The Cyber Chronicles IX - Precipice (4 page)

"Host Research
Department Head Jorran Parmal."

Jorran looked
up, blinking. "Yes, My Lord."

"Did you intend
to cause damage to Sabre's brain?"

Jorran glanced
at the cyber. "Yes, but I... He was dangerous, My Lord. He killed
two of my fellow scientists. One was the head of the department
before -"

"Is that
supposed to be an excuse, or a good reason?"

"A good reason,
I thought."

"You thought,”
Fairen said. “You knew he was fully aware, and free of cyber
control. That was why he was able to defend himself when you
tortured him, not so?"

"Yes, but he
was not supposed to be. His control unit is defective, so he
couldn't be returned to cyber control."

Fairen cocked
his head. "Spare me your reasoning. Did you know that Sabre is my
friend, and under my protection?"

"No, My
Lord."

"So, you care
nothing for the suffering of another human being."

"He's a cyber
host, My Lord."

"And what does
that make him, in your eyes?" Fairen asked.

"A clone. He's
not supposed to be able to think. He's a device."

"Yet he can
think, and feel. What is he?"

"A cyber
host."

"What is a
cyber host?"

Jorran gulped.
"A clone."

"Now we are
going around in circles. What is a clone, Jorran, and don't tell me
a cyber host."

"A copy of a
man who died a long time ago."

"A man."

"He's a clone
of a man."

Fairen said,
"The only difference between him and you is that you are the result
of the combination of two people's DNA, while he is a copy of one
person's DNA. But in your mind, he's inferior, merely a biological
tool to be used by a machine."

"Yes, My
Lord."

"Do you know
that all cyber hosts are aware?"

Jorran nodded.
"Yes, My Lord. But I just do my job. I didn't invent them."

"But you feel
no pity for them. No guilt for their suffering."

"I need my
job."

Fairen turned
away, shaking his head. "Give me the name of the man who ordered
you to experiment on Sabre."

"Department
Head Parvan Vorgid, on Bental Seven."

Fairen
addressed the air. "Bring me this man." He faced Jorran. "Give me
the names of the men who captured Sabre on Omega Five."

"I don't know.
Parvan would know, maybe."

"Who is
Parvan's superior?"

"Cybercorp Head
Prello Jardon."

Fairen
addressed the air again. "Bring me this man also, and find out the
names of the men who were sent to Omega Five. I want them too." The
young Overlord looked down at Jorran. "You will be judged."

"My Lord, what
have I done wrong? I only do as I'm told. I didn't know he was your
friend. He was dangerous! I wanted to ensure the safety of my
personnel, and he would have felt no more pain."

"So, it was
mercy that made you plan to cause him brain damage?"

"Yes, My
Lord."

Sabre snorted,
and Fairen swung around. "Sabre. What have you to say?"

The cyber
glared at Jorran. "He didn't care if I suffered. I was an
annoyance. He wanted to save himself the cost of the security
necessary to keep me subdued."

Fairen nodded.
"I know. While Jorran has been very careful so far to stick to the
truth, and he tried to hide it well, that last answer was a lie."
He faced Jorran again. "You cannot lie to an Overlord. You should
know that."

"I have been
made to feel nothing for them, My Lord. How can I do my job if I
pity them?"

"Then you
should have found a better job."

Fairen tugged
off his right glove and placed it on the throne as the tension rose
and Jorran gulped. Fairen walked to the edge of the dias and
stretched out his hand towards the Cybercorp department head, who
closed his eyes and screwed up his face. The young Overlord stood
motionless for only a moment before lowering his hand and rubbing
it on his robe.

"You have a
mind like a sewer; full of hatred, ambition and malevolence.
Touching it makes me feel unclean. I judge you to be guilty."

Jorran sagged,
bowed his head and snivelled.

Fairen turned
away. "Sabre will choose your punishment."

The cyber
looked up. "I choose death."

"Death is the
only choice, but how?"

"Let his crime
decide his punishment."

Fairen nodded,
looking down at Jorran again. "You will be taken from here and
burnt with a flamethrower for six minutes, then your mind will be
destroyed with drugs. Then you will be put to death."

