Act 2
Time: 1955, 23 years before Act 1
Introduction:
Place: A briefing room aboard the
Vigilant, a giant Georwellian Troop Transport, in hyperspace, somewhere between Georwell and Kurnnegut.
The political situation: Council Central has been convinced that Georwellian aid to the humans on Kurnnegut in their war against the nahman would be a good way to obtain a new ally in the inevitable upcoming war against the alien Rizzards of the Rim Worlds.
Chapter 5
"OK, Justice Machine, listen up!" Light-Wave, the leader of the Justice Machine, called the briefing to order. He was a tall, well built man, dressed in a mostly black costume. His face was half-concealed by a cowl. His voice was strong and vibrant, and he practically oozed leadership and charisma. "Now that we're in transit, I can reveal our sealed orders."
"I'll bet we're on our way to some backwater planet to kick some alien butt and make the Galaxy safer for humanity or at least for Georwell." A tall, thin woman, somewhat scraggly looking, spoke up sarcastically, her nasal voice grating on everyone's ears.
"Shut up, Descry!" said Challenger, the Machine's second-in-command. She was stocky, in a dun-brown outfit, carrying a bo stick and a war bag in which she kept several other weapons, including nunchakas, a billy club and a kama. Across a chest was a bandoleer, liberally stocked with throwing weapons, such as stars, slivers and darts. No one could figure out where she concealed the knives, strangling wires and other weapons they knew she was carrying.
Jaiime Conrad snickered. This was his first mission, and already Descry was getting on his nerves; he was glad to see someone else was annoyed with her, too. He knew he'd made a mistake when the rest of the Machine turned and stared at him.
"Sumthin' funny, lil man?" Giant asked, a frown creasing her chiseled-stone features. "P'raps ya shod wai'n see iffn ya get ba'alive, for'n you be giggl'n at Descry
"
The Flame (Masha Fynn, the most beautiful girl Jaiime had ever imagined, only a few years older than he but already a beloved heroine, famed throughout the Georwellian Imperium) just stared sternly, and then turned her almost-fawning attention back to Light-Wave. Jaiime knew they were lovers, and this knowledge burned within him how could the leader of the Justice Machine get away with this kind of fraternization? It was so against the rules!
Feral grinned at him, but no one would mistake that grin for an expression of amusement. He didn't say anything, but growled quietly. The wolf-like being was the only current non-human member of the Justice Machine. Only the Haunt seemed amused, before he turned back to the briefing.
Jaiime was stung by the various expressions of cool amusement. 'I'm as good as any of them!' he thought. 'I'll make them all regret dissing me! Just wait!'
Light-Wave coughed and all heads turned back to him. "This time, Descry is basically correct. We are headed to the planet Kurnnegut, where we will help the native humans win their freedom from despotic alien rule. Council Central believes this will convince the new human government to form an alliance with Georwell. As you know, Council Central projects a 90% plus probability of war with the Rim Raiders within the next 5 years, and they want to influence as many as possible of the nearby independent human planets to ally with us."
Descry sneered at her teammates and opened her mouth to crow...
"Shut up, Descry" Light-Wave repeated. Descry shut up.
The so-called Rim Raiders were a loosely allied group of worlds inhabited by a species of intelligent, aggressive lizards. They were larger and much stronger individually than humans, and much more ferocious, and they normally wasted most of their time and energy battling each other. Though their technology was not as advanced as that of the Imperium, Council Central projected them as a dangerous threat because of their high breeding rate. If they ever united, they would become an implacable foe.
The briefing continued, covering the history of Kurnnegut, a description of nahman and the Nahman Alliance, history of known interactions between nahman and human, and ended with some discussion of Alliance military capabilities.
"Enough for today. Tomorrow we'll figure out how to fight nahman. But now, we need a good workout!" Light-Wave concluded. "Be in the gym in 5 minutes!"
Light-Wave even orchestrated the training exercises. He and the Flame raced through a difficult, rapidly changing obstacle course. To increase the degree of difficulty, the obstacles carried a painful charge of electricity. He was much faster in a straight line, but she was much more maneuverable, and over a highly twisted, randomly changing closed course such as this, they were relatively well matched.
The Haunt and Feral were playing shock tag, pitting Feral's natural animal-like speed, agility and incredibly acute senses versus the Haunt's uncanny ability to shift out of phase with the world for short periods, allowing him to pass through solid objects. Each player was carrying a short stick, which would deliver a painful energy charge when used to tag the other. The game moved rapidly across the gym, as the two players took advantage of the workout equipment and even the other members of the Justice Machine to foil each other's pursuit. An occasional grunt from the Haunt, or subdued howl from Feral, indicated that both players were being tagged painfully often.
Challenger, probably the team's most skilled combatant, worked with Descry to improve her fighting skills. Descry normally avoided physical combat, counting on a pistol, and used her psychic sensory abilities to spy on the Machine's opponents and warn her teammates about impending dangers. Light-Wave wanted her to be able to defend herself without her pistol if she got separated from the team. They were engaged in full-contact weaponless combat at the moment.
Jaiime took a moment to watch. Challenger was fast, almost as fast as Jaiime himself, he thought, and highly skilled. She struck painful blows but held back from causing permanent injury. Still, Descry was complaining rather than fighting.
"If I could use my powers, you wouldn't be able to touch me."
"Shut up, Descry! Save your breath for fighting!" Challenger said, as she landed yet another painful blow.
"Look our f'r'yr'self, yungkin!" Giant had grown to 15 feet, and she was swinging her massive fist at him. Jaiime easily dodged backward, then sprung forward and delivered a blindingly fast combination of punches to her midriff, almost as high as he could reach, then sprang instantly out of her reach, putting on display the speed and power that had made him the most deadly unarmed fighter at the Military Academy. Giant apparently didn't feel anything.
"Acch! You've spirit, yungkin! Keep't'up!" She reached to an equipment rack and picked up a 16 pound medicine ball the size of a basketball. It looked like a softball in her hands. Moving faster than Jaiime would have thought possible for someone that big, she threw it at him. He ducked, then charged forward and flashed between Giant's legs before she could react. He sprung upwards off a pommel horse, and slammed both arms down on top of her head, then wrapped his arms around her neck and used all his strength in an attempt to cut off her breathing.
She casually grabbed his wrists and effortlessly pulled his arms apart, then tore him off her back and threw him, as easily as she had thrown the medicine ball. "S'sorry, lil man, y'gotta bring mort an'tat!" Jaiime crashed into the obstacle course and apparatus came tumbling down on top of him. Enraged, he kicked aside the apparatus and jumped to his feet, pulling his multi-use utility pistol. Before he could do anything else, a blast of light knocked the pistol from his hand.
"I think that's enough 'exercise' for one day!" Light-Wave's powerful voice boomed out throughout the gym. He didn't sound pleased. "Conrad, my office for my critique of today's performances. Machine, dismissed"
Chapter 6As soon as the session was over, the female members of the Justice Machine headed for the lockers.
"Me f'r'sum cell regen therapy." Giant said to Challenger. "Can't le'th yungkin know h'bruised me good."
"I hope Light-Wave isn't too hard on him" the martial artist replied. "Looks to me like he might have a future in the Machine."
"I think he's sort of cute - for someone that young" The Flame added. "But I go for older men." A thundercloud passed across Challenger's face, and Masha was lucky that Challenger didn't have any deadly visual powers
"I predict Conrad is going to be real trouble for us" Descry threw in her two cents.
"Shut up, Descry" the three said in unison, as they entered the trainer's room.
*****
"Conrad, that was a pitiful performance" Light-Wave thundered at him.
"Sir," Jaiime didn't understand. He didn't feel he'd done so badly for the first time out.
"You were not ordered here to talk, rookie. You are here to listen. You know I didn't want you in the Machine I preferred Icer or even Fricton but Council Central gave me you instead." Jaiime knew and respected them both, they were mutants with useful powers, but he had stood well above both of them in his Academy class. "You're young and handsome, you look good on recruiting posters, and teenage girls swoon at your smile. But there's more to being in the Justice Machine than that!"
Teenaged girls swooned at his smile? Jaiime hadn't known that. His luck with girls while he was at the Academy had been non-existent. Nary a swoon had he seen! He wondered if Masha might be susceptible to his smile?
