The Cyber Chronicles VII - Sabre Read Online Free Page B

where he is, or even if he's alive, any more than you
do. Cyber remains were detected in the debris of the enforcer ship
the Trykons destroyed."
    Tassin's heart
sank, but she shook her head, determined not to give in to despair.
Sabre could not be dead. "No, he must be on the other one."
    "I hope
so."
    "They'll take
him to Myon Two. We have only to go there to find him."
    "It will take
them three months to reach Myon Two using corridors. Since I
followed your ship instead of them, I've lost their trail."
    Tassin looked
away, despondent. "They'll do terrible things to him in three
months."
    "I agree.
Which is why I intend to go immediately to Myon Two and demand his
release. But I must warn you, if they have the audacity to go
against my order not to hunt him, they won't easily admit to having
done so."
    "They can't
lie to you."
    "Myon Two is a
big planet. The enforcer factions are manifold, and it's entirely
possible that their president has no knowledge of who did
this."
    "But he can
find out!"
    Fairen gazed
at her pensively. "He won't be willing to help. He will agree to do
so, but how much effort do you think he'll put into it? And while
he's pretending to help, Sabre suffers on that ship."
    "What else can
we do?"
    "Unfortunately, our options are limited."
    Tassin stepped
forward. "Fairen, you have unlimited power. Use it, please. Sabre
saved your life twice. Surely that counts for something?"
    He frowned.
"Of course it does. Why do you think I'm here?"
    Tarl touched
Tassin's elbow and whispered, "Hey, cool it. Remember who you're
talking to."
    She nodded,
bowing her head as she struggled to control her emotions. "I'm
sorry, My Lord."
    He waved a
slender hand. "I understand your anguish. I share it. What would
you have me do?"
    "Send out
ships to search for the enforcers. Put a bounty on their heads.
Order every planet to report them if they stop to refuel or pass
through their territory."
    "There are
thousands of enforcer ships. How would they know it was the right
one?"
    "Then order
them to board and search every enforcer ship they find."
    He sighed,
shaking his head. "That would spark conflicts. Myon Two is a
powerful world. Few would be willing to take on enforcers. And even
if they did do it, how would they tell him apart from the cybers
every enforcer ship carries?"
    "The lights on
his brow band are different from a normal cyber."
    "That's a very
small difference for an untrained man to spot. The enforcers will
lie; tell them his brow band is malfunctioning. It won't work."
    "What about
the bracelet you gave him?" she asked.
    "If he's still
wearing it. They might have removed it. They've already succeeded
in stopping the signal, and, since they can't deactivate it, they
must have broken it. They know what it is, so they won't take the
chance that Sabre activated it."
    "There must be
something you can do!"
    Fairen nodded,
turning to the man with gold embroidery on his sleeves who stood in
the shadows. "Commander Shrain, has the Trykon ship undocked?"
    "Yes, My
Lord."
    "Translocate
to Myon Two."
    "Yes, My
Lord." Shrain consulted his com-link. "Ship is in translocation
configuration, generators charged. Translocating in thirty
seconds."
    Fairen gazed
into space, his expression grim, but pensive. "This will be the
first time an Overlord has visited Myon Two."
     
    ****
     
    President
Niare glanced around in irritation as the com-link on his desk
beeped, his knife and fork poised over his half eaten lunch. He
hated to be interrupted during a meal, especially when it was
buttered benja wings and sweet fetar cream with jem berries.
Setting down his utensils, he took a sip of musky red wine and
glared at the com-link, wishing he could ignore it and continue to
enjoy his lunch. His office was the envy of every other politician
on the planet, and quite a few tycoons. Onyx-framed vidcom screens
lined his sleek golden vrywood desk, and a matching two
metre-square one on the opposite wall came in handy for
teleconferences. Plush,