Jorran sobbed
as guards dragged him away, shaking his head in desperate denial.
Everyone knew, however, that there was no hope of reprieve from an
Overlord’s condemnation. As the door shut behind them, Fairen
addressed the air.

"Where are
Parvan and Prello?"

"They will be
here in eight days, My Lord," Shrain's voice replied.

Fairen sighed,
making the veils that hid his face billow. "Very well. We will
reconvene in eight days. Accommodate our guests."

The Overlord
strode out through the door that led to his private rooms. When
Sabre followed, he found the boy leaning against the drinks
counter, rubbing his face.

"Are you okay?"
Sabre asked.

Fairen shook
his head. "His mind was like a foetid pit."

Sabre put his
arm around the boy’s shoulders, and Fairen sagged against him with
a sigh. After a minute he pulled away, and Sabre ruffled his
hair.

"Better?"

"Yes."

"Did you have
to judge him?"

"To condemn
him, yes."

Sabre poured a
thick drink and handed it to Fairen. "Who will carry out Jorran's
execution?"

"I have
executioners, unless you want to do it?"

"No."

"I didn't think
so." Fairen went to the couch and flopped into it. "Now we have to
wait. I hope no more emergencies come up."

"Me too. Kole's
leaving for Omega Five soon. Any reason why he shouldn't?"

"No, he can
go." Fairen sipped his drink. "Are you going to look after the two
techs?"

Sabre poured
himself a fruit juice and sat on the settee opposite. "I don't
know. I really could do without the aggravation, but they did save
me."

"Yes. A hard
choice. Send them away, and live with the guilt if they're killed,
or protect them and suffer the consequences."

"Yeah, I guess
I'll have to look after them. Tarl will be pissed off."

Fairen
chuckled. "He won't have you all to himself anymore, and you'll
have three cyber techs to look after you."

"Oh, I don't
think Martis and Estrelle will go out of their way to look after
me. They're good people, but... apart from getting me off Myon Two,
they haven't helped much since."

The young
Overlord looked thoughtful. "They're shallow people, spurred into
action by great suffering, but I suspect a large part of their
reason for saving you was that they were the ones who would have
had to torture you, and they didn't want to do that."

"You're the
empath, you should know."

"I'm guessing.
I haven't judged them," Fairen said.

"You could keep
them here; see if they can find a way to free Vorn."

"You're just
trying to fob them off, and it won't work. My people assure me that
they've thought of everything, and they're good at what they do.
No, they're your responsibility, not mine."

"Estrelle would
give her left arm to marry an Overlord."

Fairen
reddened. "I'm not looking for a wife, especially one who's ten
years older than me."

"She's pretty,
though, and you need company."

"Not hers."

"You don't even
know her."

Fairen shook
his head. "Nor do I want to."

****

Sabre gazed out
of the screens at the glowing, pearly orb of Myon Two. Kole had
left seven days ago for Omega Five, a journey that would take him
ten days. The cyber had spent the time mostly with Fairen, sparring
in the exercise room, talking, playing VR games and watching
vidimages. Fortunately, no other emergencies had arisen to force
Fairen to leave. Sabre had enjoyed the relaxation, and Fairen had
enjoyed the company, but worry about Tassin gnawed at Sabre. He
wished there was a quicker way to send her a message so she would
stop worrying about him.

Once again they
waited for more prisoners to arrive, everyone assembled in their
positions around the Scorpion Ship's command centre. Fairen
remained in his private rooms, and would join them when the
prisoners arrived. The transport ship had docked with Scorpio a few
minutes earlier, and footsteps came from the door. Fairen's guards
marched twelve men in and stopped them some distance from the dias.
A minute later, the four torches around the pedestal burst into
flame, the lighting dimmed, and Fairen entered and settled upon his
throne. He sat immobile for several long, tense minutes while the
silence stretched and Sabre swore he could hear the sweat trickling
down the Myonars. Fairen raised a hand and beckoned.

"Host Research
Department Head Parvan Vorgid, approach." His deep, distorted voice
reverberated around the room.

Parvan shuffled
forward and bowed. "My Lord."

Fairen pointed
at the ten tough looking enforcers who had accompanied Parvan and
Prello. "Are these the men you sent to Omega Five to abduct the
former cyber known as Sabre?"

