The Knights of the Black Earth (17 page)

“I could always
shut down the circuits that control my hearing,” Xris muttered to himself. But
he didn’t. He had a strange need to listen, like poking at an aching tooth to
feel the pain.

“Okay, but make it
quick. Why am I . . . unhinged?”

“Number one. You
did
not
ask John Dixter for those files on the space station, as you led
Harry to believe. You obtained the files illegally, by raiding the Royal Navy’s
computers, using the access code John Dixter gave you the time we did some work
for him. You betrayed a friendship
and
a trust and you are not pleased
with yourself. Such an action bothers you deeply.”

“It does not. I
had to do it. I’ll explain later. Rowan’s a security risk.” Xris indicated the
chronometer set into his wrist. “You’ve got five more minutes.”

“Number two. In
your mind, you have already judged, tried, and convicted your former friend and
partner. This Rowan must die. He—or she, as the case may be—deserves death.
That is what you have decided and this decision is unalterable.”

Xris removed the
twist. “Yes.”

“Then let me kill
her,” Raoul said softly.

Xris shook his
head. Dropping the twist, he ground it beneath the heel of his steel leg.

“A mistake.” Raoul
sighed a delicate sigh. “You are not a killer, Xris Cyborg. Not a killer in
cold blood, like myself. I have no conscience—thank the maker of
pharmaceuticals—but you do. It would be far easier and far safer for the team
if I were to be Rowan’s executioner.”

Again Xris shook
his head. “I need to have a little talk with Dalin Rowan.”

“Talk!” Raoul was
impatient. “Recall the dictum of the late Warlord Derek Sagan. ‘Do not
talk—shoot!’ It was a saying of which he was very fond and which kept him alive
far longer than one might have considered possible under the circumstances. You
put us all in jeopardy, my friend.”

“You can always
walk, Loti. You and the sponge.”

The fedora—the hat
was now all Xris could see of the Little One—quivered.

Raoul’s eyes began
to shimmer. “How can you say that? We are your friends, Xris Cyborg.”

A tear trickled
down the rouged cheek.

“Now, don’t start
crying,” Xris said, exasperated. “You’ll ruin your makeup. Your nose will
swell. You can’t go out of here looking like that.”

“I don’t care,”
Raoul returned with unexpected passion. He grasped hold of Xris’s good arm. “Tell
me you will at least consider what we have said.”

Startled by the
Loti’s unusual outburst—Raoul was generally placidity personified—Xris gently
removed the bejeweled hand.

“I’ll consider it,”
he promised. “Now I’m going to give you your orders. Do you think you’re calm
enough to handle them?”

Raoul removed a
lace-trimmed handkerchief from his purse, dabbed carefully at his eyes. “Yes,
Xris Cyborg. I am once more in control of myself.”

Whatever that
means. Aloud, Xris continued, “You’ll be traveling to Olicien Pest Control
corporate headquarters—”

“Is this when I’m
a salesman, wearing coveralls?”

“No. This is
before you’re a salesman. This is how you get to be a salesman. First, you have
to find out all you can about the Olicien Pest Control Company and how they
operate. You are the representative for a company who owns floating platforms—”

“Where do they
float?” Raoul asked in a muffled voice, blowing his nose.

“In space,” Xris
said with elaborate patience. “Your company is having a pest problem and your
platforms need servicing. The Olicien people will say, ‘Certainly. Only too
pleased.’ They will then provide you with the location of the franchise which
services space stations, tell you to contact them directly. This will be the
franchise which services RFComSec. They have only one. You will ask for a tour
of this franchise, mentioning that several other members of the corporation
will be joining you.”

“Ah, I see!” Raoul
smiled.

Xris thought it
just as well to make certain. “This Olicien Pest Control Company has franchises
in every major city on Alinus Misk. Only one of them devotes itself to outer
space work. You’re going to find out which one and arrange for us to get
inside. Once there, we do a quick, quiet takeover, hijack their vessel, and
that’s that. Understand?”

Raoul fluttered
the handkerchief. “Of course.”

“Use commercial
transport. Anything else would look suspicious. I’ll take you back with me to
Alpha Gamma. You can leave from there. Maintain contact. You know the routine.”

