by Isaac Hooke
Jason held his shield in place, waiting for his energy cannon to recharge.
“Give us a boost,” Cheyanne said.
Jason saw Cheyanne, Maeran and Iris waiting on the ground beside him. He scooped up each of them in turn, and threw them at the different airships. Cheyanne couldn’t fly on her own—her wings were still damaged from a previous attack, and she hadn’t yet repaired them.
Cheyenne landed on one of the big airships—its shield was down, thanks to previous attacks. She stabbed it with her swords, cutting a huge gash into its side, and sending it keeling off course. She leaped away before incoming fire could strike her, and repeated the process on another airship.
Iris used her whips to cut off pieces of the airships in turn, and dig deep gashes, while at the same time dodging blows coming at her. It usually took her ten to twenty seconds to damage an airship enough to crash it. It took Maeran about the same amount of time with her three energy drones. Their attacks ended when they attempted to leap onto airships that were still shielded, and they bounced away, landing on the forest floor, where they had to deal with the Phasers and Plasma Throwers.
Thanks to the sunlight streaming down, Jason had enough power to fire his energy canon again, and he did so, tearing into the shielded vessel. John and Jerry fired at the same time, eliminating the shield, and allowing Jones and Julian to finish it off with their own cannons. The remaining airships decided to retreat, leaving only the flyers, which were still exposed to Bokerov’s tanks and Cataphracts.
Jason dismissed those flyers for now, and moved deeper into the trees to concentrate on the Imperial mechs.
Flashes continually went off below hip height as Bokerov’s tanks inflicted plasma and energy bolt damage against the Phasers and Plasma Throwers around him. Some of Bokerov’s Cataphracts also continued to fire energy beams and bolts at the flyers, keeping them occupied.
The Octopus Cataphract was fighting nearby, and reared on its tentacles to fire the energy cannon from its maw. The targeted flyer accelerated out of the way, and the Octopus rotated the beam, trying to hit it, and instead struck Jason’s Cataphract.
Jason swiveled his body aside, bringing his shield to bear, intercepting the blow. A big chunk was eaten out of his left side.
“Watch it!” Jason said.
“Sorry,” Bokerov said.
Jason continued to attack the mechs with the other combined Cataphracts at his side.
“Maybe we should have never evacuated the plains of Earth in the first place,” Sophie said. “We might have been able to take these bastards after all.”
“I guess we’ll never know now,” Jerry said.
“You’re forgetting that half the army is still inside the city,” Jason said.
He was struck by a black blob missile in the hip, and in the shoulder, and portions of his combined body dissolved, but the AI cores of the respective mechs remained unharmed.
Jason sought out the source of those missiles, and hewed down the mechs responsible. One of them was a Phaser, and it winked out of existence, so Jason simply swung his sword in a pendulum fashion, timing the rebound with the Phaser’s reappearance.
When he had enough power, he used his tail to fire thick plasma bolts at the enemy. He often targeted flyers with it, preferring to utilize his sword and shield for any mechs or bioweapons that presented themselves. He’d alternately hack with his sword, splitting a mech apart, and then bash with his shield, smashing a mech into a tree. If the unit survived the impact, he’d follow up with an energy attack if he had the power, and a sword stab if he did not.
Meanwhile, the Rex Wolves fought beside him, destroying enemy mechs like the best of them.
The debris piled up around Jason and the Cataphract clones until finally there were no more foes to take down. It actually came as a surprise. He destroyed his latest foe, and was looking around, searching for the next mech to target, but none presented themselves.
He glanced skyward. Bokerov had taken out the remaining flyers. Either that, or they had fled, perhaps to join their brethren in the city.
“We did it,” Lori said.
“Not yet,” Jason said. He turned toward the city and then marched through the trees. “Bokerov, War Forgers, line up under the eaves of the forest. Or what remains of it.”