"Yes, My
Lord."

"Who told you
to send them?"

"Cybercorp Head
Prello Gardan, My Lord."

Fairen beckoned
to the portly, middle-aged man. "Prello Gardan, approach."

Prello obeyed,
his florid face tense. "My Lord."

"Who told you
to capture the free cyber?"

"I don't know,
My Lord."

Fairen cocked
his head. "How can you not know?"

"I received a
message, coded as a Myon Two management order, but there was no
name on it. It was marked top secret."

"The order came
from Myon Two, then?"

"All orders
come from Myon Two, My Lord."

Fairen nodded.
"Of course they do. My patience grows thin, it really does. All
this cloak and dagger foolishness. I want to know who ordered the
capture of the free cyber."

"I don't know
My Lord, I swear."

The young
Overlord gazed at Prello, or at least faced him, since no one could
see his eyes, and tapped on the arm of his massive chair. "I tell
you what, Prello. I'm not going to judge you now. I'm tired of
touching filthy minds. You will find out who sent you that message
and bring me his name. You have two months. If you fail, you will
be judged. Step back."

Prello bowed
and retreated, looking relieved.

Fairen rose,
tugging off his left glove. "Parvan, I will judge you now."

"I was just
following orders, My Lord!"

"I don't care.
I'm tired of excuses, reasons and subterfuges. I will summarily
judge and execute all who were involved. If you have the name of
the one who gave Prello his order, I will delay judgement."

"I don't know,
My Lord, but I've done nothing wrong!"

"Did you know
Sabre was my friend?"

Parvan gulped,
shaking his head. "I... I heard rumours, but nothing definite, and
I couldn't disobey!"

"A lie. You
knew, and you disobeyed me, which carries the penalty of death. You
would have done far better to have resigned when you received that
order, but you carried it out, and, in so doing, condemned
yourself. But you thought you could get away with it, didn't you?
Someone told you how to remove an Overlord's bracelet. Who was
it?"

"Prello, My
Lord."

"And someone
told Prello, whose name Prello will discover, or share your fate.
Did you really think you could abduct and torture an Overlord's
friend, and get away with it? Just how arrogant has Myon Two
become?"

Parvan bowed
his head, wringing his hands. "We thought, without the bracelet
-"

"He could not
summon me to his aid, I know. You thought Jorran would destroy his
mind and silence him forever, or put him back under cyber control.
You all plotted against me!" Fairen's voice rose to a shout. He
stalked along the edge of the dias, and his voice dropped to a
soft, dangerous tone, taking on a rasping edge that made even
Sabre's hair bristle.

"I am the
Scorpion Lord. Your planet is at my mercy. No one defies an
Overlord. And you... are a fool."

Fairen stopped
in front of Parvan and stretched out his hand, snatching it back
quickly. "I judge you to be guilty. Execute him."

Sabre jumped as
a bolt of blue light shot from the ceiling, burnt through the top
of Parvan's head and emerged from his groin to vanish into the
floor. Parvan stood for moment, his eyes wide and mouth agape, then
crumpled. Four guards came forward, picked up the corpse and bore
it away. Fairen beckoned to the ten enforcers, who gaped at
him.

"One of you
approach, I care not which. I will judge you all."

The men surged
back as soldiers stepped from the shadows to seize one of them.
They brought him to the dias and forced him to his knees. He begged
for mercy, but Fairen spread his hand towards him, then lowered
it.

"I judge you to
be guilty. Execute him."

The laser beam
shot through the top of the man's head, and the soldiers carried
his corpse away as it slumped. Two more of Fairen’s men hauled
another enforcer from the group and forced him to his knees in
front of the dais. Fairen raised his hand, then lowered it.

"I judge you to
be guilty. Execute him."

A beam of hot
blue light ended the third man's life, and the soldiers removed his
corpse. Sabre looked away as six more men perished in an identical
fashion. The judgements and executions seemed too quick to be true
justice, and he wondered if Fairen was so angry that he was
condemning the men out of hand. The last man was brought forward, a
terrified youth who struggled and wailed as the others had done.
The guards made him kneel, and Fairen stretched out his hand. He
hesitated, stepped closer to the sobbing young man, and then
lowered his hand.