"Pay attention, Conrad!" Light-Wave thundered again. Jaiime hoped his office was soundproofed; he didn't want his teammates hearing this reprimand. "Everyone on this team is a veteran, except you, and every one of us depends on each of the others. Our lives are on the line on every mission. Do you think any member of the Machine would want you covering our back, after Giant tossed you away like she was throwing out the trash?"
"With res…" Jaiime tried to interrupt. That wasn't fair! The fight with Giant was far from over when Light-Wave had interrupted.
"I said, you're not here to talk, Conrad. With your physiology, you could be the strongest, the fastest... the best. Every other Machiner has some kind of edge; that's what you lack. Without an edge of your own, you're just another guy. I don't need 'just another guy', I need a hero. Think about it, Conrad. Get better, or you'll be up for an alpha-grade field demotion - before you ever reach the field! Dismissed"
Jaiime was burning up with anger as he left. He thought Light-Wave was out of line with that crack about his physiology. He didn't need that kind of crap; he'd show them all, tomorrow! He intended to spend the evening studying; he expected that tomorrow's workout would be more of the same, and he intended to be prepared. He'd show Light-Wave his edge!
*****
"OK, Conrad. Time to play." Light-Wave had set up some interesting exercises for today. "You and me!"
Jaiime hit the floor and rolled, firing both pistols, before Light-Wave finished talking. The green stun beams from his guns bounced harmlessly from the aura surrounding the long-time hero. Light-Wave flashed to the ceiling, and then dove again, fists in front of him, and two beams of light splashed off of Jaiime. His costume dissolved, revealing a second layer of highly reflective cloth which scattered Light-Wave's attack. Jaiime rolled to his feet, bounced off a springboard, did a flip off the wall, and crashed into the surprised Light-Wave, slamming a punch to his superior's head. He pulled the punch, though, and before Jaiime could grab him, Light-Wave flashed forward and let Jaiime fall. The black-clad flier arced upwards and leaned backward, through a reverse loop and straightened out on a collision course with the falling youngster. Jaiime bit on a concealed switch in one of his teeth, and the rockets built into the soles of his shoes fired a short burst, just enough so that Light-Wave flashed by beneath him. Jaiime landed softly, but Light-Wave did another fast reverse roll, and slammed into Jaiime's back with his shoulder, knocking the novice hero rudely to the ground.
"Flame! You're on!" Masha ignited a wall of fire around Jaiime and immediately started to shrink it. "Better surrender, Jaiime" she said, quietly. "Or you'll be getting pretty warm." Jaiime adjusted knobs on the grips of his pistols and fired at the wall of fire, and twin streams of frosty cold carbon dioxide extinguished the flames. For the barest instant, the Flame hesitated, then gestured, and Jaiime threw his red-hot guns towards her. She rocketed towards the ceiling, and gestured, and this time Jaiime was in the center of a hollow ball of flame.
"Feral!" Light-Wave commanded. "Maneuver FF!" The wolf-man leaped instantly towards the caged rookie, heedless of the searing flames between them. Masha quenched her flame an instant before Feral would have been burned, and Feral slashed his claws across Jaiime's chest, shredding the mirror cloth without touching him. Feral did a flip with a half twist, and was springing back to attack again as soon as he touched down. Jaiime dropped flat on his back and kicked up with both legs, hitting Feral in the chest and driving him towards the ceiling. But Feral's hands slapped down and grabbed Jaiime's ankles, braking his upwards momentum. He converted this momentum into a flip and stomped downwards with both feet towards Jaiime's head. Jaiime rolled aside, and Feral helped him along with a kick to the back of his head. He used the top of his foot rather than his bare claws.
Jaiime rolled to his feet in a fighting stance. He was facing the Haunt. He snarled, a sound his teammates would have expected from Feral. Jaiime charged forward, right through his new foe. Jaiime swung around instantly and launched a powerful kick at the Haunt's head, staggering when the kick touched nothing. What followed was unusual. Jaiime ran through an impressive sequences of blows kicks, punches, chops, elbow strikes, you name it - while the Haunt confined his attacks to standard fisticuffs. Jaiime never touched the out-of-phase Haunt, and managed to dodge every one of his opponent's blows, whether the Haunt was in phase or not. There was no telling how long this might have continued, when Jaiime suddenly appeared to lose his temper and charged like a bull. The Haunt was just coming into phase, and Jaiime slammed into him, and both heroes went sprawling. Jaiime was rolling to his feet when Light-Wave's voice thundered through the gym.
"End of Exercise! I make it Justice Machine 3, Conrad 0, 1 tie."
"I had it 2/2." Jaiime said, his voice showing barely controlled anger. He was barely breathing hard. "I had you, easy, and the Haunt, too. The Flame and Feral had me."
"I'm the umpire, Conrad, nobody else especially a snotty rookie. You'd better impress me tomorrow, or you're sitting out the mission." He didn't mention the alpha-grade field demotion in front of the rest of the team.
"Oh, goody! I get my turn tomorrow!" Descry crowed. "Finally, a chance for me to show off a little, like the rest of you." She paused for just a second, then before anyone else could say anything, she continued. "I know
'Shut up, Descry!' I predict you won't be saying that tomorrow!"
"Shut up, Descry." said Jaiime. For a change, he got the last word.
Chapter 7That evening after dinner, Jaiime knocked on Challenger's door.
"Light-Wave is trying to run me out of the Justice Machine. He knows I'm better than he is, and he's afraid I'm going to take his job!" Challenger was stunned you didn't expect to hear this kind of talk from a rookie.
"Maybe you remind him of himself, when he first joined the Machine, and that's why he's busting your tail. Or, have you considered that maybe you're not as good as you think you are, and he might be right?" she asked, cautiously. She wasn't totally sure about Light-Wave's actions, herself. This kid was very good. But his behavior since he'd joined the Justice Machine had been incredibly arrogant.
She'd seen his records Jaiime Conrad had been the best fighter in the Academy. After his first year, he'd been even better than his instructors and resourceful enough to find ways to overcome the super powers of fellow cadets who were mutants or aliens. Joining the Machine was really the first time in his life when he'd been surrounded by teammates who were more powerful and more experienced, and he must be feeling a little insecure- and was trying to hide it under a front of arrogance. She'd seen it before an insecure youngster with a chip on his shoulder. She'd seen it all before!
"No way. Light-Wave left himself wide open, twice. I pulled my punch, the first time, and I could have fried him with my boot rockets. He's the one who doesn't deserve to be on the team!"
"You're an arrogant jerk, Conrad." She smiled at the stunned look on his face. "You think 'taking it easy' on the boss is the way to win his confidence? Or to make yourself look good to the rest of the team? I think the boss would have surprised you even if you'd been going full out. But you wanted to show off. I promise you, everyone on the team knows it, and none of us are impressed."
"If I'd gone full out, he'd be in the regen tank in sick bay." Jaiime insisted.
"How did someone so young come to be so full of himself? We like cocky, here, youngster. If you aren't cocky, you'll be dead in the first firefight. But arrogance and recklessness will get you killed even faster." She realized she'd had enough of him for one day. "Anything else on your mind, youngster?" She hoped he'd take the hint and recognize the dismissal, but he was too angry.
"Yes. Light-Wave is clearly breaking Military rules against fraternization with the Flame, and besides he's old enough to be her father!"
"As opposed to you, who are old enough to be her younger brother?" she smiled in amusement. "It's all spin, Conrad. Yes, it's against the rules, but it is so romantic… the brave, sweet, beautiful, and very naive youngster and the dashing heroic older man. The spinners love it; the Machine's public approval rating went up 20% when word leaked out unofficially, of course. So officially, nothing's going on, understand?"
Jaiime couldn't believe what he was hearing. "It's all a publicity stunt?"
"I didn't say that. Be careful when you draw conclusions, youngster. Conclusions can get you in big trouble." Jaiime noticed that she didn't deny it. She turned serious.
