Sword of Axia (The Arcadian Jihad) (28 page)

“He was no friend of mine. I’ll help you, just don’t kill me.”

Blas nodded. “Kerawan, stay out of sight. Let’s get in there!”

The Secretary ducked back into the equipment store, muttering, “It’s not my fight.”

Blas half-smiled as they waited for the door to open.

Inside the bunker Gluck was with Evelyn, when she’d appeared he’d rendered her harmless and then sent his guards away. She was strapped in a chair, although her father had received no warning of her coming, he’d had a weapon ready to deal with any of the mind reading witches if it was necessary. A pistol that fired a jet of gas, immediately disabling the victim, who slumped into unconsciousness. He kept checking her, according to his technical people she would be under for the next hour at least, but he kept the pistol ready just in case. He was undecided, should he kill her? She was his daughter, it was a difficult decision. The alternative to killing her was to have her imprisoned on Nabucco I, isolated from contact with other people so that she could not influence them. And yet there was so little time, there was a battle raging, one that could decide the fate of the entire Axian movement, product of the genius of the blessed God Ahura that brought peace and light to the Nine Systems through his Prophet Axia. His own position as Grand Pasha, Lord of the Nine Systems was threatened, that was unacceptable. If the battle went badly and he was forced to use the doomsday device, she would be killed anyway, unless he took her with him. But that would mean keeping her permanently sedated, it could make his escape difficult if he was burdened with her. A pounding on the door interrupted his thoughts. He activated the door monitor, two of his guards were outside, saying something about an assassin loose in his command center, which was hardly a surprise, so many traitors surrounded him these days.

“What do you to do want in here?”

“We think he could have planted a bomb, Sir. We need to make a thorough inspection of your command bunker, it’s urgent!”

Gluck thought for only a moment. He pressed the button that opened the door, at the same time he put down the gas pistol and picked up a blaster, you could never be too careful, especially when there were assassins and traitors everywhere. The hatch swung open and the two guards stepped in, he nodded to them to check his bunker, then he picked up the gas pistol again and went to check Evelyn. One of the guards was looking at her with a strange expression on his face.

“You there, that’s my daughter, she’s nothing to do with you, just finish your inspection and get out!”

The man looked up startled. “Yes, sorry Grand Pasha.”

Gluck looked at the guard closely. He seemed familiar, but of course, he must have seen him while he carried out his duties. He ignored him and looked up when a comms officer appeared on the screen.

“Message from Rescom, Sir, it’s from Guide Tell, their President.”

“So-called President,” Gluck scowled. “What does he want?”

“He says he wants to talk, a last minute face to face, he wants to come here and speak to you directly before their main attack starts.”

Gluck didn’t notice the guard staring at the screen with an astonished expression. He gave some thought to Tell’s offer. What could he lose? After all, if he decided to activate the doomsday device, the man would perish here on the planet anyway. Why not give him a chance? Gluck’s mind whirled with the possibilities of an alliance with Rescom, he could even negotiate to remain as President, with Tell as his Vice-President. He could deal with him later, after all, he’d always operated with a simple maxim. ‘If a man causes you a problem, kill the man, end of problem’.

“Tell him yes. When he arrives, order my guards to bring him here and make sure he has no weapons.”

He switched off the screen and looked at his daughter. There was still no sign of her stirring, but he lifted the pistol and pulled the trigger.

“Was that wise?” the guard asked him. “She could be permanently injured.”

Damn the man, he was too impertinent by far. “You mind your own business, you’re speaking to the Grand Pasha, if you fail to observe proper protocols I’ll have you arrested!”

“Sorry, Sir.”

“Just get on with the search.” Gluck checked his tactical screen and noticed the small vehicle approaching the city, the guards admitted it and it disappeared into the city streets. Eight minutes later, his comms officer appeared on the screen.

“Guide Tell is here, Sir. We’ve checked him for weapons, he’s unarmed.”

“Is he alone?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Send him in.”

Blas was doing his best to appear busy, searching every part of the bunker and then searching again. He’d overheard them talking about Tell, he was determined to wait until the President arrived but Gluck had had enough.

“Get out, both of you! If you haven’t found anything yet, you’re not likely to.”

He opened the door and they had no choice but to leave, as they walked through the outer office, Tell walked in but did not acknowledge Blas by as much as a glance. Kerawan came out from the storeroom he’d been hiding in.

“What happened, was that the President I just saw going in there?”

Blas nodded. “Yes, a last chance at peace.”

“You’re not serious? Gluck will murder him.”

“If he kills him it’ll be the last thing he ever does, Rescom will tear him to pieces.”

“They’ll have to get their hands on him first. Don’t they know about his doomsday weapon?”

Blas shook his head and grew more horrified as Kerawan outlined the atomic device that would destroy the city and poison the planet for decades.

“But he would commit suicide if he used such a weapon.”

“Hah, I think not. He has a small, fast cruiser standing by, he always used to have anyway. He’ll be long gone before it explodes. We need to get out of here, Blas, if that thing explodes we’ll have to get off the planet fast!”

He thought of Evelyn, unconscious and helpless, strapped to a chair in the bunker. His President in there too, a good and just man who was risking his life to try to bring about peace.

“I’m not leaving. How do I disable the device?”

“That’s insane, you can’t stop it. The bomb was built into the fabric of the Headquarters, it’s impossible to disable.”

“In that case I’ll need to find the trigger mechanism and disarm it. Can you help me?”

Kerawan thought for a few moments. “It is just possible that the connecting lines between the bunker and the device could be traced, there is an inspection tunnel, but it’s alarmed. If they’re alerted to you being in there they’ll flood the tunnel with poison gas. It’s suicide to go in there.”

