"It doesn't matter. Overlords have intervened for the sake of one person. Travelan saved Pretan from -"
Fairen held up a hand. "I know history as well as you do. Pretan was Travelan's son. I can't prevent you from saving him, and you know it."
"As I said, I'm considering it."
"Don't consider it too long, or it will be too late."
"You want me to save him, don't you?" she asked.
"I'm impartial."
Ravian patted the couch beside her. "Come and sit, you're making the place look untidy." He joined her on the couch, keeping a safe distance, and she leant closer. "What did you see when you read him?"
"Ah, now you're curious."
"Naturally."
"What did you see?"
Ravian studied her drink with a sigh. "A lot of blank spaces. Pits of darkness covered with shields of pain. Confusion. Terrible inadequacy, and... gentleness. Deep, profound compassion mingled with ice-cold logic. It was like nothing I've ever sensed before, a mixture of human and machine. Above all, honesty and innocence."
Fairen nodded. "You only brushed the surface of his mind. The dark pits hide his true essence. Those blank spaces are where his intellect died of loneliness and despair, and he abandoned the world outside. He has no ego, no sense of self-worth. It was beaten from him by cruelty, and all that's left is pure... I don't think there's a word for it. If people are wood, he's duronium. Have you ever read a child?"
"A six-year-old."
"Even they have more guile and vanity than him. Yet he hates himself above all others, even those who made him what he is."
She raised her brows. "He blames himself?"
"No, he's not a fool. He blames them, he just hates himself because he's not like the rest of us, and he considers himself beneath us."
Ravian stared across the room, pondering his words, and the silence thickened until she broke it. "What's in those pits of darkness?"
Fairen frowned into his glass. "Sorrow."
Sabre turned his head towards Tassin, the lights on the brow band flashing.
"They're coming. Keep still and don't make a sound. They have extremely keen hearing."
Tassin nodded, wondering if he could see her, and tried to keep her breathing even and silent. The doors at the end of the hold slid open, letting in a shaft of light. Lanky forms moved into the hold with gliding steps, making soft snarling sounds. Some fiddled with the access panel, then they waited until more came, bringing powerful torches that slashed the gloom with brilliant beams. Ten of them passed below, searched the aisles and pushed over stacks of cargo. Looking down made her dizzy, and she closed her eyes, glad of Tarl's back pressing her to the wall, although she wished it was Sabre's.
A crash of falling boxes made her start, and she strived to calm her racing heart. She opened her eyes to search for the reassuring flashing of the cyber band, but Sabre must have been looking away. More crashes made her tension rise, then screams erupted as one of the women was found, ending abruptly.
"Bastards," Tarl whispered.
A beam of light flashed upwards, illuminating the roof not far from them, and wandered towards them. Sabre's brow band became visible as he turned his head towards them. Tassin thought her heart would burst with terror. The light wandered past and dropped back to the cargo as another woman screamed, this time mixed with the thud of footsteps and snarls from the Corsairs. Her brief flight ended in a shriek, and near silence followed as the Corsairs continued their search. Several minutes passed, and the lights moved back towards the door. A crash of falling cargo was followed by a wail of terror. Tassin burnt with anguish and rage as three Corsairs dragged the pregnant girl into the light from the doorway, and she struggled hysterically. They held her down and examined her, apparently curious about her distended belly.
In the faint light, Tassin could make out Sabre's profile as he gazed down at the scene below, his brows drawn together. She knew he wanted to save the girl, and only his concern for her safety prevented him. He glanced at her, and she shook her head, although she, too, wanted to rescue the girl. Sabre looked down again, and she guessed that he was weighing his chances against ten Corsairs. Killing them would only give away his presence and bring more, however. She closed her eyes and plugged her ears as the girl's screams rose to shrieks of agony.
Tarl cursed and drew his laser. His first three shots hit two Corsairs. One died with a yelp, the other grunted and leapt into the air. Beams of light flashed upwards, and Tassin almost slid off the beam as she tried to duck out of their path, grabbing Tarl. Sabre jumped up and loped away along the beam, drawing his lasers. He fired several shots in quick succession, and three more Corsairs collapsed before the rest dived for cover.
