Alien Courage (Rise of the Empress) (22 page)

The bears rushed,
Url
grabbed
his gun and cocked it in one fluid motion. Both men raised their guns as one
and fired. The noise was loud and smoke billowed from their barrels.
Url
saw nothing but heard the heavy impact of the bullet and
the Old Warrior yelled a blood curdling war cry.

Url’s
target was the largest bear and his bullet entered
its eye and smashed its way through its brain. It died instantly a few feet
away. The Old Warrior’s shot had hit his bear in the forehead but the round
bullet was deflected by the two inch thick skull. The bear momentarily
hesitated then continued its charge, blood pouring down its face.

The bear was blinded by blood, smoke and the impact of
the Old Warrior’s bullet but swung its great paw blindly. It impacted with the
old warrior hurling him off his feet. He landed with a slushy ‘thump’ in the
snow, bleeding from deep gashes in his arm and side. The bear stood up, roared
and lunged at the Old Warrior. The bear dropped down over the Old Warrior, huge
paws landed each side of him splashing snow and slush bearing its huge teeth
snarling. The Old Warrior looked up defiantly waiting for death as
the bears enormous jaws opened wide. 

‘
Thack
’,
thack
’
again and again echoed through the
forest as
Url
raised his axe repeatedly driving it
deeply into the back of the bear’s head where it joined the neck. Blood, bone
and fur quickly littered the snow around them. Like a man possessed he hit the
bear again and again, now sitting on its back. The bear slumped forward over
the old warrior, dead from a butchered brain.

Url
slowly got off the bear and sank to his knees in the
snow. His breath
came
in short deep pants. His axe,
skins and face were covered in blood. He looked at the blood soaked bear and
saw the head of the Old Warrior under its neck staring at him. He’s dead he
thought, but he saw the eyes blink.
Url
got up and
knelt beside the bears huge head. The Old Warrior strained his face and briefly
smiled, then groaned, the weight on his body was enormous.
Url
grabbed his arm and tried to pull him out but he was held fast.

“Thank you, my friend,” the Old Warrior groaned. My
tribesmen will be here shortly, the shots they would have heard, and they are
not far away. “Go now, they will kill you.”

Url
stood and looked around, he saw no one but knew what
this Old Warrior said would be true. The Beclin would be searching for the
source of the gunshots.
Url
quickly reloaded both guns
and was about to fire them to aid the Beclin locate the Old Warrior when he
went over and knelt beside the bear he shot. With his axe he broke off both of
its long canines. He went back to the old man and pressed one of the teeth
inside his collar, “
we
share his spirit. Go ravine, not
far”
Url
pointed, “talk across ravine. Trade boy, girl
you stole.” He pointed both guns into the sky and fired, across the little
valley and half was up the slope a group of running Beclin Warriors turned and
ran towards the gunshots.

The Old Warrior pinned under the bear smiled but
before he could thank him
Url
dropped his gun beside
the bear in the snow and ran quickly toward the cover of the trees and was
gone. A moment later five Beclin men came through the trees and ran over to the
two bears in the snow.

Lord Ambrae stood looking out the window. He surveyed
the vast city before him; it stretched from the horizon to horizon and beyond.
The sky was full of flying craft going about the day to day business of the
home planet Irrimus. The humanity stretched out before him covered most of the
planet. Green areas of manicured forests and sculptured waterways gave
occasional relief from the endless buildings and structures of metal and stone
substitute. Below the surface vast underground cities and industries were home
to a third of the population, the planets population is two hundred and fifty
billion souls.

“No!” Lord Ambrae said definitively. “I will not
compromise with the House of Vela or Lupus. They both use our border with Volen
and allow smuggling routes and slave running.” He turned and viewed his High
Council with contempt. Twice they have suggested an altered alliance with Vela
and Lupus to allow Volen direct space routes through Irrimus’s territorial space.
Lord Ambrae’s thick set features were solid in defiance as he stood there in
his brightly coloured uniform and metals. His bearded face stared in turn at
each member of his Council.

“But My Lord,” said
Tous
his
Council leader. “Volen has much to offer us. New android arm and knee joint
technology will increase our efficiency by point three eight percent.”

“I don’t care about android technology if I have to
trade it from Volen allowing them access through our space. Those grey creatures
deal in misery and death,” Lord Ambrae hissed with distain and continued
locking eyes with
Tous
, “You insist on putting profit
ahead of our future. The House of Volen sits on a heavy planet, its gravity is
twice ours and they are the most dangerously serious and untrustworthy of all
the Houses. Their androids have to be more efficient just to overcome the
gravity but to deal with them opens the door to a continued threat for all
time. They trade almost exclusively in black market opportunities.”
Tous
opened his mouth to say something but Lord Ambrae cut
him off sharply. “
Tous
if you insist on going down
this route of insisting we compromise our space routes with Vela and Lupus so
Volen has a free ride through our space I will assign you to a year’s post as
Ambassador on Volen. After that we can talk about it.”

The rest of the High Council turned to face
Tous
. He sat looking at his hands, now sweating. He began
to see his personal profit from the android deal evaporate before his eyes. He
now had to either find another way of getting the deal through or somehow undo
the one he made with Volen smugglers. “Yes, My Lord,”
Tous
said in a low voice. I accept your directive for this meeting and formally
decline the offer of Ambassador to Volen.”

