The Cyber Chronicles VI - Warrior Breed (15 page)

Sabre accessed
the cyber's vast store of information. "This ship is a Lesser
Skyhawk, model L10, seventeen years old by my estimation. Capable
of corridor travel. To go where I want will require seven
accelerations and decelerations, the equivalent of nine days of
combat manoeuvring. Is the ship fully fuelled?"

Atrel looked
puzzled. "No, we refuelled four days ago."

"Then I want
it refuelled."

"We're not due
to refuel for another seven days. The supply ships will contact a
high commander for clearance, and he'll want to know where you're
going and why you're not rejoining the battle."

"Right. Are
the repairs completed?"

"Yes, four
hours ago."

"Then rejoin
the battle. I'll be on the bridge soon." Sabre scowled at Atrel
when he hesitated. "Go."

The new first
lieutenant headed for the door, and the other officers filed out
after him. The two warriors who had been following Atrel around
remained, looking tense.

Sabre eyed
them. "What are you two waiting for?"

"We're your
aides," one said.

"I don't need
you. Go and join the fighting crew."

The men
glanced at each other, then left.

Tassin
approached him, gazing at his injured arm. "Are you all right?"

"Fine."

"Those wounds
need to be dressed."

"They're
minor."

Tarl came
over, digging in his pack. "I'll do it."

Sabre sighed
and allowed Tarl to minister to his arm and hand. The ex-cyber tech
shook his head in disgust. "These dagger wounds are deep. And you
should have been wearing a protector for that power punch
stunt."

Sabre grunted,
then hissed when Tarl sprayed the wounds with stinging
antiseptic.

"So we've got
to fight their battle for seven days?" Tassin asked.

"So it would
seem. We won't be able to refuel a Trykon vessel anywhere."

"How will they
get back?"

Sabre
shrugged. "They'll have enough fuel for a couple of corridors, then
they'll probably steal some from another ship."

"We could do
that, then we could leave now."

"Not a good
idea. We start attacking civilian shipping and we'll have their
warships following us to Omega. If the Trykons steal on the way
back, they'll be safe once they enter their space, although
complaints will no doubt be lodged with an Overlord."

"So we just
have to hope we don't get blown up in the battle," she said.

"Or die of
starvation," Kernan muttered.

Sabre noted
his gaunt face and pallor. "The Trykons are sufficiently high tech
to be able to synthesise some food for you from the sample. I'll
order it."

Chapter Nine

On the bridge,
whose curved forward screen gave a view of the distant battle,
Diarda swung around as Atrel entered, strode over to him and tugged
him aside, frowning. "What are we going to do about this?"

Atrel rubbed
the red swelling on his jaw and glanced at the officers who manned
the various back-lighted consoles and data screens that lined the
grey-panelled bulkheads. The control centre’s dim illumination and
industrious crew gave it an atmosphere of subdued efficiency. "The
bastard can beat any man in the clan. What do you propose I
do?"

"Use
drugs!"

"That would be
treason now. He's our commander."

"Whatever
possessed you to let him try? You could have had him executed
instead!"

"You saw him,”
Atrel said. “Did you think he could win?"

"Then how did
he?"

"That's a damn
good question, and one I wish I knew the answer to, but I don't.
All I know is he beat me as if I was a non-com, and he wasn't even
trying."

"What are his
enhancements?"

Atrel
shrugged, felt around inside his mouth and tugged out a broken
steel-capped tooth. "Damn, another one gone, soon I'll -"

"Bugger your
teeth! What are his enhancements?"

"His scanner
seems sophisticated, and he has metal-plated bones and metal mesh
armour under his skin."

"That must
have taken a lot of doing. How is he so fast and strong?"

Atrel shook
his head, fingering his ribs. "I have no idea. What's your
point?"

"He's
dangerous. He could become clan leader, and he's an outsider. Who
knows what stupidity he could inflict on the clan if he gains
leadership?"

"From what
he's said, it seems he wants to leave Trykon space, not take over
the clan."

Diarda raised
her brows. "That's illegal. A high commander would forbid it."