The girl scrambled up and fled out of the door. The Corsairs' weapons made soft pops as they fired deadly missiles that hissed past to hit the roof. Sabre fired again, hit several cargo boxes and set them ablaze, drawing the Corsairs' fire. Projectiles whizzed past him as he trotted further along the beam. Corsairs ran from the fire, one falling as Sabre shot him. Tarl fired again, and more missiles hit the bulkhead behind them with soft clangs. Tassin gasped and grabbed his arm to try to stop him.
Sabre shot another crate, set it ablaze and forced three Corsairs to break cover. One collapsed with a black hole in his back as the cyber shot him. Beams of light swept over Sabre, who fired at them, knocking two out. Acrid black smoke billowed from the burning cargo to fill the hold with choking fumes. An alarm buzzed, and clouds of white gas jetted from the roof.
Tarl cursed. "The fire extinguishers have been triggered."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Tassin asked, coughing.
"No. It's toxic."
Tassin glanced at Sabre, and her blood chilled as he holstered his lasers, bent to grip the beam and stepped off it, swinging by his arms before dropping into the white mist. The fires were extinguished, and the gas swirled below, rising slowly. The force of the extinguishers had sent the deadly gas past them, leaving them unscathed for the moment.
Coughing Corsairs staggered into the open, and Sabre moved amongst them, killing them. The surviving women ran towards the door, coughing and stumbling as the gas overcame them. Sabre sprinted to the nearest and swept her up, threw her over his shoulder and gripped another's arm, dragging her to the door. Dumping them outside, he dashed back to rescue two more, then returned for another two while one staggered out by herself.
Tassin watched the deadly gas rise, her heart pounding in her throat. Sabre ran about below, dragging out more women. He returned again, pausing beneath them to scan the room. Evidently there were no more life signs in it, for he glanced up at them. Tassin's nose burnt and her head spun as the gas rose to engulf her. Tarl coughed and clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Don't breathe!" Sabre shouted, and she nodded, her lungs burning. He held out his arms. "Tassin, jump!"
Tassin's eyes burnt, and tears obscured her vision. His order seemed insane. Surely even he could not catch her from such a height. Could he?
"Jump!" he yelled.
Tarl turned his head. "Do as he says!"
"It's too far!"
"Do it!"
There seemed to be no choice. If she stayed on the beam she would die. Throwing caution to the winds, she eased her grip and let herself slip sideways. Her vision grew dark from lack of air, and her lungs spasmed. Her weakened hands lost their grip, and she slid off the beam, flailing wildly.
Chapter Eleven
Sabre braced himself as she fell towards him, stepping forward to catch her. He bent to absorb the force of the impact, and her hair brushed the floor, then he straightened, holding her cradled against his chest. He sprinted into the corridor and put her down beside the other women, most of whom were recovering. Assuring himself that she was all right, he took a deep breath and loped back into the hold. Tarl had lowered himself off the beam and hung by his arms.
Sabre stopped under him. "Let go!"
Tarl obeyed, and again Sabre braced him
self for the impact, stepping back. Tarl weighed more than twice as much as Tassin, and his bulk almost forced Sabre to his knees. He straightened and set the technician on his feet, dragged him out and slapped the access panel outside to close the doors, cutting off the gas that crept into the corridor.
Tarl gasped and coughed, wiping his watering eyes. Sabre went over to kneel beside Tassin and place a hand on her shoulder as she coughed and rubbed her streaming eyes.
"Are you all right?"
She nodded.
"We've got to get out of here," Tarl said.
"And go where?" Sabre turned to him, his expression grim. "Thanks to you, we're exposed."
"I couldn't just sit there and watch them -"
"Did you think I was enjoying it?"
"No, of course not, but -"
"If you want to play hero, do it when you don't endanger others, especially Tassin," Sabre said.
"You could have let them -?"