He maneuvered to the forest edge to overlook the city. He was expecting to see flashes, or explosions, or other signs of fighting, but the city was completely quiet. The western wall was still smashed to the ground in several places, and the energy dome mostly inactive on that side. From where he stood, he could see several neighborhoods reduced to rubble, with the triangular buildings toppled and smashed on the streets. There were also the wreckages of mechs from both sides, Imperial and Modlenth, intermixed with flyers and airships. It reminded Jason of the carnage at the battle site he’d just left behind.
“Forward, War Forgers!” Jason said. “Bokerov, stay where you are. Cover us.”
“Okay,” Bokerov said. “I’m your bitch.”
“You certainly are,” Jason said.
Jason and the others approached the smoking ruins of the city wall.
Inside, on the far side of the smashed buildings, he spotted mechs hiding in the rubble. He thought they were Modlenth. When they didn’t fire, he knew that he had guessed right.
Three Modlenth mechs emerged from cover, and made their way over the debris. They approached the ruined wall. One of them had a topknot on its head.
“We did it, with your help,” Risilan said. “When you distracted the attackers outside the city walls, we were able to turn the tide. When the prince went down, the remaining mechs tried to flee. We slaughtered them.”
“Kind of you,” Sophie said.
“Merciful is a more accurate word,” Risilan said.
“Evil bitch,” Sophie muttered on a private line meant for the War Forgers only.
“She was only doing what she has to do to secure her throne,” Aria said. “What we would do, if our homeland was threatened.”
“Defend her all you want,” Sophie said. “That doesn’t change the fact that she’s a murderer.”
“Are we any better?” Iris said. “We just slaughtered an entire army. There were living Tyrnari piloting those flyers and mechs.”
Sophie didn’t have anything to say to that. None of them did.
One of the Modlenth mechs stepped away from the others, and held up the severed body sac of what could only be one of the Imperials.
“The prince,” Risilan said. The mech, obviously hers, tossed the body sac into the air, and it landed on the ground outside the wall, deflating.
A strange, distorted screeching went up from the mechs behind her.
“Is that supposed to be a cheer?” Cheyanne said.
“Probably,” Jason said.
“It’s time to begin the long repairs,” Risilan said. “My planet is safe, for now. Come with me, Jason. We have much to discuss.”
“What’s to discuss, other than our return home?” Jason said.
“As I said, much,” Risilan told him.
23
Jason sat on the hardwood floor of the family room of his VR home and gazed out the floor-to-ceiling window toward the lake beyond.
Risilan shifted beside him where she lounged, and he turned his attention to her. The tiara and its tear-drop brooch rested on her long, curly red hair. As usual, her cheeks were rosy, and her eye makeup smoky. The red and gold gown was spread out on the floor around her. Her expression seemed almost impatient.
Jason smiled slightly at the thought, and then gazed once more out at the lake.
“You know, I modeled all of this after a real location,” Jason said. “A quaint little lake in the mountains. It was more commercialized than this, of course, with a chalet, and chairlifts for skiers. And the summer days were never this warm. But I made it my own.” His smile became sad. “I can never go there in real life. Not now. At least, not in my present form.”
“Why?”
Risilan said.
“Because it’s on the wrong side of the planet,” Jason said. “The western hemisphere, where the rest of humanity lives. If I go there, the humans and their machines will hunt me and my girls down. I’m stuck in the irradiated zone. The closest I’ll ever get to that lake is right here. And maybe that’s for the best.”
“Then why go back?” Risilan said. “If humanity hates you so much?”
“Because it’s my home,” Jason said. “And not all of humanity hates me. Only some of their governments. Well, they don’t really hate me so much as fear me. They want to control me, I would assume. They did make me, after all, and I’m just their property, as far as they’re concerned.”
“To be one’s property, is no different than slavery, is it not?” Risilan said.
