Chapter Eleven

 

Five hours later, Striker’s engines were repaired, Sabre's lasers had been returned, along with the dead cyber's armour, and they were on their way back to Rashid. Kole landed the ship at a spaceport, and Ravel was ejected with rather more force than necessary. As the door slid shut, Tassin slumped, leant against the bulkhead and closed her eyes.

"That was horrible."

Sabre strode away down the corridor, vanishing into his cabin. Tassin hurried after him, concerned, and found him stretched out on the bunk, nursing his arm, which the cracked cast hung off, his face twisted with pain.

"Oh, god, Sabre, I'm sorry." She dug in his medical kit and shook two painkillers into her palm, popped them into his mouth and fetched him a glass of water. He swallowed them, grimacing.

She sat on the bed beside him. "Are you all right?"

"I've been better."

"You're so good at hiding it; I forgot how much that must have hurt. You saved my life. Thank you."

"I'd like a favour."

"Anything."

He closed his eyes with a sigh. "A few days of rest."

"As long as you want, I promise."

Kole appeared in the doorway. "Let's not be too hasty with the promises. There are landing and parking fees to pay, and we can't leave in Striker unless we get a ship clamp. Otherwise, we'll have to buy passage on a liner, and that's not cheap."

"Then we should go back into space. That's free, isn't it?"

"Yeah, except for the fuel to hold orbit. Oh, and if we want to leave in Striker, we're going to need more fuel."

Tassin turned to glare at him. "Don't you dare suggest that Sabre should fight again."

"Fine, I won't. You think of a way to make enough money to get off this shithole planet then."

"And don't you ever call Sabre a stinking cyber again, either."

Kole snorted and left. Tassin closed the door and returned to Sabre's side. He looked pale and gaunt, his brow sheened with sweat. His bruises had turned blue now, and mottled his chest, arms and one side of his jaw. She stroked his cheek, and he opened his eyes, looking puzzled.

"One day soon, you'll never have to fight again," she murmured.

"Promise?"

Tassin nodded, her throat tight. "I promise."

"I look forward to it."

"If not for that bastard Manutim, we wouldn't be in this mess. He tipped off Myon Two about you and me."

"Who's he?"

"Your previous owner." He frowned, and Tassin shook her head. "I'm sorry; I should have said the cyber's former owner."

"That's okay." He closed his eyes. "I'd like to rest now."

"Of course."

Tassin went to the bridge, where Kole sat glaring out at the dark airfield, a drink in hand. He looked up as she flopped down in the other chair.

"How is he?"

"In a lot of pain, but asleep, hopefully."

He sipped his drink, swirling it to make the ice tinkle. "We can park here for a week, or get half a tank of fuel, or passage on a liner."

"If we leave Striker here, what will happen to her?"

"I'll put her into a high orbit. She should be able to hold it for about two weeks with the fuel she has, then she'll have to leave orbit and drift, or land on a moon."

"I hate to suggest it, but what about selling her?"

Kole shot her a chilly glance. "I'd get a fraction of what she's worth, and, considering that all my accounts are frozen, I'd have a problem. Already I'm going to have to change my name again and open new accounts, and that costs money."

"We've caused you a lot of trouble, and I'm sorry."

He sighed and sipped his drink. "It's my fault. I didn't have to get involved."

"But I'm glad you did. I'm very grateful to you. If there's anything I can do to help, please ask."

"We've just got to figure out a way off this rat-hole planet." He studied the golden fluid in his glass. "I know you're not going to like this, but the truth is, we only have one real asset."

"Sabre."

"Yeah. Like it or not, he's all we've got. We're doing this for him, so he's going to have to pull his weight."

"Don't you think he's done enough already?"

He shrugged. "It won't be enough until you're safe."

"Perhaps we should contact the highest bidder for the sword and ask him to come here."

"Unfortunately, Rashid is not a good place to be trapped. We're fairly safe from enforcers, but no honest, and especially rich, man is going to come here; it's too dangerous."

"All right, let's buy passage to Charon."

Kole turned and tapped on a keyboard, consulting the screen beside him. "Well, there are two freighters, a passenger ship and a private yacht going to Charon in the next few days. The freighters are cheaper, but not too safe; the liner will cost everything we have."

"We can take a freighter."

He tapped the keys again. "Okay, we're booked on Phoenix Voyager, tomorrow at ten."

"Good, I'm going to get some sleep."