"Yes. To keep Tassin safe, I could have watched them butcher that girl and her baby. Does that make me a monster?"
"No." Tarl hesitated. "I don't know what it makes you, but..."
"I'll save who I can, when I can, but when I can't, I'll save Tassin. Everyone else is expendable, including you."
"But you did save most of them, because I -"
"Oh, you want credit for that now? You almost got us all killed. The Corsairs were leaving the hold, so that girl would have been their last victim. Thanks to your heroism, seven more women died from the gas."
"You triggered the extinguishers by starting the fires!" Tarl said.
"Because if I hadn't, we'd all be dead. I could have killed them, but not before one of them called for help. Did you think I wasn't considering all the options? I wanted to save her just as much as you did, maybe more. Now she's run off and she'll probably be killed anyway. You seem to have forgotten what I am. This is what I'm trained to do, and I'm a hell of a lot better at it than you."
Tarl nodded. "You're right, I know. I just... I couldn't bear it."
"That's why cybers have no emotions. Their decisions are based purely on logic and strategy. I guess I've inherited some of that dispassion."
The women stared at Sabre, and one asked, "What are you?"
He glared at her. "How the hell should I know?"
Tarl glanced around. "Shouldn't we find somewhere else to hide?"
"We don't have many options left, now that the hold is full of gas. The hunters will search every room, cupboard and locker. The rest are going to get suspicious about their missing comrades and come looking for them. They might think the gas killed them, but if they get close enough to see the wounds, they'll start hunting us. There are over three hundred Corsairs on a horde ship."
"So what should we do?"
Sabre shrugged, shooting a glare at a woman who leant closer to peer at his brow band. "We have no choice now. We'll have to hide in a cabin, and I'll have to kill any hunters that find us."
"Corsairs are superstitious. They might think their comrades’ disappearance is a bad omen and leave."
"Maybe. Or they might think there's someone killing them and band together. They're not stupid. Our chances before were slim, now they're almost non-existent." Sabre turned to Tassin as she put a hand on his arm.
"I can’t believe you caught me like that..."
Tarl snorted. "Of course he did, he's capable of -"
"Why don't you get her a bloody brochure?" Sabre asked.
Tassin rubber her brow with a shaking hand. "You caught him too?"
"Yeah." Sabre glared down the corridor. “Although I’m starting to wish I hadn’t.”
Tassin turned to frown at Tarl. "What were you thinking, shooting at those creatures?"
"They were -"
"I know what they were doing, and, if not for Sabre, they'd have done the same thing to us."
"I knew he could deal with them."
Tassin's frown deepened. "You deliberately put us in danger so he would have to fight them?"
"I know what he's capable of! Okay, I should have realised one might call for help before they were all killed. I made a mistake!"
Tassin shot Sabre an alarmed look. "Did they call for help?"
"No, the gas stopped them."
"What do we do now?"
"Find somewhere else to hide and hope the Corsairs think those hunters in the hold started the fires and were all killed by the gas."
Tarl scowled at the floor. "I don't know how you could stand it."
"I wanted to live," Tassin said. "I didn't think there was any way to save her without getting ourselves killed. That may seem heartless and selfish, but sometimes sacrifice is necessary. If it had been me, I wouldn't have wanted anyone to risk their life to save me."
"Yeah, you would, if you'd thought there was any chance they might succeed."
Sabre stood up and held out a hand to Tassin. "Let's go."
She took it, and the cyber pulled her to her feet, then stepped towards Tarl as he rose, but one of the women distracted him with a hand on his arm.
"Thank you, for saving us."
Sabre inclined his head, turned to Tarl again and gripped the front of his jacket, hauling him closer, so they stood toe to toe.
"I'm going to be watching you now. Try a stunt like that again, and I'll kill you myself, got it?"
Tarl nodded, staggering back when Sabre shoved him away. The cyber walked off down the corridor, and Tassin hurried to catch up. After just a few metres, he opened a door and entered a medium-sized room lined with shelves full of cleaning equipment and boxes. The women filed in and drew together in a corner, comforting each other for the loss of their friends and children.