"Speaking of the Flame you failed against her today because you couldn't bring yourself to shoot her she's young, and beautiful, and you're hot for her, and you let her off the hook. Right after you blew out her flame fence, she hesitated. You had your guns in hand, and your opponent hesitated, and you didn't take advantage of the opening. You took it easy on her because you're hoping to score with her. Don't deny it; it's obvious to everyone except her. There are young, beautiful women working for some of our enemies, too. How do the rest of us know you won't hesitate against them?"
"That's not true!" he denied vehemently, because it was. "I was trying to figure out what setting on my pistol would get through her flame shield to stop her without hurting her."
"Damn it, Conrad I saw in the computer records what you were studying last night. You spent time going over everything in the files about Masha you have to know her weaknesses. Unless you were just looking at her pictures!"
'Damn!' Jaiime thought. 'From now on, I'm going to have to cover my tracks when I use the computers. I didn't realize they would be tracking my access.' Realizing that he'd screwed up again made him even angrier.
"I should have known you're all worried that I'll show you up. Well, tomorrow, you'll all be sorry! When it's you and me tomorrow, I'll show you all who's the best!" He spun around and stomped away, headed for Light-Wave's office. If he'd read his superior's remarks correctly, Light-Wave would be waiting for him and willing to help him find the edge Light-Wave insisted he was missing.
*****
'Something different about Conrad today' Challenger thought, as they sat through the day's briefing '100 Ways to Kill a Nahman'. 'He's still burning up with anger, and it almost looks like he's burning up physically too!' Careful observation of her foes had always been part of her preparation for battle, when possible. 'He's less graceful today, every action is short, fast, choppy. He's less predictable, more dangerous today than yesterday.'
She felt sick inside; she knew instantly what he'd done. 'Light-Wave wasn't trying to bust Conrad out of the Machine' she realized. 'He was looking for a way to control him and now he's got it. Get him hooked on Edge and then you control him by controlling his supply.' She'd been hoping Conrad would be one of the ones who shunned shortcuts. Disappointed again!
Edge would definitely make Conrad more dangerous - faster, stronger, harder to hurt. But if he wasn't familiar with it, Edge would impair his judgment, interfere with his ability to be observant, make him reckless. And she knew from his records that he had never used in the Academy. He might make mistakes that she could take advantage of. He might also kill her without realizing what he was doing.
'Damn that Light-Wave!' A disturbing thought crossed her mind, then. 'Could Light-Wave be after me, as well as Conrad?' But she didn't have time to worry about incidentals now, though, she needed to focus.
When the briefing session broke up, Descry came up to her as they headed for the gym, and whispered. "Conrad's hopped up, Ylvy. You have to get Light-Wave to postpone this."
"Actually, Descry, I knew that already, but thanks. No postponement; I'll deal with it."
Descry began to protest. "Shut up, Descry!" Challenger smiled as she said this. Maybe Descry wasn't so bad after all. "It'll be OK".
Conrad was virtually jittering to get started. He was pacing back and forth, and shaking himself, and muttering, and everyone could feel excess energy radiating from him, almost as intense as Masha's flame. Challenger had barely walked into the gym when Jaiime screamed and launched himself, covering the space between them faster even than Feral had moved yesterday.
Challenger's left hand flashed to her bandolier, and then flashed again in Jaiime's direction, unleashing a storm of deadly, sharp flying objects. They spread in a pattern that was virtually impossible to dodge, but Conrad was prepared one pistol was in his hand and in an incredible display of uncanny marksmanship, he blasted every dart, star and sliver in his path. With his other hand, he grabbed at the whirling kama she had thrown with her right hand, hoping he would be distracted. He plucked it easily from the air, then threw it back at her twice as fast. She barely got her goody bag up in time to block, and the bag was torn from her hands.
A blast of icy cold from his pistol caught her in the left leg, and she fell to the left, managing to push off with her right leg, turning the fall into an awkward roll. She came as upright as she could, bad knee on the ground, good leg partially straightened in front of her, holding her bo staff in both hands. Jaiime was charging his 'disabled' opponent, wanting to finish the fight in a hurry. Challenger's staff flashed through the air, striking Conrad in first the left and then the right wrists, knocking his pistols out of his hands. As she swung the staff around again for a blow to the head, he grasped it with both hands and yanked, and Challenger stumbled forward. She dropped her head to the floor and turned the stumble into a roll, and lashed upwards with her left leg. Jaiime had assumed she was without the use of her left leg, for a while at least, and she managed to catch him in the chest, knocking him backwards.
His back hit the gym wall. Jaiime pushed off, jumped onto a pommel horse, sprang upwards and grabbed a ring and swung past Challenger, dropping behind her before she could turn around. A back-kick hit the back of her right knee and she fell to the ground, twisting as she fell, so she landed on her back, with a vicious knife in either hand. Jaiime reached to a rack of edged weapons and advanced on her with a saber in one hand and a dagger in the other.
Fireballs flashed through the air and melted his sword and dagger, while Feral and Giant leaped between the two combatants.
"Time's up!" Light-Wave shouted. "Nice work, Conrad! I see you've finally found the edge that makes you worthy of membership in the Machine!"
"Yeah he's so much better today than yesterday" Challenger sneered. "Just the kind of guy you want in the Justice Machine." Strong sarcasm on the 'you' clearly she didn't agree.
"That's insubordination, Challenger. My second has to back me up, or I get a new second. Giant, you're it! And, Challenger you'll be doing 2 extra combat sims a day until we land. A performance like that in the face of the enemy will earn you an alpha-grade field demotion." The rest of the team stiffened. An alpha-grade field demotion meant facing a firing squad.
*****
"Conrad, a minute?" It wasn't really a question. And Jaiime wasn't in any condition to argue. He looked terrible, Challenger thought he was sweating and shaking, he stumbled as he walked, and he moved as if his every joint was on fire. Edge could do that to you it let you move faster than the body was designed for, and you paid for that when you came down. And Conrad was clearly coming down.
"I'm sorry about your demotion, Challenger," he mumbled. She snorted at him in wry amusement.
"Giant shoulda had the job all along. I never wanted it. I hope your current condition convinces you to stay away from Edge from now on. You're a mess! What if you had to go into battle like this?"
This made him angry. "I just didn't know what I was doing. Now I know. If I take a smaller dose, every few hours, it never wears off. I just took one. It's OK, I've got a unique physiology, and if I do it right, I'll be immune to the side effects." He was already sounding stronger.
"Who told you that? Look, Jaiime, how old would you say I am?"
Conrad was surprised at the change of subject. He had no idea how to estimate a woman's age all he was sure of was that she was much older than he. "Umm, 30?"
"Hmm, no wonder Masha says you're sweet when you're not being an ass! Thanks, Jaiime, but I've been a member of the Justice Machine longer than that. And I'm telling you nobody's immune to the side effects of Edge! It'll kill you." She knew it would, and she knew he wouldn't believe her.
"You're making that up. You're just bitter because you lost your job and I showed everybody what a looser you are." As the Edge kicked in, Jaiime's arrogance returned, now augmented by the mind-changing effects of the drug.
"OK, if you don't give a damn about yourself, think about your team. What if you have to go into battle and you're out of that crap?"
"Never happen, I've got my supply locked up. I think we're done." He turned and walked away.
Chapter 8'That's bull$#!*. I know the history of the Justice Machine and she's only been a member for 10 years. She was recruited right after Batterstar died..." Jaiime was trying to cool off as he returned to his quarters. He paused, as a stunning thought crossed his mind. 'Batterstar was a female martial artist who served for 20 years!' He wouldn't believe it why would Council Central fool the public like that? He realized he didn't really feel much like thinking right now; he had a lot of extra energy and felt like a workout. He needed to learn how to best utilize his new-found strength and speed, making the best even better.
*****
The Imperial Planetary Ambassador barely waited until the Vigilant reached orbit before he ordered the Justice Machine into action. Light-Wave would have refused he didn't work for the Ambassador! but Imperial Chief Prosecutor Barez, for whom he did work, and who had accompanied the Georwellian troops, suggested that it would be a good idea for Georwell to 'show the flag' as soon as possible. After a totally inadequate briefing, a combat shuttle was dropped over nahman-held territory. Their mission demolish the major spaceport the nahman used to bring in supplies from the Nahman Alliance!
