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Chapter 8

Ciara awoke quickly at the bottom of the river and quickly leapt to her feet, surprised to find herself there. Lost in the warm currents, she had completely forgotten where she was during her sleep. It was dark, being almost pitch black. The sun was long set and although the haze was supposed to clear at night there wasn't enough light for her to see a difference.

Standing waist-deep in the river, Ciara stretched for a moment, making sure all of her parts were working again. Although sore, her wounds were sealed and did not impede her exercise. She took her time ringing out her hair, which had been stained a shade darker by the mud. She ignored the layer of crud that clung to her KCS as she climbed out of the river and tried to orient herself.

The back of her left hand contained a small computer hidden beneath a layer of protective black material. She peeled the cover back to expose the glowing green screen beneath. The light provided her a welcome glow in the darkness, casting her worn face in a verdant hue. She doubted anyone would see it through the all-concealing haze. A quick check revealed the time to be 0943 by Diktat Standard, the calendar all Diktat Personnel used. It also indicated which way was North.

That little green arrow made Ciara sigh and shake her head. Where was she supposed to go now? Garasa? Back into Kanyte's hands? She could also go back? and try to find Malaki. But if he had been defeated by Ynok that would surely mean her death. The lupine replicant had seemed at least challenged by the other Claymore, but he could kill her without breaking a sweat. He could even smell her and hear her, peeling
away her invisibility with his keen senses. She still had half an hour until the starship came back for them, though. What if she just hid out for a while and left?

No, she knew, setting her thumb on the guard of her sword. A tight knot formed at her throat as she came to a conclusion on exactly what had to be done. She had to return for Malaki, even if it meant her death. It was not just a chivalric code: Ciara doubted she could live with herself if she did not.

Was that what had happened to Malaki? He seemed vengeful and angry when he raised the subject before? It was a mystery she knew she would have to uncover if she ever got the chance.

And that did not look likely. This mission had been rated A. Atomics. If the Knights failed, nuclear weapons were to be deployed without hesitation. It would be interesting to see how well the ***** could dodge those?

Ciara suddenly spun, pointing her pistol into the darkness to her left. She felt a soul-flame there, creeping towards her, sneaking up on her. She did not speak; the only sound from her was the sharp click of the hammer on her pistol cocking. For a moment the girl expanded her consciousness to taste the intruder's thoughts.

It was a Septikkian, and one that seemed very familiar? Grakkus.

"You come one step closer and I will shoot you," Ciara threatened.

"De'Kar?" he whispered to himself as he slowly crept closer.

"You led us into a trap."

"You did not suspect it? I did somewhat, but it appears these clouds blind more than my eyes."

Ciara didn't move, even when she saw the light of her computer screens reflecting off the metallic pieces of Grakkus' artificial anatomy.

"Your weapon looks fearsome in the green light," he said, "Do they do that on purpose? finish them in chrome so as to appear all the more menacing?"

"Tell me something useful or get out of here before I lose my temper."

"Go ahead," he said, stopping and looking about casually. "Do you think I have something to live for? This is the second time I have lost all reason for existence. Now that Kanyte has shown his true colors, I have nothing to look forward to but a lifetime of penance without even the guidance of the Almighty."

For a moment he and Ciara stood there, staring at each other.

"Do you think I have not been betrayed? Use your sight-beyond-sight. Gaze within me. I know you can."

Ciara hesitated for a moment, before brushing her fingers through his soul-flame. There was no bitter hate to be found, only fear and the stinging, hollow, pain of betrayal. This one was every bit as lost and confused as she was, every bit as hurt and alone. For a moment she felt the urge to shoot him, but knew she would only be hurting herself. They were kindred spirits now, both of them cast adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

"Do you see now? Do you see what Kanyte has done to us? Without his guidance we are once more a savage tribe. Anarchy is the most terrifying thing in the universe, Ciara? something you cannot even imagine."

She slowly lowered her pistol, picking out a ragged tear in the man's voice. At last she looked away and holstered her weapon before turning her back to him and marching off into the darkness again. Her night vision was starting to kick in, letting her see the ground at her feet at least.