"I'll join you." She raised her brows, and he added, "In my own cabin, of course."

 

****

 

Tassin sighed and raised her eyes to Kole's grim countenance on the other side of the cracked green plastic table. They sat in a cramped, windowless room in cheap lodgings on Charon Six, waiting for Sabre to recover. He lay on the narrow bunk behind her, resting, as he had been for the past four days. The room had two sets of double decker bunks, and she slept in the one above Sabre while Kole used the one on the other side of the room. The table stood in the middle, with four chairs around it, and at one end was a cupboard-sized kitchen and an equally tiny bathroom. The off white walls showed years of grime, children’s scribbles and mildew, and all the fittings, Kole had assured her, was decades old. The room was deep within a towering accommodation complex honeycombed with passages and identical self-catering apartments.

"She's a marked ship," Kole said. "I'm going to have to sell her."

"You're very fond of her, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Don't you have a friend who would buy her officially, but let you keep her?"

"Trevare would do it, but the enforcers will suspect him and keep following her, hoping that she'll lead them to me, and you."

Tassin looked down at the table. "How much trouble are you in?"

"Accessory to murder and aiding and abetting a fugitive. They could lock me up for a few years."

She ran her finger along the stains on the table’s surface. "Come to Omega Five, and bring Striker. You'll be safe there."

"The enforcers will follow her."

"But it's a restricted planet. They can't land. Is it protected?"

Kole nodded. "There are satellites. Manutim must have used a very small ship to slip past them."

"Striker could do it, too."

"Yeah."

"What would the enforcers do?"

He shrugged. "Probably apply to the Overlords for permission to pursue us. Luckily the Overlords don't like Myon Two any more than the rest of us, so it's unlikely they'd get it. Omega's not due for declassification for another seven years."

"So we'd be safe there?"

"If we can get there."

"We can, if we go in my ship, then Striker can join us later."

"Yeah, that might work." Kole stood up. "I'm going for a walk. By the way, you have a new top bid; one million seven hundred and fifty thousand. Unfortunately, the new top bidder is on Enden Four."

"And we can't afford to go there."

"Nope."

Kole vanished into the passage, and Tassin turned to gaze at Sabre. After a moment, he opened his eyes, and she looked away, her cheeks warm.

"I thought you were asleep."

"And you found that interesting? Was I blowing bubbles or something?"

She giggled. "No. I just like looking at you."

"Is that a symptom of friendship?"

"Yes."

"Well... I like watching you, too."

"If only you would remember."

He sighed. "That would be nice."

Tassin longed to hold him, and a lump clogged her throat. His bruises had faded to pale yellow marks, barely visible, and the laser wounds had healed well, though not completely. He still wore the cast, and his elbow remained blue. He closed his eyes, and soon she realised that he was asleep again.

 

****

 

Two days later, Tassin stepped out of a hired air-car and gazed at a palatial mansion, impressed. Manicured gardens stretched away all around, the verdure broken only by marble paths and polished bronze statues. Beyond it, forest clad the land to the horizon and beyond, as she knew from the three-hour trip here from the capital city. Clipped trees shaded lawn so finely mowed it looked like velvet. Fluted marble pillars framed the edifice’s gleaming brass front doors, and the sweeping roof appeared to be made from pink crystal.

Charon Six was what Kole called a ‘wonder world’, where rich moguls built vast mansions and owned huge estates, living like kings. Tassin had spent the last of their money on a new dress of scarlet silk patterned with gold satin and a pair of strappy high heels, and her hair flew loose about her shoulders in a shining sable cascade. Sabre disembarked behind her, clad in full cyber armour, including the helmet, which he had glued back together. He carried the scabbarded sword, a laser strapped to each thigh. Kole joined them, also wearing a new, fashionable suit of dark grey brushed velvet.

A white-uniformed servant met them at the top of the shallow steps and led them inside. The mansion's opulence amazed Tassin, and she gazed around in wonder at the many expensive hangings, paintings and statues. Mosaics made from precious stones adorned the walls; a king's ransom just in the entrance hall. The servant preceded them through echoing halls hung with silk and satin, the floors imbedded with diamonds, and into a room decorated entirely in white. Gossamer curtains billowed in the breeze and white roses climbed trellis-covered walls under a transparent roof.

The servant stopped and announced, "Lady Tassin Alrade and Mr Kole Arvan."

