The Cyber Chronicles IX - Precipice (30 page)

"There you go
then. We'll ride horses in the woods, fish in the lake, go
swimming, lots of fun stuff."

"And spar?"

Sabre chuckled.
"Yeah, and spar. You'll have to work on your technique and strength
first, though."

"I will."

"Good. Why
don't you take a holiday right now, and come down with us? You
could stay for the wedding."

“When is
it?”

“Tomorrow, if
Tassin has her way.”

Fairen smiled.
"You have come a long way, Sabre. You've gone from a cool breeze to
a warm one, and now you are a deep, warm ocean full of mystery and
promise.” He paused. “Now that Omega Five is no longer restricted,
I shall declare it my home base, and under my protection. You need
a ship, and some modern toys, like air bikes and water
hoppers."

"The natives
are in for a shock. What about your real home world, and
family?"

"I was born on
Tevlar Ten, a chunk of rock orbiting a gas giant. My parents were
miners, and died in an accident shortly after I was taken away. I
have fewer claims to family than you do. You're royalty. Your
people are the Allarians, inhabitants of Allar Four, well known for
their fighting skills and selective breeding for physical
perfection. Tarvin is your descendant."

"He's a
moron."

Fairen
chuckled. "Because he fought a cyber?"

"No, that was
quite brave of him. Because he thought he could win."

"You know why
he did it, don't you?"

"Because he's
an egomaniac?"

"No, because in
his mind, he was fighting High King Sharlin, the greatest warrior
who ever lived."

Sabre snorted.
"Which just proves my point. Although Tassin says he didn't know
about that until after he was crippled."

"Doubtless
there are pictures of Sharlin in Tarvin's palace, so I'm sure he
suspected it beforehand, but confirmed it afterwards."

A soft cough
drew Fairen's attention, and Sabre glanced around.

Shrain bowed.
"My Lord, I apologise for the interruption. A distress message from
Emareld Prime. A deadly virus is sweeping the planet, and ships are
evacuating people – possibly infected – to Juno Eleven."

Fairen sighed.
"At least they had the decency to report it. Emareld Prime, the
jewel of the Diamond System, a stinking cesspit of a swamp world
where it never stops raining and fungus grows on people."

Sabre nodded.
"I think I've been there, briefly."

"I'm in a mood
to blow up a planet."

"Yeah, only
about two million people on it."

"I suppose I
must go."

Sabre turned to
him. "Come back soon, okay?"

"I shall."

"Good." The
cyber swept the boy up in a bear hug and squeezed him until he
squeaked, then dumped him on his feet and ruffled his hair. "Behave
yourself, and I'll see you soon."

****

Sabre descended
Striker's steps and stepped onto the soft grass of Omega Five. His
home. He breathed in crisp, cool night air redolent with humus,
night flowers and the musky scent of spice tree bark. Dark belts of
forest loomed against a the star-sprinkled sky, and he looked up at
the glittering crimson light that was the Scorpion Ship, stationed
in geosynchronous orbit fifty thousand kilometres above them. It
was possible to make out its shape, and it would be larger than the
orange moon, Pythal, when it rose. By then, however, Fairen would
be gone.

Sabre was sad
to be parted from the young Overlord, while at the same time happy
to be home with Tassin. It would take some time, he mused, to get
used to all the strange new emotions he was experiencing now. The
cyber band was switched off, and no data scrolled through his mind.
No flashing red lights or scanner information. No analysis of the
air, ambient radiation or surrounding landscape. He was almost
human.

Fairen's
restoration of his true name had helped him to become human,
although he had no use for the title, and did not consider himself
a king by any stretch of the imagination. He was just himself. Not
exactly a broken killing machine anymore, not quite a man, either.
He was something in between; a cyborg. He had learnt to live with
that, however, and his newfound feelings helped him to sort out
which was which and deal with it. He no longer needed the
supercomputer’s scrolling readouts and virtual dashboard to feel
complete, although he still missed it when it was switched off. Old
habits died hard. Most of the people who had helped him were still
with him, and he treasured their friendship, annoying though they
could sometimes be. He glanced around at the little group.

Kole complained
that Striker would rust if she was left parked out in the open, and
Tarl told him that if he wanted a hangar, he would have to build it
himself. Martis tried to take Estrelle's hand, and she shook him
off with a frown. He owed each of them a debt, Sabre reflected, but
the greatest debt he owed was to the diminutive girl who came to
his side and slipped her hand into his. He raised it and kissed the
back of it, then pulled her close and rested his chin on top of her
head.

