The Circuit, Book 1

by Rhett C. Bruno

  “Come on now!” Yavortha kicked Vellish in the gut to wake him, causing him to hunch over and begin coughing up drops of blood. This left Yavortha with little choice but to hoist him up by the back and drag him out himself.

  Sage helped Talon to his feet before soldiers seized them and bound their hands behind their backs. They held each other’s gazes as they were forced out of the room.

  “We’ll be okay,” she whispered to him, but she could tell by his look and dragging soles that he didn’t believe it.

  “Time for your trial,” Yavortha snickered, lugging a half-conscious Vellish along.

  Sage knew he was just making a harsh joke. There were no trials for those who stood against the New Earth Tribunal in battle. She would be safe once her identity was discovered, but the others had nothing to offer. They were as good as dead. Unless…

  The Blue Death! Her eyes widened with newfound hope. The Keepers of the Circuit! Her heart began to race. That sacred duty was how she would keep Talon alive.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR—ADIM

  From the First Wire

  The Shadow Chariot touched down gracefully in the long hangar of Cassius Vale’s base on Ennomos. ADIM powered down the ship and vaulted over the edge of the cockpit. Then he unlatched the cargo from the back and carried a container of food in each hand.

  Creator, this Unit has arrived on Ennomos. He messaged Cassius, and stood in place waiting for an answer. When it didn’t come right away he headed toward the lift, his eyes beginning to spin.

  The hangar was empty of any being but for him. The mining bots had all been transported to the drill on Titan, and there were only six fully-repaired Tribunal freighters sitting quietly in a row. When he reached the end of the space, ADIM placed his hand against the security scanner, opening the door into the lift. He had to turn sideways to enter with the containers on his hands, and once inside the lift descended deep into Ennomos.

  Once it came to a stop, he moved down a short corridor to a reinforced door. A small HOLO-Screen was projected at the side of it, displaying what was inside. There were almost fifty men and woman sitting on the floor and against the walls of a mostly empty chamber. Only a narrow trough of water ran around the edges with a few of the people trying to scoop out handfuls.

  ADIM again placed his hand over the door’s security scanner and it began to open. Once it rose into the ceiling, he moved through.

  The people inside appeared clean, their Tribunal service suits not tattered or covered in grime. They were emaciated, some of them shivering simply from leaning against the cold metal wall. All of their cadaverous eyes were dulled by deprivation and fear. It took them a few moments to notice that somebody was present, but as soon as they realized their sunken stares shifted to face him. When they realized it was ADIM they cowered against the walls.

  “Help us…” one of the brave ones groaned while most of them trembled in fear.

  ADIM placed the container down in the center of the room. He entered a code into a pad on the center, causing the lid to pop off and slide to the side. Inside were smaller containers filled with enough ration bars and other nutrients to last them for a month if used prudently.

  “You all must eat,” ADIM stated.

  None of them budged. Even as their hawkish eyes widened and they began to salivate, none of them moved so much as an inch. It was why Cassius wouldn’t let ADIM detain any military personal. Engineers and ship-aids were never quick to act rashly, and as predicted they didn’t turn on each other. They were starving and terrified, but they remained docile.

  “Why are you doing this to us?” another one of them grated.

  “The Creator does not wish any of you to die. You must eat,” ADIM responded coldly as he backed out of the room.

  “Who are you?”

  Ignoring the question, ADIM left and sealed the door behind him. Then he paused. Cassius had always told him to keep his identity hidden, but that was before the Executor had set eyes upon him. He wondered, as he observed the HOLO-Screen to see them timidly approach the open container, if they too were supposed to know what he was.

  Forgive my delay, ADIM. Cassius’ voice suddenly spoke to him. Preparations at my end have kept me busy.

  The humans have been fed, ADIM replied.

  Good. It is—

  ADIM cut him off, his eyes beginning to revolve. This unit sensed heightened anxiety upon entering the room. On the freighters they had reason to be frightened, but even as this unit offers them nutrients, they remain so.