Tarl turned to Sabre. "Shouldn't we hide further away from the hold?"
Sabre frowned at him. "Stop second guessing me. That's exactly what they'll expect."
"Right. Look, I'm not trying to second guess you or anything. It was just a question. I don't want us to fight."
"Yeah I'll bet you don't."
Tassin shivered at the anger in Sabre’s eyes, glad she was not the object of his ire.
Tarl sat down with his back against the wall and bowed his head. Tassin took Sabre's hand, tugged him into the far corner and turned him to face her. He avoided her eyes, gazing over her head with a mutinous expression.
"What's got into you?" she asked. "It's not like you to threaten people."
"This is a dangerous situation, and he's made it worse."
"He's our friend." She studied him. "But it's more than that, isn't it?"
"I don't like him."
"Because he's a cyber technician?"
He met her eyes. "He treats me like one. Haven't you noticed?"
"Yes, I had. I'm sure he can't help it. I think... he's proud of you, in a strange way. Like he feels he had a hand in your creation, somehow. I think he almost wants to see you beat these monsters. Maybe to prove you're even better now that you're free; maybe even to make you feel better about yourself."
Sabre tilted his head, smiling. "You think so? Because if he thinks that he's a moron; killing doesn't make me feel good."
"But the Corsairs are monsters, murderers."
"We invaded their territory. They have every right to hate us."
She frowned. "Yes, I suppose so. But we also have every right to defend ourselves. I don't want to die, and neither does Tarl. He's afraid, too. Don't hate him."
"Hate?" He turned and sank down beside the wall, leaning against it. "I'm not capable of such a strong emotion, and perhaps it's just as well."
"You are capable of it; you just won't let yourself feel it." She sat beside to him.
Sabre tugged off the steel mesh gloves and spread his hands to study the faint scars on the backs of them. "You're right. I'm afraid of it. What happens if I get really angry, and lash out?"
"You won't. You got angry with me on Omega, remember? When I started that knife fight between you and the Prince?"
"Yeah. But th
is situation is a hell of a lot worse. The stress is greater, the tension and the stakes are higher. Besides, that was you." He shook his head. "I'm not used to being in charge. I've always just been an onlooker. Now the responsibility is mine alone, and it's hard."
"Did you want to hurt Tarl?"
"No. I'm angrier with myself. What happened was my fault. I should have stopped him. I could have, but I didn't." Sabre clenched his hands, watching the skin on his knuckles whiten. "A part of me didn't want to. I wanted to save that girl, and I could have, but I didn't want to risk putting you in danger to do it, so I let him make the decision for me. I'm supposed to be in charge; I'm the one with the training, but..."
"What?"
"I guess I don't have the confidence to make life and death decisions. I'd rather someone else did it for me." He rubbed his face. "I don't want the responsibility. I can't handle it. I'm not used to it."
"It's all right." She placed a hand on his forearm. "You're doing fine, and I'll help you."
"If my life, or yours, or even Tarl's is threatened, the decision's easy, but she was a stranger," he went on as if she had not spoken. "Killing is easy, but to stand by and watch someone die when you know you can help them... Even the cyber didn't make its own decisions; the orders came from the owner. I -"
"Hey, look at me." She gripped his chin, turning his face towards her. "It's all right, I understand. When it comes to tactical decisions, you're in charge, but if there's a situation that involves the possible death of another person, I'll decide."
He took her hand and gazed at it, his fingers caressing it. "You shouldn't have to do that. It's not right. Hell, there's so much about this that's not right. I'm failing." His face twisted. "They were right to put the cyber in charge."
Tassin moved around in front of him to try to see his face, but he bowed his head. "No, they weren't. It's not your fault. You're a gentle man, and that's a good thing."
"It isn't when I put you in danger because I can't do the right thing."
"Who's to say what the right thing is? It's not..." She shook her head, searching for the right words. "It's not a decision that anyone should have to make, to choose who lives and who dies."
The Cyber Chronicles 05: Overlord Page 12
