Death to the Imperium (Imperium Cicernus) (4 page)

Piet
simply nodded, and Glitz went to the pump to take a drink of water. The jet of
cool liquid from the pump moistened his cracked mouth, and he gratefully drank
several gulps before returning to work.

When
their shift had finished, and the men had eaten their dinner, Glitz smiled at
them all. “It’s been fun,” he said. “Nice knowing you all.”

Roper
scoffed. “You’ll be here tomorrow just like the rest of us.”

“Maybe,”
Glitz admitted, nodding. “But I damn well hope not.”

The
men were taken back into their cells, but Glitz was too excited to sleep. He
had resolved to stay awake anyway. Tekka was planning to send an wake-up alarm
signal to his room at 5:30, but he wasn’t going to risk it. He would stay awake
all night to be ready to leave at 6:00 sharp. He still didn’t know how Tekka
planned to let the three of them out of their cells; he was trapped as well. But
Glitz could do nothing but wait, and hope Tekka was as clever as he claimed. The
night passed slowly, and Glitz couldn’t relax. He had no way of finding out the
time, and as the night dragged on, he worried that it was past 6:00, and that
Tekka hadn’t managed to do as he’d promised.

But
suddenly a tinny ringing sound filled his cell. It sounded insanely loud after
the deathly quiet of the last few hours. He hoped that none of the guards would
hear the noise, and he took a little comfort in knowing just how thick the cell
walls were.

“Harlan
Glitz, can you hear me?” came Tekka’s voice.

“Am
I glad to hear your voice.”

“So
you can hear me. Good.” Tekka’s voice had its usual cold quality, but there was
a nervous edge to it that Glitz hadn’t heard before. “Please ensure you are
wearing your normal prison clothes. Prepare for release in exactly thirty
minutes. It would be beneficial for you to go over the main points of the plan
in your mind to refresh your memory.”

Glitz
was already wearing his prison clothes, so he did not get up. He would usually
object to being ordered around, but when his freedom was at stake he was more
willing to take commands. He ran through Tekka’s plan in his mind. The whole thing
was actually quite simple—at least, his and Doland’s roles were simple. Tekka
had all the complicated work.

He
sat in his cell, waiting for another message from Tekka. But none came. Glitz
began to feel slightly worried. Maybe Tekka had decided that the plan was a bad
idea. Or perhaps the prison ship wasn’t due to arrive at 6:30 after all…

But,
just when he had been almost ready to give up hope, there was a whirring sound,
and his door slid open.

Glitz
stepped outside his cell. The corridor was dark, and two guards lied motionless
on the floor. He stepped past them cautiously, and glanced around for any sight
of Tekka or Doland.

“Tekka?”
he whispered. “Where are you?”

“Follow
the blue lights!”

Tekka’s
voice seemed to come from all around him. Glitz realised that he must be using
the main communications system. A line of blue lights began to flash along the
ceiling of the corridor, and Glitz could do nothing but follow. As he followed
the lights, he came across dozens of crumpled guards, who were all seemingly
unconscious. Finally, the lights led him to a door, which obligingly opened for
him. Glitz stepped outside, to be met by Tekka. A moment later, Doland too
emerged from the prison, covered in nervous sweat.

“Follow
me,” said Tekka.

They
followed Tekka on a strange path away from the prison, and they finally paused
some distance from the complex. They sheltered under a cluster of black Hinnom
trees; the totem-like growths were the only trees to flourish on Malus.

“How
did you do it?” Glitz said, turning to Tekka, whose face seemed even paler than
he remembered. “How?”

“It’s
like magic,” Doland murmured.

“Not
magic,” Tekka replied tersely. “Technology. Although, admittedly, primitive people
throughout history have often confused the two, so I can see where you might
have difficulty.”

“But
there aren’t any computer terminals in the cells,” Glitz said. “How did you
access the door controls?”

“They
thought they had confiscated all of my possessions, but they didn’t search me
carefully enough.” Tekka tapped the side of his head. “My head contains a
neurochip. I designed and fitted it for myself a few years ago—my constitution
is a little too weak for full augmentation, but I wished to enhance my mind. I,
the user, can communicate with any systems in the nearby vicinity, providing
that certain necessary conditions are met by the system, such as permitted
external access and lack of blind quantum security.”

“I
see,” Doland said, who looked like he didn’t see at all.

“So
you can hack into computers using nothing but your brain?” Glitz said.

“Precisely.
I used my neurochip to cause all of the guards’ earpieces to emit a burst of
energy, enough to stun them all for several minutes. Disabling the door
controls and arranging the little light show for you both was simple enough.”
Tekka looked up at the sky. Through the web of thin branches, they could see a
shape in the heavens getting larger. “They’re early.”