  Of course they are. They are weak. Meager tools of the Tribune.

  ADIM continued to watch them. Only a few were brave enough to peer into the container, and even they were trembling as they brought out what was inside and analyzed every angle of it.

  This unit will be discovered by the Circuit soon, ADIM said. Will all humans be frightened?

  There was a brief pause before Cassius answered: Humans are always afraid of what they do not understand. Those of the Tribune especially. It will take them time to see what a magnificent work of art you truly are. Cassius stopped again, as if he knew ADIM’s eyes had begun to churn more vigorously than before. But they will.

  Are you afraid? There was never any emotion in ADIM’s voice, but he hesitated before carefully annunciating each word, as if to indicate doubt.

  Of course not! I’ve known you from the first wire I laid down on the table. As I knew my own son. We will make them see, ADIM. Together we will make them strong.

  ADIM’s eyes slowed down and he didn’t respond right away. He was pleased with the response. He continued on down the hall and entered a glass vestibule. There was a loud beep, and then a web of lights lowered through the room to clean any potential contaminants off of him.

  “Purification complete,” a feminine voice spoke and the door into the laboratory came open.

  It was a generously sized room with equipment and HOLO-Screens arranged all over in no real order. Everything switched on upon ADIM’s entry, but nothing was brighter than the glowing blue chamber at the other end of the room. There was thick, metal lattice structure surrounding a sphere of roiling blue so resplendent that it was like staring at a newly birthed sun. It had the appearance of a Gravity Generator, but its purpose was far less innocent.

  This unit has reached the Gravitum Bomb, ADIM said as he stepped over the circuits feeding it.

  Simulations can only tell us so much. It is time we see how effective this new device really is. Key the loading sequence.

  As ADIM got closer, his sensors picked up the intense level of heat emanating from it. He moved in front of a HOLO-Screen and typed in a few commands. Once he was done, a ceiling shaft directly above the device began to open. It fed into the main hangar. The floor below the blue sphere began to rise, lifting it up through the opening so that the laboratory went almost entirely dark.

  The sequence is initiated, ADIM said. Where shall this unit bring the weapon?

  Switch on the map, Cassius replied.

  ADIM keyed a few more commands into the HOLO-Screen. A diagrammatic projection of the Circuit lit up behind him.

  The target is 22 Kalliope, Cassius continued. An M-type with an orbital period of 1,814 days.

  ADIM used his hands to navigate the image, expanding the region of the main asteroid belt in the Ignescent Cell. He paused and shuffled across the image until he stopped at the hologram of the small asteroid Cassius described.

  It is a mining facility owned by the Morastus Clan, ADIM stated. A member of the Ceresian Pact. This unit does not comprehend. Isn’t the New Earth Tribunal our enemy?

  All people are our enemies for now. The Earth Reclaimer War was a battle for control of our homeland, and though the Tribune may have won, the Circuit itself remains unchanged. Now they try to bleed the Ceresian’s out slowly over time. I’d wager they are willing to wait centuries, but our little attack will shatter what fragile peace remains to tie the Circuit together. They will blame the Tribune for your attack, and we w
ill draw our greatest threats into war.

  It never took long for ADIM to grasp the entirety of his Creator’s machinations. His spinning eyes began to slow down as he responded. And as they terminate each other, we shall show them the way.

  Precisely.

  ADIM continued to rotate the image of Kalliope, studying its outer defenses, which were decidedly limited.

  The mine remains operational, ADIM said. There will be humans present. Shall this unit attempt to transport any survivors to safety first?

  This time Cassius didn’t say anything for a while. There was a deep breath on his end before he gave his orders: It isn’t necessary. The Shadow Chariot’s cockpit could hardly fit more than one small person alongside you. The attack should appear to be a flagrant assault on a profitable, but unimportant colony by the Tribune. Like they’re trying to send a message in retaliation for the freighter raids. Let us hope that our new weapon will bring any miners there to a swift, painless end.