Grakkus followed close behind, his long years on this planet having sharpened his sight. "Where are you going now, Rapier?"

"I have to go back," she replied.

"By yourself?"

"Yes."

"No."

"What?" she asked, turning back to him.

"No. We will go together."

"You'll be dead in a second. Grev had a matrix, and he didn't stand a chance."

"Very well then. I will die. But let me summon my men? those Redeemers Kanyte did not include in his conspiracy. We will buy you time with our lives, if nothing else."

Ciara was struck dumb by his offer. For a moment she suspected some treachery, but when she probed his mind there was nothing but honesty and utter loyalty to be found.

"I fear the Source more than my former master, De'Kar."

The girl's thumb nervously rubbed against the guard of her sword as she considered his offer. He was honest, and he believed in the loyalty of his men and in the righteousness of their purpose. But could she tell him to throw his life away? Ynok could crush them all to death with a thought. If he so much as heard her footstep, she herself would die at his hand. How could she ask Grakkus to go in her place?

"We come anon," he said, withdrawing into the darkness once more.

For a long time Ciara just stood and stared at where he had disappeared, watching his soul-flame vanish into the distance. She was stunned. This man, she realized, had found a purpose for living in serving Kanyte.

Now that it was gone?

A dull chime within her ear told her someone wanted to talk. Ciara's hand quickly shot to her neck and found the button tucked within her KCS. "De'Kar," she introduced herself.

"This is the Novus. We're in orbit, awaiting orders."

The girl forced down the tight knot in her throat. They could send Marines? or possibly the Korrian Guard? Grakkus and his men would not be alone? No, it wouldn't work. They would kill the Septikkians on sight. "Send us a shuttle," she demanded, hoping she had made the right choice.

Ynok sat upon Kanyte's usual throne, a poorly wrought chair carved from the poison wood of the resident forest. His hand rested on the pommel of Malaki's longsword as he watched the entranced minotaur.

Malaki's soul-flame was, after more than three hours, still a tiny ember amongst the dancing candles of the dozen Septik Rangers that Kanyte had recruited for him. For a moment Ynok examined the leather pouch containing the four matrices he had accumulated over the course of this private little war. Malaki's, Major Grev's, Kanyte's and his own discarded stone.

While Septik had many examples of plants, it did not support any higher forms of life. Where precisely the leather for the pouch had come from was, therefore, not difficult to deduce. That was the best part about recruiting the natives? they were desperate to improve their lot and already lived with loose ethics.

"You're starting to worry me, Malaki," he said to himself, "What's going on in there? Haven't found Psion yet, have you?" A smile cracked his lupine face. "You'd tell me, right?"

He spun the sword on its tip for a moment, before leaning back. He was growing tired of waiting. "Where's the girl?"

"We do not know, my lord," one of Kanyte's rangers replied.

"You've been look-" Ynok started, but stopped in mid-sentence. "Are your men out there?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Get them back in here. You won't find her. You can't." A Rapier dressed in black with the power of invisibility at night at the bottom of Apollyon did not exactly make the easiest target in the world. Unless she wanted to be found. And, of course, assuming Grakkus didn't find her first. His rangers were reputed to be better than ones Kanyte had brought along. It was a little nuance of the reptile's plan to bring the Knights to this place.

Ynok's ears suddenly perked at the sound of distant gunfire. Right on cue a Septikkian came running down the hall, gasping for breath. The chalky air of the planet made it harder to exert oneself than usual.

"Grakkus' rangers are attacking!" he shouted.

Ynok silently nodded, pulled his plasma grenade from his belt and tossed it to him. The ranger panicked and desperately snatched at it before he finally found a solid grip on the weapon. Ynok shook his head. The little things were miniature atomics. You couldn't blow it up by impact.

"If they get too close," he explained as though he was talking to a child, "Push the little panel there and run. You'll have five seconds."

"What about you?" he asked.

Ynok chose to ignore the fact that he was not being properly addressed and simply turned his back to the ranger. "I'm expecting company of my own." His gaze rested on the black box sitting at Malaki's feet. It let out a series of steady clicks that were barely audible even to the lupine. The gentle tone it produced when the ranger fled from his presence was also reserved for his ears alone.