The
prison ship touched down on the landing site, which was located close to the
main dome. Glitz and the others were standing a few metres away from the ship,
shielded by the trees.

“Remember,”
Tekka said. “The timing is crucial. We will act only
after
the prisoners
have left the ship but
before
the ship has taken off again.”

“And
we don’t make a move until you give us the nod,” Doland said.

“Correct.”

The
three men waited in the cover of the trees. Glitz could hear the rustling of
creatures in the branches above them, and he hoped nothing would drop down onto
his head. The wildlife of Malus could be pretty unpleasant.

“So
how’ve you been enjoying your stay?” Glitz said quietly.

“Don’t
get me started,” Doland said. “Look at me. I’m weak and feeble. I wasn’t built
for heavy work. And some idiot keeps banging on my cell wall!”

Glitz
suppressed a smile. So it was Doland that had been in the cell right next to
his. He turned to Tekka. “What about you? How are you finding the Malus
experience?”

“It
wasn’t what was promised in the brochure.”

Glitz
would have laughed, but Tekka had a habit of delivering even witty comments in
a voice that would give children nightmares. They watched as the prisoners were
led off the ship. As soon as the guards had re-entered, Tekka stared intently
at the ship. His eyes widened, and he looked like he was focusing intently on
something.

Suddenly,
cries of pain erupted from the ship. Glitz knew that Tekka had used his
neurochip to hack into the ship’s computer, activating the intruder removal
systems and causing the entire ship to become electrified. Glitz had to laugh
when he saw the guards running out of the ship, their clothes slightly
blackened. They were followed by a prison officer that he didn’t recognize. He
was glad that it wasn’t Commander Rica.

“Now!”
Tekka shouted.

Glitz
and Doland sprang into action. They ran up to the ship, shouted, and each made
a rude gesture in front of the guards. Then they ran off in opposite directions
as fast as they could. Tekka watched from a distance, hoping that the guards
would take the bait…

They
did. The guards split up; half of them chased after Glitz and the other half
chased after Doland, leaving the ship unguarded. Even the ship’s commander had
taken up the chase.
Idiots
, Tekka thought. Taking his chance,
Tekka used his neurochip to disable the intruder removal system and make the
ship safe again. Then he ran into the ship, sealing the door behind himself.

Once
he was safely inside the ship, the first thing he did was remove all of the
authorised security cards in the databanks, which would stop the guards from
gaining entry back into the ship. When that was completed, Tekka sighed. Now it
was time for the hard part. Somehow, he doubted that Glitz and Doland would
perform acceptably.

***

Glitz
was running over the rocky surface of the planet Malus, trying desperately not
to trip over. If he did, it would surely mean recapture. He couldn’t risk a
backward glance, but he was sure the guards were gaining on him. A month of
hard labour had made him slightly fitter than he was before, but he had never
been built for running. His chest was in agony, but he didn’t dare stop. Glitz
caught his foot on a sharp rock, and went tumbling to the ground. Cursing, he
scrambled up and carried on running, even though pain was surging through his
ankle.

***

Doland
was sweating profusely as he pushed onward through the trees. He had entered
the forest and tried to lose himself among the gloomy Hinnom trees. It had
worked, because the guards hadn’t entered the forest. They had been too scared.
Everyone had heard the rumours about what lurked in there.

He
heard a terrible sound. It was the roar of some kind of wild beast. Doland
looked around, his knees trembling, but he couldn’t see the source of the
noise.

Then
he felt warm breath on the back of his neck.

Doland
turned slowly. The beast was standing right behind him. It looked like one of
the huge bears in the Imperial Zoo, except that it had red eyes that glowed
like embers. The beast lunged at Doland.

He
jumped back, and started to run again—tearing through the forest. He knew it
was a bad idea to run suddenly from a wild animal, but he had no choice. He had
to make the rendezvous.

***

Tekka
was standing on the flight deck of the Imperial prison ship. A simple punch in
the nose had been enough to deal with the pilot, who now lied in a heap on the
floor. The flight deck was a large grey room, and the walls were covered with distressed
metal panels. The whole place had a somewhat shabby, rundown feel. There were
several computer terminals that performed various tasks. Tekka was working
intently at one of the computers.

The
operation of the ship was easy enough, and Tekka piloted it towards the agreed
place outside the storage sheds near the back of the complex. The short journey
would certainly have attracted attention, and the stunned prison guards would
have woken up by now; hopefully, Glitz and Doland would arrive before the
guards.