"I don't think
he's going to take orders from a high commander."

"Then we'll
all be killed. They'll attack us."

"Only if they
find out." Atrel frowned. "Or if someone tells them. You'll be the
one who gets us killed if you do."

"Not if we
overpower him. We'll be heroes."

"He's our
commander now, so that would be treason," Atrel repeated.

"Not if he
plans to do something illegal."

Atrel nodded.
"But we don't know what his plans are for sure. He hasn't given us
an illegal order yet, and, if we imprisoned him now, he could deny
that he intended to do anything wrong, then we'd all be
punished."

"But we must
prepare, so when he does give the order to leave Trykon space, we
can take him."

"Even talking
about this is treason. Be careful."

"He's a damned
outsider, and a dwarf to boot. How can you be loyal to him?" she
demanded.

"Because he
beat me in an unfair fight. I had all the advantages - weight,
height, armour and weaponry, yet he beat me in less than four
minutes without even breaking a sweat. A warrior like that deserves
respect and loyalty. That's the foundation of our society."

"Then we need
to find out how he got to be so good, so we can do it for
ourselves. With warriors like him, we'd rule forever."

Atrel sighed
and rubbed his jaw again. "And how do you propose we find that
out?"

"Tisha. He has
no spouse, and the non-com bitch isn't his doxy. He has the look of
a man who's been without a woman for a very long time. I'll wager
it won't take much persuading for him to accept Tisha, and then she
could ask him."

"He said he
doesn't find Trykon women attractive, and I saw the way he looked
at you. There was no desire in his eyes."

She nodded. "I
noticed that, but he's still male. Tisha is smaller than me."

"And she knows
you can beat her. She won't do it."

"I won't
challenge. What's the point if he won't accept me?"

"True. It
might work, so there's no harm in trying, I suppose." Atrel caught
Diarda's arm as she turned away. "But you have to ask yourself why
the non-com woman isn't his doxy, don't you? He may be
damaged."

"Then we'll
find out, won't we?"

"Tell her to
be careful. We don't know how he'll react."

She shot him a
hard smile. "We have ways of dealing with reluctance."

****

Sabre walked
along the narrow corridor towards his new quarters, formerly
Atrel's, which were far superior to the previous cramped cabin, and
provided a reasonable level of comfort. They comprised a fairly
sizeable bedroom and sitting area, with a private washroom, and
Tassin was housed in an adjoining cabin.

Sabre was
weary after a day spent directing the cat and mouse tactics Trykons
employed in their battles. The strategies were designed to minimise
damage, but tended to also minimise the chances of victory.
Although he allowed Atrel to make most of the decisions, being in a
battle environment sparked the cyber's programming, and it
constantly bombarded him with battle scenarios in the form of
graphics and scrolling readouts. They distracted him no matter how
much he tried to ignore them, since they were accompanied by
flashing red warnings to which he was trained to react.

The result was
a splitting headache and crushing weariness, and he had quit the
bridge to seek some sleep. The problem could have been avoided if
he had followed the cyber's prompting, but that would have meant
attacking when the Trykons would normally have retreated, putting
the ship in danger. They had left the battle now, and repair crews
were busy patching up the damage. He resented the two days that had
been wasted, but it was necessary to avoid alerting the rest of the
Eagle Clan to his defection, which could be disguised for a time
when the ship needed supplies from the vast support vessels that
were parked some distance from the battle arena.

A shapely
brunette stepped out of a doorway just ahead of him, forcing him to
stop when she stretched an arm across the corridor. He frowned, his
gaze raking her flimsy attire, which consisted of a diaphanous
black negligee through which her nude form was clearly visible. She
was barely taller than him, and her bright blue eyes wandered over
him. Her full red lips pouted, then curving in a seductive
smile.

"I heard you
were handsome, Commander, but I'm still pleasantly surprised."

"What do you
want?"

"To talk.
Won't you join me in my quarters for a drink?"

"No. I'm
tired, let me pass."

