Prisoner on Kasteesh Page 6

  Around him, his crew of human technicians were busily preparing the shuttle’s control systems for the ship’s spatial jump. A single White Knight stood rigidly to attention beside the Chairman’s lounger. The android attendant held a tray carrying a jug of rainbow cocktail and a selection of extravagant nibbles.

  Although he didn’t like to admit it, the Chairman enjoyed his visits to Kasteesh. Not because of the planet itself, of course – that was mind-numbingly dreary. But spending time at the base there, which was manned only by Perfect Corp staff, gave the Chairman a chance to drop the tiresome pretence of being Mr Nice Guy. The absence of civilians meant he could relax and be himself for a while. He was free to bully and persecute at his whim – something he greatly enjoyed.

  Not that this was a pleasure trip. The Chairman had important business to conduct. The alien prisoner that he had recently had transported to Earth from Kasteesh was being taken back to its home planet, on board a separate freight ship. The Chairman had important plans for the creature’s fate – plans he wished to oversee himself.

  Bringing the creature to Earth had proved to be a mistake. The Chairman had hoped that it would be a crowd-pulling attraction, fighting his Academy Gladiators. But the wretched beast had fallen ill. It had never made it into the Arena.

  So now it was back to Plan A – trying to find a way to duplicate the alien creature’s remarkable mental powers. As soon as he reached Kasteesh, he would see to it that the programme of research on the beast’s brain-function was immediately restarted.

  The experiments had been running since the creature’s capture – for over a decade now – but without a major breakthrough. Perhaps the Corporation scientists would have more success with the Chairman breathing down their neck.

  He was certain that his ultimate aim – to gain the use of mind-powers himself – was achievable. He had witnessed the psychic abilities of the human Armouron who had originally ridden the Kasteesh beast.

  The Armouron. They were another reason that the Chairman wasn’t sorry to leave Nu-Topia behind for a few days. In recent months, there had been worrying signs that his old adversaries had somehow become active in the city again. They had caused the Corporation a series of major headaches. And despite the best efforts of his Chief of Peace, General Decimal, the Chairman had yet to identify and dispense with the culprits.

  At least where he was presently headed – out on the far-flung planet of Kasteesh – there was no chance that his activities would be sabotaged by those meddling armour-clad barbarians. He had left the management of Earth’s capital in the capable hands of his sister, Lanista. Perhaps by his return she would have resolved the Armouron problem.

  The Chairman clicked his fingers for his drink to be topped up, and helped himself to another handful of snacks. Yes, he thought, a little time spent away from the office, terrorizing a whole new group of people, and perhaps an alien or two, was just the break he needed . . .

  Chapter 10

  Hoshiko’s Daughter

  SNOW WAS BEGINNING to get the hang of it now. Although it still felt totally weird to be conducting a conversation without speech, with each attempt she was finding it a little easier to form and transmit her mind-messages.

  So, where is the knight who lives among you now? she asked Ko’Drall.

  Her brain was buzzing with all the information the creatures had already fed into it. When they had discovered Snow shared their gift of telepathy, their attitude had become more welcoming. And once she had grasped that they meant her no harm and appeared to be somehow connected to her own order, Snow had bombarded them with questions: Who were they? What was this place? How did the Armouron fit in?

  Ko’Drall and his comrades had waited patiently as she struggled to ask all this telepathically, then answered each question as best they could. Before long, Snow had grasped a basic understanding of her situation and of the creatures’ ancient relationship with the Armouron Knights.

  There is no longer a Rider among us, I fear, Ko’Drall told her in answer to her latest question. His tone was grim. Some twenty cycles ago, a new force arrived on our planet. Many Wingless ones and their army of Void slaves. They attacked our colony, destroying much of it completely and killing many of our number.

  Snow could sense the deep sadness in Ko’Drall and his fellow creatures. It wasn’t difficult to guess who the destructive ‘new force’ were. The Corporation. ‘Void slaves’ was a good description of the Chairman’s mindless, merciless White Knight troops.