Challenger piloted the shuttle, with Jaiime as the co-pilot. Descry manned the shuttle's defensive weapons her powers gave her a few seconds warning when something was about to strike the shuttle, usually allowing her enough time to blast any incoming projectiles with the shuttle's energy guns. Light-Wave, whose powers allowed him to survive in space, flew alongside the shuttle to intercept any energy beams and clean up any projectiles Descry missed. The Flame would join him at lower altitude, when the air was thick enough for her to breath and user her power. All Giant and Feral had to do during the descent was sit and wait. The worst jobs of all, actually!
Challenger came in fast and they were down before the enemy had time to launch a missile. They piled out and found cover, except Descry who stayed at the communications station. The space field was ringed with tall walls with automatic gun emplacements along the top. Light-Wave and the Flame flew in opposite directions along the wall, blasting the guns, and the rest of the Machine advanced, Jaiime and Feral well ahead of everyone else.
Just as the 2 fastest Machiners reached the wall, a large gate opened and 3 giant machines rumbled out. They all looked similar, long, low and round, with a turret near on top and an open cab in front. Open cab on armored combat vehicles?
"Thisss issn't armor!" Feral shouted in a warning, as the turrets opened up, shooting streams of liquid under very high pressure at the shuttle and the area in front of the wall. Moving quickly, Feral and Jaiime managed to slip inside as the giant doors started to rumble closed again.
"Challenger, Giant back in the shuttle now!" Descry screamed. Her teammates started moving instantly. "It's going to explode!"
She was very busy inside the shuttle, slapping touch panels and switches. She screamed at the Vigilant "Airsweep! Crippled Duck" as she was strapping down. If she managed to get the shuttle into the air, that emergency standing order ought to get them rescued. She had to hope that was enough, she was out of time. Her powers showed her that her two teammates were inside, so she slapped the panel that closed the airlock, still screaming. "Emergency launch!" She flipped open a bright red cover and slapped the switch inside. A siren blared and the shuttle instantly lifted straight up at its highest acceleration. In the airlock, Challenger and Giant were slammed to the floor. "Brace for explosion!" Giant grew as large as possible, to fill the airlock and cushion herself and Challenger as much as possible.
The cloud of fluid sprayed from the war machines, which were actually nahman tank trucks for rocket fuel, ignited with a tremendous 'whoomf' and a tremendous fireball flared up. The trucks almost immediately began to melt and then exploded when the rest of the fuel in the tanks went up. Everything within a quarter mile of the gate was simply vaporized, and vegetation as much as a mile away began burning. The shock wave caught the rapidly rising shuttle and slammed it higher, faster, knocking it away spinning and tumbling. Descry was thrown against her seat restraints and battered into unconsciousness. In the airlock, with Giant as a cushion, Challenger was fairly well protected, but Giant herself was knocked out as she was slammed against the walls of the chamber. Descry had put the autopilot on full combat mode, and the computer automatically began attempts to bring the ship under control.
Inside the compound, Feral and Jaiime were under attack by several other vehicles, seemingly identical to the fuel tankers, which blasted them with some kind of chemical foam. There seemed to be no physical effects from the chemical. At that moment, the 'kabooooooom' of a tremendous explosion, followed by the ground shaking like an earthquake knocked them off their feet. Covered in foam, they found it difficult to breath. "Fire extinguishers!" Jaiime called to his teammate, though both were deafened by the explosion, even inside the walls. They held their breaths and ran towards the fire trucks, but Jaiime was knocked off his feet by streams of high pressure water fired by yet another fire truck.
Feral howled and leaped, and landed on the cab of one of the trucks, and leaped again, landing on the tank. His clawed feet were not much use on the slick metal tank, and he tumbled off the truck in a barely controlled roll, now behind this wave of attackers. He continued moving fast, further away from the gate, looking for the enemy.
Jaiime stopped fighting the water stream, and allowed it to roll him out of the cloud of chemical foam. As the pressure fell, he was able to roll to his feet, and he came up firing. Explosive rounds into the cabs of each of the fire trucks quickly put them out of action. So far, none of the Justice Machine had seen a nahman or any other living being.
Light-Wave and the Flame flashed across the open expanse of the port and joined Feral.
"Bossss
it'sss time to go!" the wolf-man hissed. 'I don't sssmelll any enemiessss. It mussst be a trap!"
"I'll get Conrad, you take Feral" Light-Wave instantly commanded the Flame. He switched channels and shouted out another emergency protocol to the spaceship above. "Vigilant, Airsweep!" He flashed towards Jaiime at top speed.
Jaiime was under attack by an army of small robots, and he was wiping them out. They were armed with strange alien hand weapons and pole arms, and to Jaiime, they were slow and awkward. He tumbled among them, faster than they could follow, smashing them when he landed on them, avoiding their attacks, and using his pistol judiciously, taking out at least one and usually several enemy robots with each shot. He saw a group of them in a puddle, and dropped an instant freeze capsule, effectively immobilizing them. A flash capsule took out a half dozen more, and then Light-Wave flashed up to him from behind, wrapped both arms around him, and the two were almost instantly high in the air. Jaiime saw a combat shuttle approaching; almost before he had time to realize what had happened, the pair flew through the open airlock door, where they were joined by the Flame carrying Feral as the airlock closed and the shuttle zoomed for orbit.
They were moving faster than sound, and never heard the explosion that totally demolished the abandoned spaceport below them.
*****
A few days later, A safe house in a quiet residential neighborhood in the capital city of Kurnnegut, so far untouched by the war. Georwell's Chief Prosecutor Barez, recently arrived on the Vigilant, is holding a secret meeting with a group of locals
"I've come from Georwell personally to insure that your group is rewarded for your efforts on behalf of the Imperium. I can safely say that without the successful covert operations your group executed at the beginning of the war, there would have been no war!"
The leader of the local group grinned. "Those nahman robots you ga'e us worked real good, sir! Fooled 'em all, even people who'd growed up around nahman. Even when the robots started killing their kids, they never suspected a thing! That Robot-Master guy is a genius!"
"Yeah, too bad he escaped from prison, eh?" another of the locals spoke up. He didn't notice the murderous scowl on the Prosecutor's face at the reminder of one of his failures, but the saboteur did shut up when one of his teammates kicked him.
The leader continued. "Bout time we got rid of tose arrogant spider-lovers, you ast me!"
The Georwellian advance preparation team hadn't been able to find a lot of anti-nahman sentiment to work with on Kurnnegut, so they had needed to create some instead. In the population of any planet, there were always some people who blamed their own misfortunes on others, and who could be recruited as troublemakers. This loser's business had failed, and the advance preparation team had made use of his thirst for revenge on his 'spider lover' human neighbors for patronizing nahman-owned establishments.
"It felt great to blow up that spider nursery, and make sure ta spider lovers took ta blame! Guess it's a good think nobody knows about this but us, eh, Mr. Barez?" He slapped the Prosecutor on the back in hearty camaraderie. He didn't notice the deadly look that flashed across Barez's face. "Killing 'em young before they grow up and make new spiders, I'll tell you, that's the way to solve the nahman problem!"
"So, Prosecutor Barez, when do we get our reward?" "Yeah, the war's made money tight and I'm lookin' forward to cutting loose a little." There was similar muttering from several members of the group.
"Tomorrow you catch the shuttle to the Vigilant, for the trip back to Georwell, where Council Central will give you your medals, and your full reward." There was more muttering; they didn't want to wait until they reached Georwell for their promised reward. "But here's a little advance I know you boys want to celebrate tonight." An aide to Barez put a cash box down on the table. "Starnil you're the boss, divide it up, will you? Have fun tonight, boys but don't miss the shuttle tomorrow!
As if! Barez turned and left as the locals gathered around the table, which contained more local money than they had actually believed existed. Starnil didn't even bother to count. "And this is just'a start, boys!" he said exultantly as he reached into the box and gave double handfuls to each of his followers. "We done hit us ta jackpot this time!"
Not more than a minute later, a squad of armed and armored nahman leveled the house with energy weapons fire, and brought the war to this formerly peaceful civilian neighborhood as they retreated, shooting anyone they saw and setting random buildings on fire. Just another nahman atrocity, further justifying the Georwellian intervention.