  ADIM spun Kalliope one last time before he shut off the projection. Yes, Creator, he said, his red eyes the only thing remaining to shine through the darkness.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE—TALON RAYNE

  Executer

  An armed escort led by a man he assumed was a Tribunal Hand guided Talon, Agatha and Vellish through the ravaged cargo bay of the freighter. All of the flames had been extinguished, leaving behind a mess of ruptured circuits and sharps of blackened, splaying metal. They exited into a massive hangar, big enough to fit at least ten more of the freighters. There were smaller ships throughout, attack vessels Talon assumed, and hundreds of engineers and soldiers were working diligently on every one. The floors and walls were all smooth and shiny, with streams of blue light running across them in a wide grid.

  A New Earth Cruiser. Talon marveled inwardly. He tried not to be too obvious as he gawked around the hangar.

  He glanced over at Agatha to see if she realized where they were and she returned a panicked nod. It was indeed one of the legendary New Earth Cruisers. The enormous vessels could give the Solar-Arks of the Circuit a run for their money in size, and there were only four of them in existence, a flagship for each member of the Tribune. Unrivaled in both defense and firepower, they were completed toward the end of the Earth Reclaimer War, or rather they helped end the war.

  They moved into the cruiser’s generous, trapezoidal corridors. The top plane above was fitted with a strip of cool light that accentuated the surreal feeling which seized Talon’s entire being. Everything was burnished and sleek. The walls were similar to the inside of the hangar while the floors had a white, almost pearlescent luster to them. It was quite a contrast from the unsightly Tribunal Freighter with its grated floors and often exposed circuitry.

  “Much nicer than the hell you come from, huh?” The Tribunal Hand scoffed. “Up this way.” He tugged a barely standing Vellish into a lift branching off of the corridor.

  Talon realized he’d been ogling the cruiser, much like his daughter every time she saw a new ship. It was indeed spectacular, but he didn’t want his enemies knowing he thought that. He dropped his gaze, swallowed any witty response, and followed the Hand onto the lift.

  They were carried up the tall elevator shaft and Talon had a feeling he knew what awaited them at the top. His pulse raced uncontrollably. He had known he was going to die for a long time, but as the moment neared he knew he wasn’t ready. The hairs all over his body stood on end. He tried to picture Elisha’s face, but it only filled him with anger.

  He peeked to his left and right.

  Seven soldiers, he counted. He could smash the soldiers holding his wrists against the fast moving wall and then use it to rip apart his bindings. Though the process would probably tear open his hands and make wielding a gun more difficult than it already was for his increasingly weakened arms. He’d then have to take out at least three before the others reacted so that the odds were even.

  It wasn’t an impossible task, but as much as his heart willed him to try, he couldn’t. It was his life to throw away, but not Agatha’s or Vellish’s. Losing Ulson was already enough to have on his conscience. As the lift came to a gradual halt, he straightened his back and decided that he’d have to face what awaited them with courage.

  The wide, semicircular door at the top slid open and the din of a busy command deck greeted them. But it was unlike any command deck Talon had ever seen. A raised platform of polished black tile ran down the center, reflecting the stars and vastness of space through the gently curved translucency spanning the far half of the oblong room. Down either side of it were terraces outfitted with almost a hundred stations, filled with HOLO-Screens and other navigation consoles. The translucency itself was beautiful and trellised with a thick steel structure that bowed perfectly with the glass.

  Tribunal Honor-guards were arrayed down the edges, each of their ornate chest plates stamped with the emblem of the Tribune. They all also had one-sided green capes draped over their left shoulders. Down at the end of the platform was a tall seat with the back rising into a sculpture of five offset plates of metal that could almost be said to resemble the open palm of a hand. What could only be a Tribune sat in it, the folds of a silken, green cloak tumbling down over his shoulders and most of his arms. He wasn’t wearing a crown, but he might as well have been. A spectacularly molded silver chestplate wrapped around his black, fitted tunic to grant him an undeniably regal appearance. It was the grand throne of a ship worthy of a king.