***

Glitz
and Tekka had headed off in opposite directions, but they had actually
travelled on a curving path—the intention was to both meet up eventually at a
point of convergence. If all went to plan, Tekka would be ready at that point
to allow them into the ship.

Finally,
he began to get nearer the storage area, and saw the ship outside it, exactly
as planned. But he knew that the prison guards were right behind him. Just before
he reached the ship, Doland appeared and dashed into the ship before him. Glitz
climbed in straight after him, and the entrance closed immediately.

Glitz
exhaled slowly as they stepped onto the flight deck. Doland fell to the floor,
looking very pale. His whole body was shaking. “A creature…” he said faintly.

“Ah,
you had a little run-in with one of the forest creatures, did you?” Tekka said,
smiling coldly.

Glitz
clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’re safe now.”

“I
am not so sure,” Tekka replied. “Look.”

He
pointed at the main scanner. A small force had assembled outside the ship,
comprised of the ship’s guards and prison security. It was unlikely that they
would be able to gain access to the ship, but they were pointing a large weapon
at them. It looked like a huge cannon.

“It’s
a plasma cannon,” Tekka said darkly. “A this range, a single shot would tear
the ship to pieces.”

“Then
let’s move!” Glitz said.

Tekka
shook his head. The main scanner crackled, and a face appeared. He looked
furious. “My name is Commander John Styke. I’m the officer in charge of this
vessel. I am going to give you one chance. Get off my ship right away, or I’ll give
the order to fire.”

“You
wouldn’t destroy your own ship,” Doland said.

“He
would,” Tekka said. “Imperial regulations state that if a prisoner is escaping
they must be stopped using any means necessary, even if that means destroying their
own property.”

Glitz
swallowed. There had to be something they could do. Obviously, if they tried to
launch, the officer would simply fire the cannon and they would all be killed.
There had to be another way.

“Make
your decision quickly,” Commander Styke said, and his face vanished.

“Can’t
you use your chip to hack into the cannon?” Glitz said.

Tekka
shook his head. “No. There is no digital interface.” Then his eyes widened, as
if he had come up with an idea. “Although…”

“Although?”

“Did
you notice anything unusual about the Commander’s face? About his eyes?”

The
Commander appeared on the screen again. “We are preparing the plasma cannon.
Step out of the vehicle, or prepare to die.”

Glitz
stared at the Commander’s eyes. There was something strange about them. They
were a vivid electric blue colour, and they seemed unusually bright.

“He
has been augmented,” Tekka said quietly, switching off the microphones so the Commander
couldn’t hear them. “And the surgeon made a pretty bad job of it, too. I
imagine he has zoom, infrared vision, that sort of thing.” He smiled slightly.
“I only hope that his augmentation technology has some sort of software
component, because if it does…”

Glitz
realised what he was driving at. “You can hack into it?”

“Possibly.
Distract him for a few minutes, so I can have time to find out.” Tekka switched
the microphone back on.

“You
win,” Glitz said, facing the Commander. “Please don’t blow us up. We’ll come
out of the ship now.”

“Excellent,”
Commander Styke said. “Open the main door and step outside with your hands
above your head. You won’t be harmed, unless you do something stupid.”

“OK,”
Glitz said. “But first I’d like to congratulate you for a great victory.” He
began to clap slowly, and Doland joined in.

The
Commander frowned. “No games. Just get out of the ship.”

“Fine.”
Glitz pretended to press a button on the control panel, and he cursed. “The
doors are jammed. I think the hinges have rusted. I don’t suppose there’s any
machine oil on the ship?”

“I’m
not a fool. Now step off the ship.”

“But
the doors are stuck!”

“Maybe
you shouldn’t irritate him,” Doland said, glancing uneasily at the Commander’s
reddening face on the scanner.

“Get
out, or I’ll fire!”

“Do
something,” Doland murmured to Tekka.

“I
am trying,” Tekka replied. Although they were in a life-threatening situation,
Tekka had somehow managed to stay calm. His face was still as pale as ever. He
was staring at the Commander, concentrating on his eyes… Suddenly, the Commander’s
eyes turned black, and he cried out in pain.

“I’m
blind!” he yelled. “I’m blind!”

“Now!”
Tekka shouted, muting the microphone. “Glitz, get us out of here! Doland, hold
on!”

Glitz,
who had been flying a freighter for the East Galaxy Company for a decade, began
to power up the engines. Tekka made rapport with the computer using his
neurochip, and quickly prepared the ship for entry into phase space, so they
could make a jump as soon as they were at a safe distance from the planet. The
ship quickly rose into the air, and the guards were busy attending to their
commander, who was still unable to see.