“Very well, Xris
Cyborg. The Olicien Company on Alinus Misk. The bug place sounds perfectly
ghastly. But we will be there.”

“I know you will.
And listen.” Xris paused a moment, then said quietly, “I won’t let the team
down. I’ll do what I have to do.”

Raoul shrugged,
smiled his euphoric smile as though he hadn’t a care in the universe. “Time
will tell, won’t it, Xris Cyborg?”

Shepherding the Little
One, who had relaxed considerably, the Loti headed for the door. Xris was quick
to hit the controls, open it.

“One last
question.” Raoul teetered on the threshold.

Xris remained
patient. A glitch in his system was the probable cause of the fingers on his
metal hand clenching. “What?”

“About those
coveralls—”

“Yes. You have to
wear them.” Xris gave the Loti a push, shut the door.

Left alone, the
cyborg returned to the table to pack up the holographic equipment. He deleted
the image of the space station, was about to shut down the power when, on
impulse, he touched a control, brought up another holograph.

A man. Dalin
Rowan.

Xris had taken
Darlene Mohini’s photograph, fed it into the computer, made a few changes, and
found his friend. At that point, he’d begun to believe.

“Why did you do
it?” he asked the silent image. “Set us up for the kill? I just need to know
why!”

A red light above
the clock began to flash. A female voice advised Xris politely that his time
was up. Other clients were waiting for the room. The door slid open and would
not shut again— management’s way of saying it was time to leave.

Xris killed the
image, packed up his equipment, and left.

So if you know the
place and time of battle, you can join the fight from a thousand miles away.

Sun Tzu,
The Art of War

“Sir, Knight
Commander has received your message. He is on the comm.”

The officer nodded
in silence, retired to his private quarters.

“Knight Commander.
The circulation of the descriptions of the Loti and the empath known as Raoul
and the Little One has produced results. At twenty-two hundred yesterday, SMT,
a member of our order observed the two of them in the Exile Cafe. The cyborg
Xris was also present. The three left together in the cyborg’s spaceplane.”

“Where is the Loti
now?”

“We are unable to
ascertain, Knight Commander. Their plane made the jump to hyperspace.”

“If one of our
knights had this Loti under observation, why didn’t he capture him?”

“They were inside
the Exile Cafe at the time, Knight Commander. No violence is permitted. The
rules are very strict on that point and are rigidly enforced. Besides, the
cyborg was with him and the cyborg is a formidable opponent.”

The Knight
Commander appeared to consider this. “True.

Well, there will
be another time. God will deliver him into our hands.”

“Assuredly, sir.
And this does provide us with conclusive proof that the Loti is part of the
cyborg’s mercenary team.”

“I had reached the
same conclusion. I have received information that this team was involved in
secret dealings with Her Majesty the Queen on the woman’s pagan,
Goddess-worshiping planet of Ceres. The Loti, Raoul, and the empath known as
the Little One traveled to the planet on commercial transport. I obtained
records of their entry. I am transmitting these to you now. Since we lost him
at the Exile Cafe, these might be useful in tracking him down.”

The officer waited
in silence for the files. The Knight Commander continued talking.

“It is quite
probable that the Loti has a number of passports registered to him under
various aliases. This time, as you see, he used his real name—if Raoul
is
his real name—and listed his planet of origin as Adonia. The Little One
probably uses the same passport every time, since he has been granted ‘mixed
breed’ status. Planet of origin is listed as ‘unknown.’

“My guess is that
these two were involved in the inexplicable illness and subsequent sudden
disappearance of the wife of the President of Modena. Eyewitness accounts put
the two at the reception during which Madame President fell ill. The two left
before we could send a squad to capture the Loti, and at that point we lost
them.”

“I do not think
they will be difficult to track, sir,” the officer replied. “The cyborg has
several different dwelling places. We have posted men at all of them. We have
also arranged for Raoul’s home on Adonia to be kept under constant
surveillance.”