Chapter 9
Jaiime couldn't sleep; he was way too wired up, even days after the battle at the spaceport - though he now hardly considered it a battle. Feral had instantly recognized that Jaiime was being attacked by maintenance and janitorial robots, but under the influence of Edge, he himself hadn't noticed - he'd been too busy destroying them, though he had quickly realized that it was much too easy - just in time to be rescued by Light-Wave.
'Way to look good in front of the chicks, Conrad!' he mocked himself grimly, though he was really only worried about impressing one of the 'chicks'. 'And...' he realized 'I'd better never let her hear me call her a chick, if I ever hope to have a chance with her.' He headed for the gym, daydreaming about that chance when he was abruptly brought back to reality. He thought he'd glimpsed a nahman sneaking furtively through a security door that was supposed to be locked and guarded!
He almost didn't react. For the last couple of days, he'd been seeing odd things from the corners of his eyes, things that weren't there when he turned to look at them, and he was just starting to learn to ignore them. But he looked again, and noted the small red light that indicated that the door was unlocked. He sprang into action!
Jaiime pulled his pistol and slid open a small concealed compartment in the grip. A single pill spilled out into his waiting hand, and he flipped it into his mouth as he sprinted for the open door. He could feel the rush as his speed increased to something superhuman; he slammed his hand at an emergency alarm button as he flew past it and smashed through the door. In his altered state he never noticed that he missed the alarm. In the vehicle landing area beyond, he saw a nahman just closing the door on a large armored flier, which was already rising into the air. He flipped off a couple of shots, but he realized that even his Edge-enhanced marksmanship wasn't enough to hit any vital spots through that vessel's heavy armor.
He sprinted across the field to Prosecutor Barez's own personal flier and entered through the locked door faster than if he'd had a key. On the control console, he entered Barez's personal access code even more quickly (when there was a computer around, nobody could keep secrets from Jaiime Conrad!) and was away in pursuit less than a minute after the nahman flier had lifted. Still, the nahman flier was already out of sight. All Jaiime could do was blast at top speed towards the east and hope to overtake them.
'Damn, if I hadn't shot at them, they wouldn't even know I'm chasing them!' he thought bitterly. He was sure they hadn't seen him before they took off, and the stealth on the Prosecutor's flier was the best the Imperium had to offer. It didn't occur to him that he never would have made that mistake before he started taking Edge. He shifted his visor to infrared vision and extended the special flyer's detection systems to maximum, and the vehicle's speed and his extraordinary piloting skill made the difference - within seconds he was tracking the nahman vessel again.
In another 2 minutes, the vessel was landing almost 30 miles away from the Georwellian base. A section of ground slid back, allowing the armored ship to shoot through, and then closed again before Jaiime could follow. The landing zone looked like a meadow, but in IR Jaiime could see the outline of the sliding door, and several other interesting points that looked like they might be concealed entrances. The flyer's electromagnetic sensors also warned him of a half dozen nearby electro-mechanical devices, probably automated weapons. If so, the flyer's stealth was adequate protection from any rebel sensors or detectors; Jaiime landed without incident. He burst from the flyer at top speed, pulling both pistols as he moved.
Opening the flyer's door broke its stealth, and his guess about automated weapons was confirmed as the small ship was instantly blasted out of existence. 'Damn! I hope that bird was sending out a tracking signal before it got wrecked!' he swore to himself as he easily dodged re-targeted weapons fire. He managed to blast two of the concealed turrets before he was hit himself, a glancing shot that was mostly stopped by his costume. He hardly felt the wound, as he dove, rolled and took out the remaining two concealed weapons, one with each hand. A double blast opened one of the concealed entrances and he was inside.
The nahman must have counted on secrecy to provide their security, as there were no guards at the door. He found a ramp leading down and had descended two levels before the nahman troops mounted a response to his intrusion. His quick reflexes let him blast a squad of 7 who were climbing the ramp from below, and he took the next exit into what turned out to be the floor of the concealed hanger. It was eerily silent - he couldn't believe there weren't more troops looking for him.
He could see glowing footprints on the floor in infrared - the nahman from the armored flyer had gone through _that_ door. At first he moved cautiously, using several different flyers as cover, but there was nobody opposing him. He went through the door in a rush, into a long corridor. The infrared trail led to an opening into a shaft that extended upwards about 20 feet and downwards as far as he could see, with openings every 20 feet or so - like an open elevator shaft, with no elevator.
He decided to descend - he would hang by his hands from this opening and drop, and try to swing into the next lower opening, using his boot jets if necessary to prevent a fall. But this wasn't just an open shaft, there was some sort of force field that slowed his descent - so it worked like an elevator after all. The next level down seemed to be living quarters, with a dozen rooms, all of them empty. Absolutely empty - no furniture, no clothing, not even any litter. Back to the elevator and down another level.
As he exited the shaft, he could hear the noises of beings moving around directly ahead. He burst into a room and surprised 7 more nahman - but these, at least, put up a fight.
Jaiime came in low and rolling, and managed to blast two of them before they could respond. He threw some capsules he'd palmed earlier from his utility belt, and ice instantly formed on the floor beneath two more, and they slipped and fell, crashing together. The fifth managed to kick him in the left wrist, and he dropped his pistol as his hand went numb. He blasted that one with the other pistol, but the two nahman left standing caught him with their own fire.
His remaining pistol was hit by an energy beam and became incredibly hot, and he threw it at the two nahman who were still struggling on the ice. The pistol exploded, cremating those two unfortunates. The other blast glanced off his costume over his ribs, and he spun away, barely noticing the pain. Jaiime flipped his wrist and his knife dropped into his good hand, but the remaining centaurs were already running in panic out the other door. Jaiime raced after them. He was stunned to see a half dozen nahman strapping the bound form of Challenger to what was clearly an operating table - and then he was devastated when his legs suddenly lost all their strength and he fell heavily to the floor, his body limp and unresponsive!
Jaiime felt as if he were nothing more than a pile of meat which had just been pounded into hamburger. The pain was agonizing, and his muscles would barely respond. He desperately needed more Edge, but his stash was in the grip of his pistol - which was on the floor in the other room. He was struggling to crawl in that direction when somewhere behind him there was an explosion.
*****
Back at the base, shortly after the nahman craft slipped through the concealed doors with Jaiime in close pursuit, the agents on night security were astonished when the scenes in their monitors changed - showing them a group a nahman climbing out of an armored flying shuttle, carrying the bound form of Challenger. Where was this broadcast coming from? The view shifted, following the group as they carried her through a corridor. The rebel nahman were deliberately broadcasting these scenes of their hideout and the drama occurring there to the Georwellian occupation forces!
The guards immediately alerted the entire base, and within seconds, the rest of the Justice Machine poured into the room. By that time, the nahman had entered a well lighted room and had dropped Challenger onto a table. The room was filled with devices that looked very much like hand held saws and drills.
Light-Wave roared orders. "Justice Machine, to the hanger! Communication officer, trace this signal. By the time we're in the air, I want to know where this is happening!"
A single nahman, holding a microphone, stepped towards the camera, but before he could say anything, the sounds of a firefight erupted in the background of the on-screen scene. Two nahman rushed through a door in the background, followed by a staggering Jaiime Conrad.
"Just freepin wonderful!" Light-Wave muttered, the look of dismay on his face partially hidden by his cowl. Someone looking closely would have seen him `flicker' his body position changed noticeably without any noticeable motion on his part. "Let's go!"
On the screen, Jaiime stumbled and fell out of the picture. Seconds later, the JM was piling into their armored shuttle, where the scene from the communications room was repeated on the vessel's monitor. As Feral started the engines, there was a tremendous roar from the monitor, and they saw the start of an explosion, and then the screen blinked to a view of the communications room.
"Coordinates of that explosion - now!" Light-Wave thundered into the communicator as the JM roared away, hopefully to the rescue of their teammates!
Chapter 10Prosecutor Barez hadn't been surprised when an alarm 'awakened' him in the middle of the night; he'd been expecting it. Earlier, Light-Wave had warned him that 'Operation Challenger' was go for tonight. He was, however, extremely surprised and even more displeased when he reviewed the security videos in his office and discovered Conrad's early intrusion on the operation. Light-Wave had assured him that Conrad would be pretty much helpless as he came down from Edge at this time of night.