Lord Ambrae smiled and walked over to the table
opposite
Tous
and put both his hands on the table and
leaned toward him. The other members of the Council shrunk back in their chairs
trying to avoid any affiliation with
Tous
. However,
two other Council members were implicated in the smuggler’s deal and sat
uneasily in their chairs. Lord Ambrae understood the exact deal
Tous
had proposed and said in a clear unmistakable voice.
“Scribe, make special note for this meeting that
Tous
accepts the post of Ambassador to Volen for one year and will have two
assistants namely Councilman
Juins
and
Setra
before any deal or trading of any kind will be
considered by this Council or any Irrimus Trading or affiliated organisation
with the House of Volen which involves altering of our border polices. That is
my directive and is now policy on this matter. Is it seconded?” He said glaring
at the other members.

Almost as a single movement the rest of the members of
the council raised their hands and chanted, “Aye.”

Tous
,
Juins
and
Setra
all went to stand up, in the ancient manner of
protesting and Lord Ambrae hit the table with his fist. “You have the right of
protest as equally I have of producing evidence. Think very carefully before
you stand,” he said menacingly.

The three men sat back in their seats and remained
quiet. One thought common between them - how did he know?

Lord Ambrae resumed his position looking out the
window. He didn’t mind the inevitable corruption surfacing just as long as he
knew about it. He now had leverage against three High Council members and a one
year holiday from their corruption, and one being the Secretary of the High
Council itself. This is a good day, he thought.

“My Lord, there are no further points on the agenda. You
may close the meeting if you wish unless you have further business,” the
Council Clerk stated.

“Very well,” Lord Ambrae replied, “This meeting is
closed and arrange a record to be sent to my personal file signed by every
member of the Council.”

“Yes my Lord.”

Lord Ambrae heard the members of the High Council
leave the Council Chambers and soon he was alone. He seldom had time alone and
when he was, it ate at him like a fever. Reoccurring thoughts haunted him and
his only solace was his never ending schedule and busy life.

The door opened and his daughter Cassy put her head
into the room. “Oh, there you are father,” she said and moved gracefully into
the room dancing up to him. She had to get on her toes to reach his cheek and
kissed him. He looked at her and immediately felt better; smiling he put both
hands on her arms and looked at her closely and saw a lot of his late wife in
her. She was a small thin girl with large brown eyes and pretty looks, but she
had a sparkle in her eye that matched her golden hair. He melted in her
presence.

“You’re working too hard father, but you always do,”
she said trying to sound serious.

“I don’t see Irrimus as work Cassy.” he replied not
letting go of her. “It’s a struggle to hold Irrimus in line with the other
Houses.  Corruption and smuggling are increasing and it takes an old devil
a bit longer to catch the younger ones.”

Cassy’s eyes sparkled and she danced out of his grip,
her golden hair spinning in a circle as she drifted across the room to the
beautifully carved table running her finger along it edge. “Even devils big or
small have to eat,” she said leaning against the table. “Come on,” she said
moving over to him and grabbing his hand. She led him out the door and down the
hall to the dining room. Immaculately dressed servants in white uniforms bowed
as they entered the room. “The fish for me,” she said to the head servant who
nodded his head and looked at Lord Ambrae who with a wave of his hand indicated
the fish as well.

They sat at their table and fresh fruit juice was
served. “Father, what has happened to Johe?” She asked with concern in her
voice.

“What have you heard!?” He replied sharply in
surprise.

“You can’t hide all things from me father. I know his
body in suspended animation was delivered here, then a strange looking old man
turns up and he gets the run of the House but remains in his room. He doesn’t
even sleep on the bed, he prefers the floor. Also, he doesn’t appear to eat,”
she replied remembering every little detail from the maids and servants.

Lord Ambrae sat back amused. He could never really
accept the fact his only daughter was so much like him. Neither of them really
knew Johe, his whole life was spent with the Trigealian Regiment and had been
there since he was a baby. “I’m not sure Cassy. The Emperor told me something
had occurred in his training and we have to wait while the training situation
is resolved and contact is made with him. You know what it’s like with the type
of things he does.” He stated it as clearly as he could.

“Is that all they ever do - train?” she asked but
didn’t expect an answer, He was her only brother and although she only ever met
him on official occasions she was a loyal sister and missed him. “Where was he
training, father?”

Lord Ambrae had hoped she wouldn’t ask but knew it
would be a mistake to lie to her, she would find out eventually anyway. “Earth,
sector 9,” he answered.

“He’s lost on Earth!!” She said now shocked. It was common
knowledge and a very poorly kept secret that Earth was full of
undesirables. 

“Just out of contact Cassy, there’s a big difference.”

Cassy shook her head. She felt sorry for the people of
Earth, such a pretty planet but no overall control and a constant state of war
always exists there. Raiding parties from all the Houses frequent the planet
and the Trigeals refuse to allow any House to dominate its resources. Cassy
shuddered as she thought of
 
the political
prisoners in Irrimus’s as well as other House’s jails being randomly chosen
then given amnesia and ordered to places like Earth and prison asteroids by the
Trigeals. No wonder it’s such a dangerous place. Now her only brother lost
there. “What can we do father?” she pleaded.