Tassin gazed around, wondering who was listening, then froze, her blood chilling. Two cybers, clad in polished silver partial armour, stood on the far side of the room, staring ahead. Her attention was jerked away from them as a tall, slender man dressed in an impeccable white formal suit rose from the depths of a huge chair. His piercing dark eyes raked them, lingered on Sabre and came to rest on her. A slight smile curled his full lips, and he put down the vidbook he held.

"Welcome. Forgive the clandestine nature of our meeting. I have enemies. I am Jerrad Mandure."

Tassin approached him. "Pleased to meet you."

Jerrad took her proffered hand and pressed the back of it to his lips. "Such beauty I have not seen before. I am in awe, Lady Tassin."

"You flatter me."

He nodded to Kole. "Welcome, Kole Arvan."

"We have the item you bid for."

Jerrad waved a hand. "That can wait. We will have refreshments first, naturally." He gestured to a delicate table spread with dainty treats and a silver tea service. "Please, sit."

Tassin sank down on the plush white settee, and Kole settled beside her. Sabre took up a guard position behind her, and Jerrad eyed him as he sat opposite.

"Of course, you have a cyber. I should have expected that. You are undoubtedly a woman of great wealth."

"You have two," Tassin pointed out.

"Actually, I have eighteen, all A-grades, but who's counting?"

"Whatever do you need so many for?"

"As I said, I have enemies, some of whom live close by. What grade is yours?"

Tassin smiled. "A, of course."

"Naturally." Jerrad snapped his fingers, and a white-clad servant appeared to pour the tea and hand it out.

Tassin sipped hers, discovering that it was a scented herbal variety she detested, and took a sugar-frosted biscuit to hide the taste.

"I trust your journey here was not too arduous? You came by yacht, of course."

"Something like that. What line of work are you in?"

Jerrad smiled, revealing even white teeth that looked too perfect to be natural. "My wealth is inherited. I have never worked. You?"

"Inherited, of course." Two can play at that game, Tassin thought, starting to get irritated. "I assume you are also of noble birth?"

"My family is descended from the best blood lines, of course. Your title is a minor one, was it inherited too?"

"Actually, I am incognito. I have a far higher status than a mere lady, I assure you."

"And what might that be?" Jerrad nibbled on a pastry.

"I am a queen."

Kole choked on his tea and grabbed a napkin, coughing. Jerrad eyed him, then turned his flaccid smile on Tassin once more. "How marvellous to make such a claim."

"Oh, it is not just a claim, I assure you. I am descended from a long line of royalty."

"How delightful. You have a castle, too?"

"Indeed." Tassin took another biscuit. "I even have a kingdom, and subjects."

Jerrad turned and beckoned to one of his cybers, who strode over to him. Tassin tensed, glancing at Kole, who had paused with his cup raised and his mouth open. Jerrad cast Tassin a stiff smile.

"Forgive me, Lady Tassin, but I must confirm the veracity of your claim." He looked up at the cyber. "Cyber Thirteen, is this woman telling the truth?"

The cyber turned his head towards Tassin. "Yes."

Jerrad sent him back to his post with a gesture. "My apologies, Highness. I am... honoured by your presence."

Tassin tilted her head. "Of course you are. Now may we get down to business? I have a busy schedule."

"May I ask why you have chosen to sell such a unique and valuable item?"

"It irks me greatly. It was the weapon of my enemy, King Torrian, who sought to wed me and thus annex my kingdom by right of capture, a foul man. I defeated him, naturally."

"Naturally." Jerrad looked a bit stunned now.

"So, although you have offered a paltry sum, and I have had better offers, I have decided to let you have it. I am sure you cannot afford more than you offered. The sword is, of course, priceless."

"Of course," Jerrad echoed faintly.

"I expect all your wealth is tied up in this magnificent estate, which does you credit, but pales when compared to mine, I have to say."

"No indeed, I have vast sums available."

"Truly, you are then a remarkable man to make such a low bid for something as rare as this. And as powerful."

"Why did you accept it then?"

Tassin fanned herself. "Ah, but I tire of chasing all over the universe. I have no need of more wealth, of course."

"Of course." Jerrad cleared his throat. "How much have you been offered?"

"Well, I believe it was over two million, not so Kole?"

Kole nodded, his eyes darting. "Two point four, to be exact."

"And are you a courtier, Mr Arvan?" Jerrad enquired.

"Oh no," Tassin interjected. "Kole is my advisor in this little venture. He has vast experience in the field of ancient, priceless artefacts and so on."