  Our Armouron comrade, the last Rider, fought more courageously than any to repel the invaders, continued Ko’Drall. He and his mind-mate Ja’Prith flew into battle over and over again, showing no fear. But the enemy’s numbers were too great. In the end, both Ja’Prith and the brave Hoshiko were captured.

  Hoshiko! The sound of her father’s name sent Snow’s brain spinning. For a few moments, she was too bewildered and confused to form a response. Ko’Drall and the others watched her evident shock with puzzled alarm.

  Hoshiko was my father’s name, she told them simply, when she regained her composure.

  Your father! Ko’Drall’s surprise at the revelation was almost as great as hers. Yes! Of course! That is why you have the ability to hear and speak with us, no doubt! Of all the Riders in our long history, he explained, Hoshiko formed the strongest mental link with his mind-mate. You share his skill.

  In the light of this astonishing discovery, Snow’s brain was throwing up a whole host of new questions.

  What happened to him? she asked. After he and Ja’Prith were captured, I mean.

  They were taken to the enemy stronghold from which you yourself escaped, replied Ko’Drall. He bowed his long head sadly as he continued. We have had no contact with them since.

  So my father could still be alive! thought Snow. I could rescue him!

  Snow had not intended this last thought to be shared. But the creatures had heard. The one who had initially treated her with most suspicion, who she now knew was called Ly’Throk, gazed gravely at her.

  No. Do not cheat your heart so, child, he told her gently. Those who command the Void Ones rarely keep their prisoners alive. And we have tried many times, without success, to penetrate the enemy’s base. There is a barrier around it that neither we, nor our mind-messages, can penetrate.

  My brother is right, Hoshiko’s daughter, agreed Ko’Drall. You saw for yourself how I was struck down by the stronghold’s invisible shield. He looked at her tenderly. And it is highly improbable that Ja’Prith and your father are still alive, after all this time.

  Snow remembered the voice that had cried out in her mind, back at the Academy. The voice that had come from the canister with which she had been brought to this alien place.

  But they might be, she replied with spirit. Her eyes burned with grim determination.

  And if they are, she continued, I’m going to get them out.

  Chapter 11

  Arrivals

  DR GRINKOV WAS on the verge of breaking into a nervous sweat. It was some time since he had met the Chairman face to face. But he hadn’t forgotten the experience.

  Why, oh why, had there had to be a security breach in this, of all weeks? The research station usually ran like clockwork. Months passed without incident. But yesterday – only the day before the Chairman was to begin his first visit to Kasteesh in over a year – the station had had to deal with an intruder alert and an attack by one of the planet’s native creatures. Fortunately, the executive shuttle hadn’t arrived until things had calmed down.

  Grinkov anxiously watched the boarding ramp extend from the shuttle’s hatch to the hangar floor. He mopped his brow.

  It’ll be OK, the Head of Operations told himself. Just tell him about it quickly, then move on to something else.

  His uneasiness was worsened by the fact that the Chairman already seemed displeased with him. When the doctor had received a vidcom message from the Corporation boss informing him that the sickly Mshanga prisoner was being
sent back to Kasteesh, it was clear that the Chairman held Grinkov to blame for the creature’s ill-health, which was hardly fair.

  The shuttle’s hatch-seal popped with a hiss and its door began to slide to one side.

  Just don’t make him any more angry, that’s the key, thought the nervous scientist. He knew only too well how important it was to stay in the Chairman’s good books. Grinkov was the station’s sixth Head of Operations in three years. His predecessors had all disappointed their superior in some way. None had been seen since being relieved of their duties.

  The doctor watched the familiar short, plump figure descend the ramp, flanked by his White Knight bodyguard. As he approached, the Chairman acknowledged him with a haughty nod.

  ‘Grinkov.’

  ‘Welcome to Kasteesh, Chairman.’

  ‘The Mshanga brute arrived alive, I trust?’

  ‘Yes, sir. The prisoner has been returned to the laboratory. It is already showing signs of recovery.’

  The Chairman snorted.

  ‘Not that I care whether the beast lives or dies, you understand,’ he said. ‘But since the wretched creature has proved to be a wash-out as an Arena attraction, I’d like to get some other use out of it.’