  “The Ascendant is quite a vessel isn’t she?” The Tribune said as he spread his arms wide and rose to his feet, all while wearing a rapacious grin.

  Talon and the other prisoners were forced to their knees and waited in silence as the resonating footsteps of the Tribune grew nearer. Vellish was barely conscious, but a soldier behind him was keeping him from collapsing. Agatha hung her head so that her dark hair fell over her face.

  The Tribune himself wasn’t as impressive looking once he got close. He was a short man with a prim beard hugging his smug grin. His eyes and lips were accentuated by black and gold-tinted makeup, which Talon thought only made him look ridiculous. In fact, the only think which made intimidating was the host of guns at his beck and call.

  “You may be wondering why I brought you all the way up here,” the Tribune said, leaning over to address them. “I am Tribune Benjar Vakari and I trust you appreciate my more than gracious treatment of you heretics so far. It is my hope that you may see what majesty you attempt to defile. What beauty!” He slowly spun around, apparently to flaunt his spectacular cruiser.

  “It’s a little too pretty for me,” Talon murmured under his breath.

  “Don’t address the Tribune!” the Tribunal Hand snarled and kicked him in the gut.

  Talon reeled over, trying to grasp his stomach as the wind was knocked out of him, but his hands were bound. He squinted over to see if Agatha was looking, but through the strands of her hair he could see that her eyes were closed.

  “Now, now Yavortha. That is no way to treat our guests,” Tribune Vakari scolded. He began to briskly pace back and forth before stopping to look directly at Talon. “What an attempt! I haven’t had the luxury of watching the Splinter Tactic fail for decades. When will you foolish Ceresians learn?” He grabbed Talon by the cheeks and sneered.

  Talon straightened his back and wheezed: “Didn’t stop us from taking your other ships.” If they were going to die, he figured he would at least draw the ire of the Tribune in hopes of lessening the torture inflicted on the others.

  “Oh stop. I know your motley crew wasn’t responsible for that.” Benjar quickly turned to Agatha and knelt down in front of her. She didn’t budge. Then he reached out and with one finger below her chin lifted her head. Every part of her face seemed to tremble as her eyes opened to face him. “There is no need to hide,” he whispered to her as he ran his hand across her cheek. He then gently kissed the corner of her lip.

  Talon’s stomach churned as he watched Benjar take advantage of
her. He was about to launch himself at the man and beat in his skull when the Tribune suddenly got to his feet to speak.

  “Thank you for delivering these dissidents to us, Sage,” he said.” He threw a haughty nod in Yavortha’s direction. “Remove her cuffs.”

  Sage? Talon thought, confused by the unfamiliar name. The nauseous feeling was quickly replaced by a stinging in his chest. His arms began to wobble and he felt all the air sucked from his lungs again. It can’t be.

  Yavortha let her loose and she slowly rose. Talon hoped for a moment that she’d use the opportunity to snap the Tribune’s neck in two with her artificial arm, but she only stood there, staring down at her empty palms in silence.

  “Excellent work! I should never have doubted you.” Benjar embraced her and offered another kiss. She didn’t move. She merely wore a sullen expression that made Talon wonder what he was missing. “Now, as a reward I will allow you to finish what you started. Return Sage’s pistol, Yavortha.”

  Hand Yavortha reached behind his belt and pulled out Sage’s gun. Talon watched in awe as it was placed in her open palms and he could no longer deny it.

  It was her! he thought, seething. He had only just met her, but never in his whole life had he felt so betrayed. The air felt like it was sucked right out of his lungs.

  “Redemption is near,” Benjar said. “It is time we returned their vagrant souls to the unifying spirit.” He closed her hand around the handle of the pistol and turned her around. She didn’t look at Talon or Vellish. There was no pride in her blank stare as there should be after springing a successful trap. She looked lost.