"I see." Jerrad glanced at Sabre again. "Presumably you have a veritable army of cybers at your estate... kingdom, Queen Tassin."

"No of course not." She giggled. "I am beloved of my people, my dear Jerrad, all of whom would lay down their lives for me, and some of whom own such great wealth that they have the armies. It is so tedious to worry about armies, do you not think?"

Jerrad looked peeved. "Of course. So what's he here for?"

"To carry the sword, naturally. It is rather heavy."

"In full armour?"

Tassin glanced at Sabre. "Oh, well, I just think it looks fine; although the silver is nice, too."

Jerrad put down his teacup. "Would an offer of two point six be more to your liking, then?"

"Oh, I am sure you do not have to prove your wealth to me, Jerrad."

"My wealth is self-evident, Queen Tassin. I just hate to be outdone."

"Of course you do. I would accept it, naturally."

Jerrad's eyes glinted. "You're most gracious. May I see it now?"

Tassin raised a hand in a languid gesture, and Sabre walked around the settee to hold out the sword to Jerrad.

The billionaire eyed it. "This is not the item in the picture."

"I am afraid it is, dear boy. Would you like a demonstration?"

"I think that would be in order."

Tassin stood up and held out her hand imperiously. Sabre placed the sword hilt in it, and she staggered a little under its weight, casting Jerrad an innocent smile. "It is such a dashed heavy thing."

Gripping the plain leather sheath, she drew the sword, and it whined.

Jerrad's eyes widened. "It makes sounds?"

"Oh yes, it has many powers, but do not ask how it was made, I pray you."

Jerrad studied the silver blade, which Kole had spent half an hour polishing the previous day. "It looks... ordinary."

Tassin turned the impossibly ornate hilt towards him. "This is not ordinary, Jerrad. No human could have crafted something so fine."

"It still doesn't look like the picture."

"No." Tassin raised the weapon. "Sword, become crystal."

Jerrad leapt back with an oath as the sword flashed to crystal, radiating shafts of scintillating ruby light.

"There." Tassin smiled. "Is it not pretty?"

"It understands you?"

"And so much more. May I show you, or will your cybers be alarmed?"

"Show me."

Tassin looked around for a suitable target and spotted a porcelain bird bath just outside the door. She pointed the sword at it. "That should do. Sword, destroy that... thing."

A bolt of brilliant light shot from the tip of the blade and struck the bird bath with a sound like a slamming door. The bird bath exploded in a cloud of dust and steam. Tassin lowered the weapon and turned to beam at Jerrad, who gaped at the ruined bird bath.

"There, how was that?"

"Bloody amazing." Jerrad stared at the sword.

Tassin caressed the blade. "Sword, I think you have impressed the one who will cherish you. Are you not pleased?"

The sword chimed, then reverted to metal with a flash of pink light. Jerrad reached for it, his eyes alight, but Tassin held it out of his reach.

"Payment, Jerrad. Do not be uncouth."

"Yes, yes, of course." He snapped his fingers, and a servant appeared. "Fetch me two point six million credits from the safe."

The servant's eyes widened, but he hurried out. Tassin smiled and sheathed the sword, handing it back to Sabre. "A word of warning, dear Jerrad. It does not like to be toyed with, but it loves to be cherished and admired."

"Of course, I shall treasure it."

"I am sure you will."

"That was more powerful than any laser cannon ever invented. It... it vaporised that bird bath."

Tassin raised her brows. "Is that what that thing was? It was a bit tacky, if you ask me. And it only uses as much power as it needs."

"You mean, the bigger the target, the more power it uses?"

"Precisely. I do believe that is what I just said, was it not, Kole?"

He cleared his throat and put down his teacup. "Yes."

"How can you bear to part with such an amazing thing?" Jerrad demanded.

Tassin sighed and examined her fingernails. "As I said, it irks me, and I do so dislike being irked."

The servant returned carrying two large translucent wafers and six smaller ones, which Jerrad took and offered to Tassin with a bow. She gestured to Kole, who rose and took the fortune. Sabre held out the sword to Jerrad. He took it eagerly, holding it as if it was made of glass, his expression avaricious.

Tassin turned away. "It was pleasant doing business with you, Jerrad. Now, I have an appointment."

He looked up. "Yes, thank you, Queen Tassin. My servant will show you out."

"Of course he will." She headed for the door, which a hovering servant opened.