He used the command console in his office to watch the action, switching cameras as required. He saw Conrad race down the corridor, slap at the alarm (and miss). He switched to the hanger camera and saw with relief that Conrad was too late to stop the kidnappers, then cursed when the boy stole his car - his favorite car! He couldn't believe anyone could have penetrated his security codes - Conrad was proving to be much more dangerous than either he or Light-Wave had believed.
From his desk console, Barez was able to monitor the security camera in the car, and he watched, first in relief as Conrad lost the shuttle carrying Challenger and her kidnappers, and then in concern as the boy had more good luck than he deserved and located it again. When the kidnappers started to broadcast the torture scene, he switched to a split screen with an internal view of the security control room. He noticed Light-Wave's instantaneous flicker and hoped that it meant that the JM's leader has sent the self-destruct signal that would destroy the nahman-form robots and their secret base to self-destruct. He had mixed feelings when Conrad appeared on camera just before the screen went blank.
As he considered Conrad's demise in the explosion designed to take out Challenger, he realized that this wasn't such a bad ending. The Challenger problem was now resolved - she should have known better than to ask questions! And after observing Conrad closely, Barez was certain that he was the same `kind' as Challenger: someday he, too, would have started asking questions. So losing him now was actually a bit of good luck. They would have to do a better job of selecting his replacement. Yes, Operation Challenger had actually turned out even better than planned! His satisfaction was short-lived.
*****
"Stunning is the insidious treachery of Georwell - but sadly, not surprising."
The high-pitched voice stunned the Prosecutor. How could there be a nahman in his office? He spun from the monitor and pulled his sidearm, firing at the beast who was, impossibly, standing in front of his desk. Instead of searing the centauroid to a crisp, the energy beam simply vanished an inch away from the being.
"Fortunate it is for you that my shield absorbs your beam, rather than reflects!" the amazing apparition continued. "Dead you would be of little value to the Imperium - or the Nahman Alliance!"
"Who the kupp are you?" Barez shouted. "How did you get in here? What the kupp do you want?" He fired again, then stopped as it continued to be useless.
"Grandé, I am called, Ambassador Plenipotentiary for the Nahman Alliance am I. Here am I to discuss the terms of surrender."
"SURRENDER?!?!" Barez screeched. "Like vkaw you are!" He reached for a button that would sound an alarm and call security to his quarters. He hit the button but nothing happened - except that a scene from the past started playing on the security monitor on the Prosecutor's desk.
"Broadcast this to the entire Imperium, could we" the nahman stated coldly. "Closely watch, consider well, before you rashly act."
Since he appeared to have little choice, Barez watched. He was shaken to realize he was watching his first appearance as Chief Prosecutor of Georwell in front of Council Central. He was aware that everything that occurred in the Council Chamber was recorded - but those recordings were protected by the Imperium's most advanced technology. What power would be required to obtain these recordings? Suddenly he began fearing the nahman - and what he was about to see.
***** Pieces of the Past: The Beginning *****
Prosecutor Barez was presenting his first proposal to Council Central. "As you are aware, when I recently… assumed… my office, I discovered that the military forces of the Imperium were, in my opinion, woefully unprepared for conflict. And the Council's political analysts unanimously agree that there is a 99 plus percent probability of war with the Rim Worlds within a decade."
"We are aware of your opinion on the state of our forces" Number 4 said coldly. "Fortunately for you, the ease with which you supplanted your predecessor supports your claim that he had become soft and no longer suited for office."
"Just come out and say it, Number 4," interjected Number 7, a tone of amusement in his voice. "Anyone at that level of power who gets assassinated by an underling is incompetent." He chuckled. "Although it _was_ a highly imaginative scheme on your part, Barez. Makes me wonder which members of the Council should be worried, eh?"
Before Barez could respond, Number 9 added: "Don't bother to deny your ambitions, Barez. If you weren't ambitious, you would be of no use to Georwell." His tone, which had been collegial, now turned cold and steely. "Best remember, the membership of Council Central has been stable for the past 50 years. You mortals don't have the patience or the long term viewpoint necessary to penetrate the defenses of a Councilor." The members of Council Central were reputed to be long lived, perhaps immortal. Barez didn't believe that for a minute no Councilor ever showed his face in public, and with undetectable voice and image-altering technology easily available, who could know how often the members of Council Central changed?
"In any case..." Number 6 was running this particular meeting "now that we've delivered the obligatory warning to Chief Prosecutor Barez, let's get back to business." He turned from his fellow Councilors back to Barez. "Chief Prosecutor Barez, having identified this alleged flaw in the Georwellian forces under your command, how do you propose to address this issue?"
This was it, the moment that could make or break Barez's whole career. If Council Central disapproved of his plan or if he failed, he was as good as dead; if they approved and he was successful, his future footing in front of Council Central would be a little more secure.
"It has been almost a generation since most of our troops have faced an actual enemy. What we need is a new enemy of lesser power than the Rim Raiders. Against this lesser opponent, we can evaluate our troops and equipment and test our tactics."
"As you say, Prosecutor, we have been at peace for almost a generation. Where shall we find this lesser opponent?" Number 4's voice was still cold and distant, but having caught the interest of his toughest critic, Barez was suddenly sure that Council Central would approve of today's plan.
"There are a number of independent worlds near the borders of the Imperium against which we might deploy our forces worlds which are too weak to resist our forces even in their current, less-than-optimal condition. Such deployment would be a useful training exercise."
"As you just mentioned, we are currently at peace with all such bordering worlds, are we not?" asked Number 8.
"Peace is always fragile on the borders. It would hardly be surprising if some local disagreement were to escalate to the point of being useful to us." Barez replied.
"Very well, then. With the approval of Council Central, if such a disagreement is to arise, you may proceed with your plan as proposed." stated Number 6. There was no discussion, but there was no dissension. Barez had no idea how Council Central came to unanimous decisions, but he wasn't going to question his good fortune.
"My life at your command." He acknowledged his dismissal, and left to create his future.
*****
That hadn't been as bad as he remembered - he had never mentioned Kurnnegut or the nahman. He could talk his way out of this. But then the scene changed.
***** Pieces of the Past: Recruiting The Robot Master *****
Universal Servants, Robots and Mechanical Men had only opened its doors today, and already inventor Simon Spears realized he was going to be rich! Spears was an entrepreneur with a flair for robotics. Short and bald, not overly handsome, his head seemingly a little too large for his body, he was not an imposing figure, and he had been overlooked most of his life. Not any longer! Not only had he already sold his entire inventory of 50 multi-purpose robots, he had orders for his small factory's entire output for the next 300 days, and several large industrialists had come around to discuss contracts for Spears to design industrial robots for their factories.
Many of his customers were citizens who were tired of the unreliability of sub-citizen workers, but Spears had been stunned at the number of sub-citizens who had somehow managed to save the cost of a robot, and wanted robots to take over for them. Citizenship was denied them, but he heard them talking among themselves and the consensus was that owning a robot and letting it do a sub-citizen's work would be better than becoming a citizen! He had no idea how revolutionary this concept was, but he was about to find out what being a revolutionary on Georwell really meant. Without warning, the door to his office exploded, and Light-Wave, Giant and Rad of the Justice Machine burst in, followed by a handful of Terror Troopers.
"As an authorized agent of Council Central of the Georwellian Imperium" Light-Wave droned in bored tones - this bust was hardly worth his time "...I hereby arrest you, Simon Spears, also known as 'The Robot Master', for sedition and treason!"
Before he could react, Giant flicked his chin with her forefinger, knocking him out. "I dinna understand why't Prosecutor Barez t'ot dis'un was so danj'rous" she commented in a puzzled tone.
"Barez is 'showing the flag'" Light-Wave replied. "The Justice Machine symbolizes Georwell; our people need to know that the Justice Machine is always looking out for the welfare of our citizens."
Giant easily shrugged the unconscious traitor over her shoulder and Rad began going through the day's sales records. Those who had bought robots would soon get visits of their own from a Terror Troop squad. Meanwhile the Troopers started tearing down the store. A demolition squad was even now planting explosives in the nearby US Robotics factory.