“Yes,” Jason said. “But they don’t view it that way. Our laws are slightly outdated, and don’t recognize Mind Refurbs as real people. Just soulless copies. That’s gotta change. I don’t know how, or when, but it has to. And someday, I’m hopeful the human governments will be able to come to some sort of arrangement with me, allowing android versions of myself and the girls to coexist in their cities.”
“I see,” Risilan said.
“No you don’t,” Jason said.
“No,” Risilan admitted. “Your ways are alien to us.”
“Not so alien, I’m sure,” Jason said. “Your species once had slaves, didn’t it?”
“At one point, yes,” Risilan said. “But most intergalactic races are guilty of the charge. It is one of the unfortunate aspects that come with the development of civilization. Someone has to build the infrastructure these civilizations use, until automatons are developed.”
Jason stared into her eyes. He could lose himself in those deep, blue orbs.
It’s all fake, he reminded himself. She looks like a tentacled sac in real life.
Still, it was pleasant to pretend.
“So why did you ask me here?” Jason said.
She swallowed, betraying the first sign of nervousness he had ever seen from her. She folded her hands, and looked down at them. “Well, I was thinking. I could use someone like you. Loyalty, a fierce spirit, and the ability to defend are rare traits these days, especially in the same individual. I was wondering if you’d be interested in joining my royal guard.”
“Not interested,” Jason said flatly. “I don’t think I could stand to serve anyone else. Not after the leadership role I’ve filled since having my consciousness embedded in this body.”
“What if I offered you the position of king, as my mate?” she pressed.
Jason stared at her, dumbfounded. Her expression was unreadable. Then finally: “You would do this?”
“I would,” Risilan said.
Jason couldn’t hide his skepticism. “But we can’t even mate.”
“Not physically,” Risilan agreed. She gestured to the VR around her. “But here we can.”
“Would you even feel pleasure?” Jason said.
“I’ve remapped the sexual organs of this virtual body to match the appropriate organs on my own body,” Risilan said. “When stimulated, those virtual organs will activate the associated centers of my tri-brain. So yes, I will feel pleasure.”
Jason still couldn’t believe she wanted this. He shook his head in confusion.
“Why me?” Jason said. “You barely know me.”
“Oh, but you’re wrong, I do know you,” Risilan said. “There is no better way to become acquainted with someone than by throwing them into the crucible of battle. From that test of mettle, I know you are honorable and righteous. That you live up to your word.”
“That still doesn’t explain why,” Jason said. “There has to be more.”
“It would secure the bonds of allegiance between our two worlds,” Risilan said. “Ensuring that we pooled our resources to stave off the coming visitations of the empire to both of our worlds, and those who would serve them.”
“Except I don’t represent my world,” Jason said. “Tying the knot with me would grant you the allegiance of nobody, except the robot army with me.”
“Perhaps now,” Risilan said. “But eventually, you would return to your planet as our emissary, and secure a treaty of allegiance. I foresee this. But even if not, your present army is good enough for me. You fight with heart. Something that can be said for only a few member species of the empire.”
He sighed, gazed out at the lake for a moment, and then returned his attention to her.
“Let’s say I agree,” Jason told her. “And become king. Your people would accept me?”
She nodded. “They would have to.”
“I have a feeling the average Tyrnari isn’t all that different from the average human,” Jason said. “I’m a robot. Operated by an organic consciousness embedded in an AI core. A consciousness from another planet. I’m not even Tyrnari.”
“My people are very open-minded,” Risilan said.
“While that may be so, some would revolt,” Jason insisted.
“Perhaps,” Risilan said. “But the involved parties would be suppressed.”
“You’re a cruel ruler,” Jason said.
“I can be,” Risilan agreed. “The weak-willed cannot be queen. They would not last a month, if that.”
“What about assassination attempts?” Jason said.
“I will ensure you are safe,” Risilan said. “We have surveillance tech here unlike anything your race possesses. Would-be assassins would never reach you.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” Jason thought a moment longer.
