followed suit—deploying his own matching armaments, and dropping Dyson’s soul chamber down into his pocket again. The pair stood in silence for a moment, their respective means of destruction aimed, primed, and ready.

  “Last chance,” Tien said.

  {For you, perhaps. As Dyson’s favorite bard wrote, ‘Now is it time to arm: come, shall we about it?’}