“It’s suicide to stay here and do nothing, if that device detonates we’re dead anyway. It’s just possible that Guide Tell will make him see sense, but if not, we should try the alternative.”

Kerawan looked at him sharply. “We? You’re not seriously suggesting that I come with you on this fool’s errand? No, I’ll stay here in case I’m needed.”

“You’re needed in that tunnel, your knowledge of their systems will be invaluable, if you stay here you’ll die when the device explodes. Your only chance is to help me stop it.”

Kerawan hung his head low, thinking furiously. Finally he nodded. “Very well, I’ll do it, just don’t set off any alarms.”

He led the way, muttering again to himself, “A choice between poison gas and a nuclear blast, they’re all crazy.”

Gluck greeted Tell with a sneer. “So, you survived, we thought we’d wiped out all of your kind, the infidel Guides. We should have tried harder in your case.”

The President ignored him and looked at Evelyn, unconscious and fastened to the chair. “Is Evelyn alive, Gluck?”

“Of course she is,” he snapped. “She’s an Orphexian witch, I’m sure you’re aware of that already. I have to keep her drugged to prevent her using her powers of mind control.”

“Very wise,” Tell said, but his expression was distasteful. “I’m here to discuss a resolution of this war without recourse to any more bloodshed. It’s in all our interests to preserve life. What are your minimum terms for agreeing to a surrender?”

“I am the legal head of the Nine Systems, it is essential that you acknowledge my position. That is my first…”

“Mr. Gluck, you don’t understand. Your forces are defeated, on every planet you’ve been beaten and your armies and fleets have surrendered. Even here on Axis Nova, you’re completely surrounded. The question is not one of your position in a future government, the question is one of how severe or not your sentence will be for the amount of death and destruction you have caused. Now, let’s talk more seriously about how you will agree to lay down your arms.”

Gluck snarled, “No, it’s you that doesn’t understand. It is you that is in danger. I have an atomic weapon deployed here, beneath this very room. If I give the word it will be activated, the city of Lyra will be destroyed as well as every single one of your troops deployed nearby. You will agree to my proposal or you will die, here in the rubble of the city. Choose, Tell, make it quick. My patience is limited.”

As he spoke, Gluck began to have doubts, what he was doing was foolhardy and doomed to end badly. Yes, it would be much better to order his men to lay down their arms and…”

Tell’s communicator crackled. As he spoke to his Headquarters, Gluck made his mind up, he wouldn’t allow them to trick him. He’d felt for a moment as if Tell had been influencing his mind. Now he remembered there had been times with Evelyn’s mother, then later with Evelyn herself, when he had inexplicably changed his mind on decisions he’d made previously. She was an Orphexian, he’d found out much too late. Whatever power this Guide Tell had, there was no way he was going to weave that kind of spell on him. He raised the gas pistol and fired once. Tell slumped to the floor, unconscious. Swiftly, Gluck picked up the communicator. He heard them trying to get back to Tell. “Sir, what was that, what were you saying?”

“This is Grand Pasha Gluck. Your treacherous leader is unconscious, in the meantime listen me. I am the lawful ruler of the Nine Systems, you will stand down immediately and surrender your weapons.”

There was only silence for a few moments. Then a voice said, “We’ll get back to you.”

Gluck tossed the communicator to the floor, they could do what they wished. He knew that they wouldn’t just give in to him because he had their leader. They wanted him on trial, like an animal in a zoo. Yes, they’d do to him what he would have done, sacrifice their leader, their attack would proceed as planned. He’d show them yet. Gluck called his comms officer, the decision was made. “Tell my pilot to be ready in thirty minutes.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Now for the doomsday device. He walked to the planning table, first he checked that Guide Tell and Evelyn were safely unconscious. He opened the locked cover and touched the red button, caressing the smooth plastic. He was acutely aware that it was the button that when pressed would start a sequence counting down to the end of Axis Nova. He left it and called his comms officer again.

“Did you contact my pilot?”

“Yes, Sir, he says everything is ready.”

“Good, I’ll call again you in a few minutes.”

He went back to the console and put his finger on the button. It would seal his leadership into history. They would remember Merca Gluck, Grand Pasha of the Nine Systems, the anointed of Axia, Prophet of Ahura. He pressed the button and went back to call for his ship. It was done, nothing could stop it, the countdown was irrevocable. When thirty minutes had elapsed, the electronics built into the sequencing circuitry would send a signal deep underground and the device would explode. A pity about the destruction of this beautiful planet, but if he couldn’t have it, the Rescom Federation certainly weren’t going to get their hands on it. He called for his pilot.

“Don’t touch that!” Blas’s hand had been on a hatch that led through to the next tunnel section.

Kerawan pulled his arm away. “That hatch is alarmed, if you open it the poison gas will pour into the tunnel. The trigger circuits are under the floor.”

“Where is that?”

Kerawan pulled up a half-hidden inspection plate that Blas was almost standing on. “It’s here, you need to disconnect the sensor mechanism connected to the door.”

“Do you know how to do that?”

He shook his head. “They showed me the general installation when it was first installed, but I didn’t take much notice.”

Blas looked at the circuitry. At one end was a power supply, holding his breath he ripped it out and waited. Nothing happened, they didn’t start sucking in poison gas and fall choking to the ground. Nothing. He nodded at Kerawan to open the hatch and they went forward. A few yards further was a set of steps, they followed them down and found what they’d been after, the main detonation sequencing board. Blas switched on the control screen, it flickered into life, they heard the audio repeating over and over from the speaker grille.

“Detonation sequence has been activated, insert abort code if you wish to disarm the weapon. Warning! You only have three attempts, if the wrong code is inserted three times, the tunnel will fill with poison gas and the weapon will detonate. Insert abort code if you wish to disarm the weapon…”

“What’s the code?” Blas looked at Kerawan. He shrugged.