  ‘Quite, sir,’ said Grinkov. ‘If you remember, sir, I did advise you that the creature could find Earth’s atmosphere unsuitable for its—’

  ‘I’ve no time for excuses, Grinkov,’ snarled the Chairman. ‘I’ve decided to continue our investigations into the beast’s unusual brain-function. If these Mshanga can exhibit mind-powers, I’m determined the Corporation will have them too.’

  ‘Absolutely, sir,’ nodded Grinkov. ‘Is it your desire to restart the experiments right now, sir?’

  ‘It is. I’ll observe the first trials myself. So find a new human mind-partner for the beast, Doctor.’ He gave the scientist a withering look. ‘And quickly!’

  As the Chairman made to move off, Grinkov cleared his throat uncomfortably.

  ‘Er, there is one other thing, Chairman . . .’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘When our technicians unloaded the creature, they discovered a stowaway, sir, inside the cargo pod.’

  ‘And where is this stowaway now?’ asked the Chairman wearily.

  ‘Our security officers chased the intruder from the premises, sir. The child was regrettably snatched by one of the alien beasts.’

  ‘A child, you say?’

  ‘Yes, Chairman, we believe so. Although it was hard to be certain, because the intruder was wearing a helmet.’

  The colour drained from the Chairman’s face.

  ‘And armour?’ he hissed.

  ‘No, sir,’ replied the doctor, looking rather puzzled. ‘No armour, sir.’

  For a moment or two, the Chairman seemed lost in anxious thought.

  ‘Of course not . . .’ he muttered under his breath. ‘It couldn’t be . . . Not right out here . . . Still . . .’ He spoke sharply to Grinkov again. ‘Double the security patrols!’ he snapped. ‘If this intruder should somehow find their way back into the facility, I want them neutralized on sight! Understood?’

  ‘Yes, sir. Absolutely, sir.’

  As the executive party moved off, Dr Grinkov discreetly let out a long sigh of relief.

  That could have been worse, I suppose, he thought. He felt hopeful that with a bit of luck and a lot of schmoozing on his part, the Chairman would find the rest of his visit to his satisfaction.

  Just as long as nothing else went wrong.

  The elevator’s doors hissed open and the White Knight captain strode purposefully through them into the quarantine area. As it had instructed, a team of four other android security officers were already standing guard around the suspect cargo pod. The captain approached the one with the red shoulder flash.

  ‘Report in full, Sergeant.’

  ‘Yes, Captain. This unidentified pod was unloaded eleven minutes ago from the hold of the Chairman’s executive shuttle. It does not appear on the ship’s inventory file.’

  ‘Have you checked its details with Nu-Topia control?’

  ‘Yes, Captain. Their systems found a match for its identity code. The pod was registered for dispatch to the penal compound on the ice planet Festol II. The ship on which it was scheduled to be loaded has yet to depart Nu-Topia, sir.’

  ‘Did their records specify its contents?’

  ‘Yes, sir. Twelve tonnes of canned soya meat. Sled-dog food, sir.’

  The captain’s logic circuits analysed the information. They calculated that there was a very high probability – over ninety per cent – that the pod’s inclusion in the shuttle’s cargo was a simple mix-up. It was almost certainly due to a faulty tag. Normally, the robot officer would have ordered the misdirected pod to be sent back on the next ship to Nu-Topia and left it at that.

  But the captain had been given a clear directive from the station’s Head of Operations only minutes earlier. While the Chairman was on site, security was to be watertight. Anything out of the ordinary, however insignificant, was to be investigated.

  ‘Open the pod up, Sergeant. Conduct a thorough search of its contents.’

  ‘Yes, sir!’

  The sergeant passed on the order to the three android constables, who quickly disabled the cargo pod’s seals and activated its opening mechanism. The pod’s edges slowly parted as its sides began to fold down.

  One of the White Knight constables suddenly clutched at its neck. A shower of sparks sprayed out between its metal fingers. A slim crossbow bolt was lodged in the android’s throat. As its primary circuits shorted out, the White Knight slumped to the floor.