“Excellent. We
must be patient, however. Wait for them to split up. As you say, the cyborg
Xris is a formidable foe. Not only that, he has friends in the highest places.
We do not yet want to call undue attention to ourselves. Therefore, do not
attempt to apprehend the Loti in the cyborg’s presence. There will come a time
when this Raoul and his small companion are alone. Strike then.”

“Yes, Knight
Commander.”

“Contact me
immediately when you have effected the Loti’s capture. Any questions?”

“Yes, sir. What
are we to do with the creature known as the Little One?”

“He is of no use
to us. Kill him.”

In battle,
confrontation is done directly, victory is gained by surprise.

Sun Tzu,
The Art of War

Christy’s Cracked
Egg Restaurant was large, crowded—especially for this early in the morning.
According to Xris’s research, the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet was
extremely popular, attracting large numbers of people—ideal for Xris’s purpose.
When he entered, no one even glanced twice at the cyborg. Dressed in a business
suit that covered his mechanical limbs, a sun visor hiding his cybernetic eye,
and a foam-flesh and plastiskin cosmetic hand attached to his arm, Xris looked
the part of an Aurigan executive.

Having informed
the ‘bot who steered him to his table that there would be four joining him,
Xris loaded his plate with the local fare and sat down to eat and wait.

Tycho was next to
arrive. The tall, skinny alien did attract a few curious stares, but the
customers soon returned to their meals, having more interest in Aurigan
mush—considered a delicacy. Located on one of the major trade routes, the
capital city of Auriga was home to a large intergalactic population. Not much
surprised the citizens of Auriga.

Tycho located
Xris, sat down.

“Steer clear of
the mush,” Xris advised in a low voice.

A vegetarian,
Tycho gave the mush a look, grimaced, and told the ‘bot he would be having only
carrot juice.

“Any trouble with
the weapons?” Xris asked.

It was not
necessary to keep his voice down. A cheerful people, Aurigans enjoyed
talking—the louder, the better. Consequently, the restaurant was a din of
noise, with every Aurigan in the place shouting shrilly and gleefully at every
other Aurigan. Xris had turned his hearing down to the bare minimum necessary
and still the row was deafening.

Tycho shook his
head. His long-fingered hand could have wrapped twice around the glass of
juice. He sipped at it. “No problems. I expected none. So long as I do not
bring the rifle on board the spacecraft with me, I am rarely stopped. After
all, it looks the same as any other beam rifle. I carry the duonamic sights
hidden on my person in a shielded case.”

Xris nodded.
Duonamic sights were the hallmark of the professional assassin and were illegal
in most parts of the galaxy. With those sights, which detected any form of
radiation from heat to light, as well as Doppler movement, Tycho could not only
see through walls, he could shoot the person standing on the other side.

“There won’t be
any need for gun play,” Xris said. “It’s going to go smooth. I’m feeling lucky.
I’m due this.”

Tycho looked at
him strangely. “It’s well to be prepared. Better safe than sitting in your
canoe without a paddle.”

Xris could feel
another lecture coming on, wasn’t in the mood; and so he didn’t respond. He ate
his mush more for the sake of putting food into his body than because he was
hungry. He was too tense, too wired to be hungry. What he truly wanted was a
twist, but smoking was forbidden in the dining establishment. He went back to
the original subject.

“Where did you
leave the rifle?”

“In the hovervan.
Harry’s parking it now. I met him and Quong outside. The Doc had to go powder
his nose. They should both be here any minute.”

“They’re here now.”

Standing in the
entrance, partially blocking it with his large body, Harry was scanning the
crowd. Tycho waved his long arm. Quong emerged from the bathroom and the two
joined the rest of the team. Harry left immediately to fill his plate at the
buffet table. Quong selected fruit and cereal. Returning to the table, he eyed
Xris in concern.

“Are you feeling
well?”

There were times,
Xris decided, when having your own private medic was a distinct disadvantage.

“Yeah, Doc, I’m
fine.”

“You don’t look
it.” Quong was blunt. “I’d like to run a systems analysis—”

“I said I’m fine.
Just a little keyed up, that’s all. Adrenaline pumping.”

Xris took out a
twist. “I’m not going to smoke it,” he informed the waiter ‘bot, who had
located and zeroed in on the forbidden object with the speed of a sublight
torpedo.