"A penny for
your thoughts," she murmured.

"I'm lucky," he
whispered, his breath steaming in the chill air. "Very, very
lucky."

"To be
free?"

"And to have
you." Sabre glanced at the bickering quartet. "And them."

"We're lucky
too, to have you."

"I'm glad you
think so. You all would have had good lives without me, though, got
married, settled down... Well, maybe not Tarl and Kole. You would
have all been happy, whereas I... I wouldn't have. And now I am. So
I think I'm the lucky one."

She leant back
to look up at him, shaking her head. "No. I would be married to
that pig Torrian. Estrelle and Martis would be stuck on Myon Two,
torturing cybers. Tarl would still be a smuggler, on the run from
Myon Two, and Kole... Well maybe he's benefited the least, but I
think he's happier than he would have been as a hacker on Ferrinon
Four. We're all better off because of you."

He smiled and
brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. "Are you happy?"

"Yes. I have my
star man back, and that’s all I need. True love has no expectations
and makes no demands. It just is. And it never changes or dies.
That's what I feel for you."

Sabre glanced
around and discovered that the bickering quartet had set off for
the castle, which was visible in the distance. Tassin followed his
gaze and smiled, looking up at him. Her eyes were pools of shadow
and starlight silvered her skin. He raised a hand and ran his
fingers along the side of her neck, barely stroking her skin in a
feather-light caress. They came to rest on the soft place behind
her ear, brushing the hair away to trace the outline of her ear
before continuing along the edge of her jaw.

It was good to
use his enhanced sense of touch to give pleasure instead of pain.
His profound knowledge of human anatomy included all of the
pleasure centres, purely because they were also optimal areas for
inflicting pain. He could use what he knew for gentle pursuits
instead of combat or torture, and he wanted to now. She shivered,
her breath catching.

"Beware, My
Lord," she whispered, "lest I drag you into yonder bushes and do
ravish you in a most unseemly manner for a queen."

He chuckled.
"Promise?”

She reached up
and gripped his brow band, pulling his head down.

“Okay, not a
handle, you –”

Tassin kissed
him, her arms slipping around his neck. He enfolded her in a gentle
embrace, wary of her injured ribs, and kissed her with tender
passion, his heart speeding up with something other than combat
preparation, for a change. When he raised his head, her cheeks were
flushed and her eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

He said, “Let
us go to yonder castle before the urge to ravish me in the bushes
overwhelms you, My Lady. I’d much rather you did it in a soft
bed."

She giggled.
"Spoil sport."

“Oh, what,
you’d prefer the bushes?”

“I just don’t
want to wait that long.”

“It won’t take
long to get there, trust me.” Sabre swept her up and strode towards
the castle.

She twined her
arms around his neck. “What about the wedding?”

“What wedding?
Oh!
That
wedding. Nah, bugger that, I’ve waited long
enough.”

“You’re the one
who kept
me
waiting!”

“You’re going
to argue with me now?

Tassin smiled
and kissed his cheek. “No.”

“That’s a
first.”

Tassin gazed at
his profile, her heart so full of joy it seemed ready to burst. All
the trials and tribulations they had been through to reach this
moment had been worth it. Sabre would never be entirely human, and
she was glad of it. He was so much more, and he finally seemed at
peace with himself, something she had feared he would never
achieve. His kind, generous personality was untarnished by all the
suffering he had endured. He deserved to be truly happy and loved,
and she intended to see to it that he was.

****

The
Cyber
Chronicles
saga will continue…

About the
author

T. C. Southwell
was born in Sri Lanka and her family moved to the Seychelles when
she was a baby. She spent her formative years exploring the islands
– mostly alone. Naturally, her imagination flourished and she
developed a keen love of other worlds. The family travelled through
Europe and Africa and, after the death of her father, settled in
South Africa. T. C. Southwell has written over forty novels and
five screenplays. Her hobbies include motorcycling, horse riding
and art, and she earns a living in the IT industry.

All
illustrations and cover designs by the author.

Contact the
author at [email protected]

Acknowledgements

Mike Baum and
Janet Longman, former employers, for their support, encouragement,
and help. My mother, without whose financial support I could not
have dedicated myself to writing for ten years. Isabel Cooke,
former agent, whose encouragement and enthusiasm led to many more
books being written, including this one. Suzanne Stephan, former
agent, who has helped me so much over the past six years, and
Vanessa Finaughty, good friend and business partner, for her
support, encouragement and editing skills.