He remembered the arguments Aria and Xin had made for staying, about how humanity would just hunt them down anyway, and how they would be safe, here, living under the auspices of a queen.
But he couldn’t do it.
“It’s tempting, but I can’t,” Jason said. “My place is on Earth. And I’m not the monogamous type anymore. I couldn’t give up my other girls to become an alien’s mate.”
Risilan bit her lower lip, as if she was going to concede even that, and allow him to share, but then she lowered her gaze. He spotted sadness in her eyes before she did so.
“As far as I’m concerned, those girls are my queens already,” Jason continued into the silence that followed. “And the little plot of land we call home? That’s my kingdom. It’s not as big as yours, and doesn’t have the space navy, nor anywhere near the troops, but it’s mine. So my answer is no.”
“I understand.” Risilan looked up shyly. “Then at least let me give you your parting gift…”
“Oh?”
She came close, wrapped her arms behind his neck, and kissed him.
“It is a gift you will never forget,” Risilan said, her cheeks reddening. She kissed him again, even more passionately.
She was right. The sex that followed was something he would carry with him for the rest of his days, if only for the sheer vigor and enthusiasm on her part.
When he returned to the real world, he found her mech standing before him next to the ruins of the palace. She offered him a small triangular object. There were small hieroglyphics on the surfaces, with pulsing blue veins along the edges.
Jason accepted. “What’s this?”
“It will create a rift to my palace, from anywhere in the galaxy,” Risilan said. “Use it to return here if ever you have need.”
“Nice.” Jason accepted the device, and shoved it into his storage compartment. Then he turned to go.
“What did she want?” Tara asked.
“Tell you later,” Jason said.
Jason led the troops into the forest. After four hours, the sprawling oaks swapped out with the smaller psychedelic pines, and in another four hours they emerged from the forest and reached the rift site. The journey transpired without incident—they didn’t encounter any roving bioweapons, or Imperials.
As promised, when the Earth troops stepped out onto the plains, a tear in reality began to form ahead of them. It started out as a purplish gr
ay mist that expanded outward until the interior pinched and distorted the landscape that lay beyond it. The purple fringe continued to expand, until it was one kilometer in length, and eight hundred in height. The rift solidified, and the distortion vanished, replaced by the familiar bleak, rocky plain they’d left behind.
“Well, good old Earth,” Jerry said. “Can’t say I missed it.”
“I did,” Jason said.
“Me, too,” Lori added.
“Now would be a good time to recall the bombers and jets you parked outside the forest,” Jason said. “Unless you want to give the Modlenth a fully intact set of human aircraft to reverse engineer.”
“No thanks,” Bokerov said.
“Are the units even intact?” Tara said. “Or did the roving bioweapons get to them?”
“They’re intact,” Bokerov said.
Jason sent his Explorer drone forward, with instructions to return after performing a quick search of the area. Risilan promised she’d keep the rift open for ten minutes.
The Explorer returned shortly, and Jason reviewed the data. “All right, it looks safe on the other side,” Jason said. “No machines, Imperial or human, waiting in ambush. And no mutant bioweapons nearby. Bokerov, where are your craft?”
A moment later the roar of the jets and bombers came overhead, and the craft swooped low to dive through the opening.
“All right, the rest of you, we enter,” Jason said.
He led the War Forgers and the clones through. On the other side, the Rex Wolves pranced around happily when they realized where they were.
Home.
Bokerov’s contingent followed in organized ranks, with the tanks first, and the Cataphracts bringing up the rear.
Jason glanced at his overhead map on the other side. His positional data updated, courtesy of the repeaters Bokerov had spread throughout the region, setting him at almost the precise spot he had stood on when he departed Earth.
He checked for signs of enemy troops, which would have been detected by the bombers and jets by now, but there were none.
Jason zoomed out on the map, and focused on the mountainous area to the southeast of the country. One of those mountain ranges was directly west of their current location.