Grakkus ducked beside a doorway, squeezing off rounds from his pistol. For a moment he ducked aside as a hail of arrows sailed past his bald head. He quickly turned and fired off two more rounds.

Behind him a man fell, groping at a piece of blackened wood protruding from his leg. For a moment Grakkus shot him a concerned look, but the man just shook his head and began laying down fire from his prone position. A moment later he caught an arrow in the neck and drowned on his own dark blood.

Another man took his place, crouching behind a crate and squeezed off bursts from his rifle. The defenders responded in kind, firing back with a barrage of gunfire that forced him down. Grakkus cursed and threw his men a hand signal: Go around. They were getting nowhere. Of course, that was kind of the point of it all but he did not want to sell their lives cheaply. They would put up the best fight they could.
He flinched as pieces of the metal doorframe chipped away inches from his face. He guessed there were five rangers here out of about twenty that Kanyte had brought with him to this ship. It was at this point that Grakkus realized he had no idea how many men he was up against.

Another two shots rang out of his gun, followed quickly by a three-round burst from his comrade. Five meters down the hall, a ranger's kneecap disappeared in a blast of chunky meat and bone. Good enough, he thought as he slid out the clip to check his ammo. Three. Damn.
"Grakkus!" his comrade called, before sliding the fallen trooper's pistol across the floor. Grakkus went out on a limb to catch it and quickly jerked his hand back to avoid the resulting barrage of arrows and gunfire.

Got it. Good.

Clutching both weapons against his chest the ranger waited, judging the ebb and flow of his opponent's fire. Suddenly everything stopped completely except for the desperate chatter of his ranger's rifle. Quick whispers and the shuffling of feet was all he heard, followed by the harsh clap of a metal orb landing in front of him and rolling across the floor. Grenade. Shit.

"Source brings fire," Grakkus whispered to himself as he leapt to his feet and charged forward, squeezing off rounds with both hands into the shocked and unprepared rangers. His hands leapt out to the sides as he walked past an intersection, spending his last rounds on cutting down defenders who had ducked back to wait out the grenade.

He soon took their example, strafing to the side for a moment as the world around him became engulfed in a blast of orange light. Heat lightning arced down the corridors as flames rolled down the halls. Grakkus dropped to the floor as ammunition cooked off behind him? probably from the one they had shot in the knee. As the plasma inferno collapsed on itself and the whine of ricocheting rounds died away, a ranger was stupid enough to try to investigate.

Grakkus hurled his empty weapon at the man's face, making him flinch and recoil just long enough for the ranger to close. He pushed the other ranger's shotgun away from him while spinning his pistol in his other hand. While the man struggled for control of his weapon, Grakkus pistol-whipped him twice in the face, breaking his twisted gray nose and splitting open his eyebrow. A quick kick to the gut sent the man flying back and gave Grakkus time to reverse his grip on the shotgun. For just a moment their sickly yellow eyes met before Grakkus hollowed him out with a blast to the gut.

Ynok sighed at the rumble of the plasma explosion. The blast was sure to carve out a sphere at least two meters in diameter? probably more. And that wasn't counting the heat and electricity it released. They were not the kind of toy you usually used indoors.

Oh well. The Septikkians were expendable, and Ynok could have beaten all of Kanyte's rangers by himself if he had to. There was only one person here that he cared about. And, judging from the rising and falling tone the box was producing, she was already here. He silently waited until the motion sensor reached its crescendo before suddenly throwing up a telekinetic wall around him.

Ciara let out a painful grunt as she slammed against it and rolled across the floor. Ynok instantly focused his force into a single blast that slammed the girl against the wall and knocked the wind out of her. Her veil of invisibility peeled away from her body as she tried to climb to her feet and catch her breath. She didn't make it far before gasping at a swift kick to the gut.

"Not good enough," Ynok said, grinning as he flattened his telekinetic barrier to pin Ciara against the ground. The girl struggled against it and even managed to bend it out of shape, a little. She groped for her blade in vain. He refused to let her slip her hand around far enough to draw it.