She moved
closer and ran her fingers down her chest, drawing his attention to
it. "A man who can pulverise our former commander like you did
should have a woman, don't you agree?"

"I'll choose
whom I spend my time with."

"That's not
quite how it works in Trykon society, but, of course, you don't
know that. Amongst Trykons, women choose their spouses, and fight
for them if necessary."

"And if the
man doesn't want to be chosen by her?"

She tilted her
head and ran her fingers down his chest. "Why wouldn't he?"

"Perhaps he
doesn't find her attractive."

"You think I'm
ugly?"

"No, but…"

She shoved him
against the wall, twined her arms around his neck and pressed her
almost naked length to him, leaning close to murmur, "I'm Tisha,
and I want to be your spouse."

"No." He shook
his head, scowling at her. “Let go of me.”

Sabre tried to
push her away, but she clung to him, and he had no wish to hurt
her. She also had way too many soft, intimate parts he would rather
have avoided. The flashing warning light in his mind, which he had
learnt to ignore when Tassin was close to him, impinged. He had no
idea how to handle Tisha’s bold fondling, but he knew he did not
like it, or want it. She stroked his hair, keeping one arm locked
around his neck, and something cold stung his scalp, leaving a
burning sensation.

She purred,
"You're an amazing warrior, so strong and quick, so handsome and
unscarred. That is truly the sign of a great fighter, that no
opponent has left his mark on you. I'll give you such pleasure as
you've never known before."

"Stop
this."

"That's not
what you want. I know what you want, and I'm going to give it to
you."

“
I don’t want anything from you. Let me go.”

Another
warning light pulsed in the back of his mind, but the situation
made it hard to think or concentrate on the scrolling list of amber
words, several flashing red. He glimpsed a chemical analysis with a
few unknowns in it, then was distracted when Tisha clasped his face
and kissed him, pushing her tongue into his mouth. He recoiled,
banging his head on the wall, and she pressed closer. A compulsion
to lash out at her surprised him, for the cyber’s reaction to an
unarmed female should not have been that violent. He placed his
hands on her shoulders to push her away, but his willpower seemed
to have evaporated, and the strange sensations she aroused were
compelling.

Stepping back,
she gripped the front of his vest and yanked him across the
corridor and through the door she had stepped out of. He was oddly
unable to resist, and she followed, the door sliding shut behind
her as she shed her negligee. The quarters were similar to his,
with a seating area on one side and a bed on the other, a
refreshment dispenser on the wall by the couch. Tisha stepped up to
him and gave him a push that made him step back. The edge of the
bed caught the back of his knees, and he sank onto it. She
followed, pushed him back and straddled him, pushed up his vest to
stroke his chest and licked her lips as her eyes roamed over
him.

“
Magnificent.”

Tisha lowered
herself and pressed against him in a way that caused reactions he
had never experienced before, and was not sure he wanted to; at
least, not with her. She clasped his face and kissed him again, and
once more he gripped her shoulders with the intention of pushing
her away, but whatever drug she had given him usurped his will,
aiding her domination. The sensations and insistent warnings
mingled in a horrible medley, and confusion fogged his mind as
conflicting feelings raged within him.

The temptation
to let the pleasure engulf him sapped his willpower, at odds with a
powerful aversion to being set upon by this strange female without
regard for his wishes, which angered him. Streams of data poured
through his brain as the control unit sought answers to his
dilemma. She ran her lips along his cheek and nibbled his ear, her
warm breath fanning his skin while her hand slid down his
belly.

There were too
many conflicts to deal with, not least of which was his
overwhelming loyalty to Tassin. Intense pleasure held him in a
sweet prison, and the drugs robbed him of the will to resist. Above
all else, he knew this was wrong on so many levels, and his
discomfort was monumental. Only the cold darkness in the pit of his
mind offered escape, and he let himself sink into it.

Tisha sat up
as Sabre went limp, a frown wrinkling her brow. His brow band was
full of red lights, and he appeared to have passed out. She shook
him and patted his cheek, puzzled and perturbed, then rose and
pulled on a black silk robe, went over to the com-link by the door
and dialled Diarda.