The next day, a battered, bound and thoroughly subdued Spears was dragged into the office of Prosecutor Barez and dropped into a chair. The Terror Trooper who had carried him in clipped his leg manacle to the leg of the chair. Not that Spears could have escaped - but the act itself was part of the intimidation process. Barez began speaking without waiting for Spears to even orient himself.
"I have the authority to commute your sentence for treason, from further torture and eventual execution to life imprisonment. Imprisonment without the... refinements that some of the more... enthusiastic, shall we say, government employees find amusing. Perhaps, you might even be supplied some comforts and amenities."
Spears couldn't talk - his mouth and jaws were too battered. And he had learned by now that anything he said would probably cause him more pain. So he said nothing.
"It was unfortunate, for you at least" Barez chuckled "...that you took it upon yourself to change the social order here in the Imperium. Did you think you could get away with trying to liberate the sub-citizens? Do you have any idea the kind of social chaos it would create, if sub-citizens had leisure time?!" Spears didn't even flinch - he'd protested that charge several times before, and each time ended up being hurt more than the previous time. But he knew he had done no such thing!
"But very fortunate for me! I just happen to need a robotics expert - and you just happen to need a sponsor to protect you from the rigors of prison life. If you agree to assist me, I can arrange for your imprisonment to be much more comfortable."
Eventually, Spears had given in.
Over the next few months, Spears had designed robots which were virtually indistinguishable from live nahman, ostensibly as training tools for the Georwellian military. A batch of those robots was secretly shipped to Kurnnegut months before the war began, the batch that had been used to slaughter everyone in a human elementary school, providing the atrocity that began the war. The same robots had captured Challenger this very night, and had just self-destructed due to Light-Wave's surreptitious signal. And, perhaps included by the nahman as a gratuitous insult, these secretly captured videos revealed what his most urgent investigation had been unable to uncover - how the Robot Master had escaped custody!
Spears had built a cavity into the body of one of the nahman robots - barely large enough for his own smallish body. Using spare parts, he had then constructed a robot in his own likeness. When the robots had been shipped to Kurnnegut, the Robot Master had been shipped out as well, with the Spears robot taking his place in prison. A couple of days later, the Spears robot had been disassembled by other partially finished robots on the assembly line, and the parts incorporated into the current production run. To Barez's security, it appeared as if one day, Spears had simply vanished.
*****
'So' Barez mused 'the nahman have proof that I instigated the war on Kurnnegut.' His prospects for striking a deal with the nahman appeared to have strongly diminished. But the nahman videos weren't finished yet. The next video was even more disturbing - it had been assembled from the security cameras on the Vigilant, displaying events that had occurred while the big ship had been in hyperspace. Barez and Light-Wave had separately used their own security scrambling devices to ensure the privacy of the secret meeting he was now watching - and obviously the nahman had technology superior to the best the Imperium could provide.
***** Pieces of the Past - Planning Operation Challenger *****
"As I've reported to you before," Light-Wave was speaking "...Challenger is asking questions about Council Central's decisions, including the morality of our mission to Kurnnegut. She doesn't believe that Georwell should get involved in what is essentially a civil war on an independent planet. Most of the team will just ignore her grumbling, but Conrad doesn't know any better yet."
"I'm tired of this discussion, Commander. I suggest you deal with the situation - permanently."
"My life at your command, Prosecutor." Light-Wave agreed formally.
"What's the progress of Project Super Soldier?" Barez asked his subordinate.
"Conrad has been 'convinced' to being using Edge. Workouts show that his combat prowess has improved, but his judgment appears to be negatively affected. Hopefully he will learn to overcome the judgmental issues as be becomes more familiar with the drug's effects."
"Keep me informed. I don't want to bring our results to Council Central until we have positive results." Meaning, Light-Wave knew, that Barez wouldn't go to Council Central with the results of Project Super Soldier until he could take credit for the project's success.
*****
The monitor went blank. "More, there is" the nahman suggested calmly.
"You can't intimidate me with this," Barez snarled. "It doesn't matter if you show it to every citizen in the Imperium - within minutes, the spinners will convince the public that it's all nahman propaganda. In fact, it might well convince the populace that we need to declare war on the Nahman Alliance!" Barez tried to regain some leverage.
"Naive, you might think us, since the Nahman Alliance co-exists peacefully with our interstellar neighbors. Long ago, through similar stages of barbarism and treachery, we grew, and these we remember well. To the Imperium, to the war effort, these disclosures will have little effect. Of the effects on your own future, however, we are certain. To the knowledge that you were unable to prevent others from divining your schemes, how will Council Central react? Trustworthy, will they deem you?"
Barez realized that this was the real threat. When Council Central saw his every act exposed, they would certainly never trust him again, and he would be stripped of his authority - and probably spend the rest of a short, painful life in agony, as a bored Councilor used him as a test subject to determine the limits of human endurance to torture - or something equally agonizing. He couldn't let these videos be played for the Council! But...
"Regardless of the consequences to me, I do not have the authority to authorize Georwell's surrender." Now that the consequences had been pointed out to him, Barez was ready to bargain - but he didn't have much capital to play with.
"Misunderstand me, you do." The nahman paused, and even Barez recognized the concentration on the being's face. He wanted to be sure his next statement was understood. "Wish we to negotiate the terms of the surrender of the nahman currently on Kurnnegut to the Georwell Imperium."
*****
Barez was stunned. Had he heard correctly? "The nahman wish to surrender? And you think you need to blackmail me to accept your surrender?"
"Requested assistance from the Nahman Alliance, has our herd on Kurnnegut. Slaughter of nahman by Georwell, the Alliance will not allow, yet reluctant to exterminate all humans are we. Perhaps, chance given, evolve and mature, humans will. An alternative we offer: Humans can rule Kurnnegut - what care we? Establish enclaves will our herd - outside those enclaves, human law they will follow. Enter these enclaves, humans will not. No better offer will you get - accept it you should."
Barez laughed heartily. Even with the superior technology the nahman were currently revealing, it would be impossible to destroy the entire human race. But the Ambassador wasn't finished talking.
"Expecting your reaction, prepared one final warning, I did."
Instantly, the office and everything around him vanished, to be replaced by empty space and distant stars. For just an instant, Barez could feel the air around him roaring away as the awful cold of deep space leached the warmth from his exposed body - and then something must have enclosed him, as the air pressure stopped dropping and the temperature stabilized. His immediate environment was uncomfortable but survivable, at least for a short time - a silent reminder of the deadlier environment just a little farther away.
He seemed to be in a transparent bubble, literally floating in space - and suddenly the combination of free fall and disorientation caught up with him and his stomach voided violently. This started him spinning and as spun, he saw a nearby red star, about the size of his thumbnail seen at a foot from his eye. The star suddenly expanded violently, and Barez screamed in fear and agony at the intensity of the light striking him. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around his head, and still the light got brighter until he passed out from the agony.
When he came to once again, he was lying on the rug in his office, covered in a disgusting combination of bodily wastes. He was unable to see anything except a pink dazzle in front of his eyes, and there was a line of pain between his eyes and his brain that felt like a red hot wire.
"We could use the same weapon against the sun of Georwell - and every other star in the Imperium" the Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the Nahman Alliance said calmly. "Clean yourself well before the delegation from our herd on Kurnnegut arrives for negotiations this afternoon - they will not deal with someone who smells like an unmucked barn." After his final words, the image of the Nahman Ambassador disappeared without a trace from the office of Prosecutor Barez.
Prosecutor Barez was convinced. Later that day, he presented Georwell's surrender terms to the nahman representatives, who quickly accepted, and the Nahman War was ended.
*****
While Prosecutor Barez was 'negotiating' with the Ambassador, the Justice Machine had been involved in a desperate rescue operation. The Haunt had pushed his powers to the limit, probing the destroyed underground complex, and he had been rewarded by finding the body of Jaiime Conrad, remarkably still alive, entombed in a small cavity in a partially demolished room. But he could find no traces of Challenger or any of the nahman kidnappers.
When Descry focused her prescient powers on a limited area in relatively calm conditions, she could discern events as much as a few minutes into the future - so she began directing the digging, enabling her teammates to avoid or shore up dangerous areas before any collapses or slides or other disasters could occur. Her nasal commands were no less annoying than normal, but no one was telling her to shut up as they fought to rescue their teammate! Light-Wave and the Flame were able to blast apart the largest chunks of debris and Feral and Giant used their giant strength to best advantage, tearing away great chunks of rubble.