  Rake burst from the opening pod, brandishing his shortsword. He took a scything swing at a second White Knight before it could react to its comrade’s collapse. It too went down.

  Rake’s fellow Armouron were right behind him. Tea-Leaf, Hoax and Oddball all leaped from within the pod. Tea-Leaf already had her bow re-loaded. She launched her second bolt at the remaining constable. The android dodged to one side – only to step straight into a knockout blow from Oddball’s heavy warhammer.

  Hoax had his sights on the sergeant. As the White Knight hurriedly unsheathed its weapon, Hoax planted one end of his fighting staff on the floor and leaped at the guard, pole-vault style. He landed a fierce two-footed kick in the android’s metal midriff, sending it sprawling. Twirling his staff gleefully, Hoax quickly moved in to finish the job.

  The only android still standing was the White Knight captain. Rake saw it reach for its throat-mounted comlink, to call for backup. In one swift motion he extended his sword into spear mode and launched it at the armoured robot. The spear skewered it straight through its comlink. It clattered to the floor, then lay still, its wrecked voice-synthesizer emitting a continuous high-pitched whistle.

  Hoax, who had now dealt with the android sergeant, looked up and grinned.

  ‘Hey, guys – kettle’s boiling!’

  But Salt, who had just stepped out from the cargo pod, wasn’t amused.

  ‘Shut that thing up!’ he growled. ‘Before it draws attention.’

  Oddball stepped up to oblige, silencing the electronic screech with a hammer blow.

  Salt looked around at the fallen robot guards and grunted.

  ‘Hmph. Good work, all of you,’ he said gruffly. ‘Now, get this scrap metal cleared up, quickly.’ He nodded to the cargo pod. ‘Dump them in there. We’ll seal it again. The longer we delay their discovery, the better.’

  As the four young knights carried out his instructions, Salt limped over to a bank of vidcam monitors mounted on the far wall. They showed various views of the main hangar. On one screen, he could see a clear view of the executive shuttle, now being serviced by a team of robot cleaners. Another showed the opposite side of the hangar, where a much larger ship stood unattended – presumably the freight transporter in which Alida had left Nu-Topia.

  Salt’s students joined him.

  ‘All tidy, master,’ said Rake. ‘And we’ve re
sealed the pod. What next?’

  ‘Next,’ replied the old armourer, ‘we find Alida. I want the four of you to search the compound.’

  ‘Should we split up?’ asked Tea-Leaf.

  ‘I think not, in this instance,’ replied Salt. ‘Stay together. But only engage the guards if absolutely necessary.’

  He looked back at the image of the freight ship on the vidcam screen.

  ‘I, in the meantime, will procure us transport for our return to Earth.’

  ‘You’re gonna pinch that freighter?’ said Hoax. ‘Without your armour? What happens if you’re seen?’

  ‘I shall make it my business not to be,’ rumbled Salt. ‘As soon as you have found Alida, meet me at the ship. Now – go!’

  He watched his team dash for the elevator then disappear behind its sliding doors. Moving with remarkable stealth for a big man with a damaged leg, he made his own way towards the area’s other exit.

  Chapter 12

  Through the Pain Barrier

  SNOW’S SECOND AIR-LIFT in the grip of Ko’Drall’s claws was less hair-raising than the first – if only because she knew now that he was a friend, not a foe. Nevertheless, as the huge beast gently placed her back on the ground, close to the spot where they had first met, she was relieved to feel the rock beneath her feet.

  Ko’Drall settled beside her and together they surveyed the scene of his recent battle. The battered robotic bodies of the three White Knights he had put out of action were still lying on the dusty ground where they had fallen.

  Snow knew that just beyond them was the invisible barrier that had caused her so much pain when she had unknowingly run into it.

  Are you sure you want to go through with this, child? asked Ko’Drall’s mind-voice. None of my own race has yet to penetrate the barrier. Its effect on you when you passed through it was severe. A second time could be fatal.

  I’ll be fine, replied Snow, as much to convince herself as her new-found ally. It’ll hurt, I know, but I’ll get over it. It’s the only way I can get back inside the compound.