"You really shouldn't have come back," he warned.

"***** you," she spat back, "If me and Malaki aren't out of here in five minutes, a destroyer will nuke this place from orbit."

"That's interesting," Ynok said, "You should learn to keep your mouth shut. I guess I'll just have to move the ship before then."

He raised Malaki's sword over his head to deliver the killing blow, before suddenly spinning and hurling it to the side.

Grakkus threw himself across the floor to avoid it. The blade sunk into the wall as he rolled across the deck and quickly squeezed off a shell from his shotgun. Ynok stepped to the side, letting the shot gouge a 12-inch hole in his cape. The Knight drew his own sword as Grakkus rose to one knee and pumped a new shell into his chamber.

"Grakkus!" Ciara shouted, "No!" It took her a moment to realize that Ynok's shield was weakening as he sped up his KSA and shifted his attention away from her. The girl accelerated herself, sliding out from beneath the barrier and drawing her sword as Ynok charged. She quickly planted both feet against the wall and kicked off, flying halfway across the room and rolling a short distance before rising right in front of the frozen Grakkus.

The ranger flinched as the two figures blurred in front of him. Ciara brought her sword up to turn Ynok's away. It took both hands to push it aside, which left her open to a swift punch to the gut. The lupine replicant did not hesitate to take the opportunity, sending the girl skipping and skidding back across the floor.

Grakkus himself only saw the briefest of openings. He took it. One gnarled finger squeezed down on the trigger, the gun rocked back, and Ynok was hurled backwards with an agonized snarl. The Knight rolled across the floor, temporarily stunned. In all his years he had never? ever? had to absorb a gunshot of that magnitude. Beneath the protective field of his PPF, it was still like being struck with a baseball bat. The psychic impact was incredible? waves of psychic shielding imploded on his skull so hard that Ciara could feel it. Now she understood why Knights liked to get out of the way?

"Get Malaki!" Grakkus shouted, pumping his shotgun. He fired again, not giving Ynok a chance to recover, and pumped the weapon once more.
The girl blurred as she shot across the room. Four quick blows of her sword freed Malaki from his bonds. She pulled the obsidian crown from Malaki's head, making the minotaur limply slump forward. The girl found more than a little reluctance at the idea of shattering the block of obsidian, but she knew her duty. A single mighty blow from her sword broke the stone cleanly in two before she returned to Malaki's side. It should have been impossible for a girl of her size to lift the massive replicant, but her compound muscles let her manage him with relative ease.

Grakkus glanced over his shoulder. Even with the Ciara helping him along over her shoulder they managed to move blindingly fast. For a brief moment he wondered what his life would have been like if he had made different choices. The thought was banished when he gave his shotgun another pump. The harsh click-clack snapped him back to focus on his duty.

"I've seen a vision," he told Ynok as the lupine clawed his way to his feet, "The Source now numbers me among his chosen."

Ynok didn't reply. His hand leapt to his katana and in a single smooth arc he sent it sailing across the room. Grakkus squeezed off one final shell before he felt the crystal blade remove his arm at the elbow. His right forearm still clung to the shotgun as it lay on the floor, forming a pool of dark crimson beneath his feet. The ranger dropped to his knees first, and then caught himself on his good arm as hot blood dribbled out the other.

Ynok looked down at the shot scattered at his feet. He had stopped it in mid-air with his shield. It was a pity Ciara hadn't stayed? With this one's help she might have been able to defeat him. Maybe. As it was, it appeared this ranger would have to pay for her mistakes. Later, of course. He knew well that they would not hesitate to destroy the entire canyon from orbit.

As much as he would have liked to take the engine with him, he could only manage the smaller of the pieces Ciara had split it into. Then there was the bag? that? Ynok stopped and stared at the empty table. It appeared that she was not completely worthless, either.

He could go after her? No, that would be foolish. If Malaki's soul-flame was already dim from his trance state she might actually be able to mask them both. And if she was smart she would have brought friends along. He could not ignore that possibility.