By the time the medical team arrived, they had recovered Conrad. The medics were baffled by his condition - there was very little damage that could be attributed to the explosion, yet he was close to death; his metabolism was on the verge of total collapse. He was immediately whisked to the intensive care unit on the Vigilant.
The nahman robots had been totally destroyed by explosive devices and capsules of powerful acid built into their bodies. Barez wanted to make very sure that there was nothing left to tie them to him.
The search for Challenger or her remains was called off several days later as no trace of her body was found in the debris, and she was officially declared dead.
Chapter 11Back on Georwell, Chief Prosecutor Barez's second official appearance in front of Council Central, this time accompanied by Light-Wave, didn't go quite as well as his first.
"Congratulations to both of you on your quick victory on Kurnnegut," Number 7 was presiding. "You two, the Justice Machine and your troops have been declared Heroes of the Realm, and will be honored in a public ceremony as soon as Jaiime Conrad is released from the hospital. Though there are some who disagree." Barez shivered inside at the dark tone - was that a warning to him, or to the Council members who didn't agree with Number 7?
"I suppose our forces are ever so much better trained now, Prosecutor?" Number 9 mocked him with cold sarcasm. "You certainly found an opponent that was weaker than the Rim Worlds!"
Barez couldn't tell them the true story - no one would believe him. At least he knew Number 9's position on the recent debacle. "The plan remains valid. There are other choices more suitable as opponents."
"Who?" asked Number 2. Barez had never heard him speak before. "The Georwell Junior Hedgehogs?" Another dissenter identified. Barez filed this information; any schisms among Councilors could be valuable in his career plans.
"We can't very well disappear a Hero of the Realm, Councilors," Number 4 spoke up, referring to Barez. Barez was surprised, as Number 4 had been openly critical of the his plan at the earlier meeting. "I believe there is a similar opportunity on Raydbury, and I suggest we give Prosecutor Barez an additional chance to prove that his plan can be successful. It is in all our best interests, certainly, that our military forces are well prepared when we inevitably face the Rim Worlds." Now Barez understood - Raydbury was in the same sector as Number 4's home world - he must have some interests that would be furthered by Georwellian troops in that sector.
"My life at your command" Barez acknowledged that Council Central had given him a second chance. He made a note to have his own chief investigator find out how his operation could best support Number 4's interests - always good to have an ace in the hole.
"I'm interested in Commander Light-Wave's report on the progress of Project Super Soldier," Number 4 continued, and Barez knew that somehow Council Central had come to consensus on his fate - and he had another chance. The Council turned its attention away from Barez to the leader of the Justice Machine.
Light-Wave confidently began speaking. "Research Central has developed a new variation on the performance-enhancing drug Edge, and the Justice Machine was asked to field test that variation. Our newest recruit, Jaiime Conrad, volunteered as the test subject. Conrad is a recent graduate from the Academy - with nearly superhuman ratings in hand-to-hand combat and hand-weapon marksmanship. He's not quite in Feral's class, but I've never seen an unenhanced human who is any better."
This actually produced a murmur of interest among the Councilors. Feral was widely acknowledge as the deadliest fighter in the Justice Machine since Lionheart had 'retired' from active duty a few years ago.
"In some sense, I suppose you could say that the experiment was successful. Edge enhances Conrad's natural strength and improves his speed and reaction time, and it also allows him to virtually ignore pain. However, his judgment is affected - he becomes reckless, he ignores orders, he forgets his training, and he loses awareness of his surroundings. A soldier in that condition might decide to attack his commanding officers or even his fellow soldiers. I certainly wouldn't want to be in command of a squadron of troopers using this variant of Edge!"
His distaste was plain in his voice. He didn't seem to care that reporting another failure in the Super Soldier Project might negatively influence some members of Council Central. Very few men of power cared less about Council Central's internal politics than Light-Wave.
"To me, the worst condition of all is the debilitation when the drug's effects expire. While Edge allowed Conrad to infiltrate the enemy base, when it wore off, he collapsed, totally helpless and unable to rescue his teammate. He is still in the hospital recovering from injuries he received in his helpless condition. If our forces were to collapse in a battle as Conrad did, that battle would certainly be lost."
"Thank you, Commander. Based on your recommendations, we will not implement Project Super Soldier at this time." Number 1 clearly spoke for the entire Council, though even Light-Wave's electromagnetic senses couldn't detect any communication among the Councilors.
Number 7 continued. "Prosecutor Barez, at the ceremony next week, you and the Commander will announce 4 new members of the Justice Machine. After review of the available candidates, the Council recommends Fricton, Icer, Farad and Steadfast. Commander, your suggestion that we recall Rad from retirement has been vetoed. In the future, you are reminded that personal preferences are a poor basis for command decisions."
Light-Wave tried to control and hide his trembling. A rebuke this strong from Council Central was only a hair's breadth from a death sentence! If he valued his life, he was stuck with that sickeningly sweet Flame until the public tired of her. He suddenly wondered if his recommendation of Rad might have been accepted if the report on Edge had been more positive. Maybe even the leader of the Justice Machine would be wise to pay attention to politics!
"My life at your command" he responded, and he and Barez hustled out of the Council Central spotlight. It was the first time he'd ever realized exactly what that closing salutation actually meant.
*****
Jaiime was in the varying stages of a coma for almost 3 weeks. Some of the time he almost seemed conscious, if delirious, and he had to be strapped down as he writhed and moaned in agony, while at other times he was absolutely inert, his metabolism barely detectable, his temperature and heart rate slowed, and his pulse practically non-existent. During one of the active periods near the end of his convalescence, he had nightmares in which he repeatedly experienced scenes based on his recent past. First his body totally failed him, and he was blasted by explosions as he tried to save Challenger. The next time he dreamed, the dream changed subtly, and he actually saw Challenger explode, and then the dreams expanded to include his new teammates, and then his classmates at the Academy, and his friends, and then his family.
And in every iteration the end result was the same - people were counting on him, begging him for help, and he blithely promised he would save them all - and in every case, he failed - miserably failed everyone who had ever trusted him, his body slack and impotent. All of his skills and training and desire and force of will were absolutely negated by the effects of Edge.
And the most terribly ironic aspect of the whole thing, the fact that filled him with horror, was that it had been the Edge which had saved his life. His body had collapsed as his muscles had gone slack, and there had been no muscular tension to resist the force of the explosion which had picked him up and thrown him under a sturdy workbench. He'd been as floppy as a rag doll, and like a rag doll can easily survive impacts that would destroy a porcelain figurine, he'd been bruised but not broken. He found it horrific that the abhorrent drug which had destroyed his world had saved his life.
And within him, even in this altered mental state, a new determination began to build, a compulsion and drive that would remain with him throughout his life. He would NEVER fail his teammates again! He would train himself until he was better without Edge than he could ever be with the drug. He had already been one of the best - now, he would be better.
When he finally awakened and heard about the upcoming ceremony, when a new Justice Machine lineup would be presented to the Imperium, he knew exactly how he would inform the universe of his new determination.
*****
During the long ceremony, which was televised to every planet and outpost in the Georwellian Imperium, Prosecutor Barez, the surviving members of the Justice Machine and several battalions of Terror Troopers were publicly acknowledged as the latest Heroes of the Realm. Finally, newly promoted Chief Prosecutor Barez closed the proceedings by introducing several new members of the Justice Machine.
"People of Georwell, the newest members of the Justice Machine: Dash Cobalt, code named Fricton, with the powers of speed, superconduction, and control over ambient friction; Icer, Grag Fynn, cousin to the Flame, whose cold-based powers complement her heat-based abilities; Kipal Spilis, known as Farad for his ability to store and release electricity; and Antol Osk, better known as Steadfast for his great strength, dedication and reliability."
Before the crowds could begin to cheer, he continued. "I'd like to announce one additional lineup change. Jaiime Conrad has requested that he be assigned a code name in honor of his departed comrade, Ylvy Obanon. From this day forward, Jaiime Conrad will also be known as Challenger!"
The celebration throughout the Imperium lasted for days.