John Brosnan - The Sky Lords

“Listen to me,” Jan said desperately. “People are invading the airship. You and the other things like you must stop them—attack them, kill them!”

“That’s impossible,” said the spider. “We cannot deliberately harm any human being.”

“Mother God, give me strength …” groaned Jan. She tried again. “You don’t have to harm them, just overpower the invaders, take away their weapons. …”

“Such actions might result in injury and therefore can’t be considered. I’m sorry.”

“You sound it,” said Jan and kicked the spider. It scuttled away from her but did nothing else.

“MILO HAZE! DON’T ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE! IT IS TOO LATE!”

That was true, thought Jan bitterly as she stared at the screens. The upper hull was crawling with samurai. Lucky Milo, to have missed this . …

“Hi! What’s happening?”

Jan wondered if she was having a hallucination. “Ashley?”

“Yep, it’s me! Large as life!”

Jan couldn’t believe it. “You’re okay? Carl too?”

“Right as rain.”

“I thought I’d destroyed you both! Where were you? The computer here said your software was blank.”

“That was Carl’s doing. He discovered there were all sorts of safeguards built into the system to prevent unauthorized programs being introduced into the Sky Angel. He had to figure out ways of getting around them. Took a while. Did you miss me?”

“Very much,” said Jan with feeling. Quickly, she told Ashley what was going on.

Ashley said, “No problem. Carl and I are in total control of the system now. Carl says we should disengage from the Sky Tower for a start.”

“Yes, yes!” cried Jan. “Tell him to do whatever he thinks best.”

“What we think best,” said Ashley.

“Okay, what you and Carl think best.”

The Sky Angel was already moving. She looked up and saw the top of the tower start to recede.

“HAZE! IT’S TOO LATE! YOU CAN’T ESCAPE! SURRENDER NOW AND I WILL BE MERCIFUL! OTHERWISE YOUR DEATH WILL BE ONE LONG SCREAM!”

The warlord’s voice thundered over the city.

“Carl says that the Japanese are entering the Sky Angel,” said Ashley.

“I know that. Has he, or do you , have any ideas of how to get rid of them?”

“Yeah. The robots. Those spider things.”

“I already tried that,” Jan told her. “The spider here refused in case people got hurt.”

“Carl and I are in charge now,” said Ashley proudly. “They’ll do whatever we say—we’ve taken over the central program.”

“Then give the word,” said Jan urgently. “Fast!”

“It’s already been given.”

Jan had to duck out of the way as the spider suddenly came to life and charged towards the elevator. It disappeared inside and the door closed. “We’re taking the other five hundred out of storage in case we need any back-up.”

“MILO HAZE! STOP NOW! MY WARRIORS ARE ALREADY ON BOARD YOUR SHIP. FURTHER RESISTANCE IS USELESS!”

The Sky Angel was now rising above the Lord Pangloth . Jan saw the other airship’s thrusters swivel their vents downwards in order to ascend as well.

“Let’s blow the bastard out of the sky!” said Ashley.

“Nothing I’d like better,” said Jan. “But how ?”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? No, I didn’t. Carl infiltrated the system that controls the lasers. We now have full control of them. So what do you say? Do we start shooting?”

It took a few moments for the information to sink in, then Jan realized that the lasers could be made to fire at anything . She said quickly, “No, don’t fire yet. Is there a way I can speak to the warlord?”

After a pause Ashley said, “Yeah, there’s a voice amplification unit here. To be used to communicate with disaster refugees on the ground, says Carl, which is what that warlord is soon going to be himself. Carl is activating it now. Start talking.”

“Warlord Horado …” she began experimentally, and was instantly shocked to hear her words booming in the same thunderous tones as the warlord’s. “Warlord Horado, listen to me. I am Jan Dorvin. I am on my own. Milo is dead. He was killed by a cyberoid weeks ago.”

The warlord laughed. It sounded like obscene thunder. Then he said, “MILO HAZE DEAD? KILLED BY A CYBEROID? How VERY DROLL… SO NOW, GIRL, CEASE YOUR GAMES AND LET MY SHIP COME ALONGSIDE.”

Jan glanced at the monitor screens. Hundreds of the metal spiders were streaming out on to the upper hull. She saw swords flashing as the Japanese tried to defend themselves. She said to the warlord, “I have the means to destroy you. I have full control of the laser system. Unless you agree to my demands, I will open fire.”

The warlord was silent for a short time, then said, “YOU ARE BLUFFING, GIRL. AND AT ANY MOMENT NOW MY SAMURAI WILL BE IN YOUR CONTROL ROOM.”

“Your samurai are being defeated,” Jan told him. “There are robots on board this ship. Like the lasers, they are under my control. Will you listen to my demands now?”

Ashley said, “Why bother with demands? Let’s just blow him out of the sky.”

“I want Ceri, if she’s still alive.”

“Yeah, but you said yourself that if she was still alive she’d be on the other ship. So let’s start shooting. One laser beam and all that hydrogen will go up a real treat.”

“GIRL, YOU ARE AN ANNOYANCE. MY RETRIBUTION WILL SEEM EVERLASTING.”

Jan was tempted to do what Ashley suggested, but she couldn’t bring herself to give the order. For the second time she was unable to destroy the Lord Pangloth . “There are women and children on board. I can’t murder them,” she told Ashley. “Instead, I want you and Carl to start shooting at the Lord Pangloth’s thrusters. Destroy them all.”

“Awwww, that’s no fun.”

“Do as I say,” ordered Jan. Here was the first test. Who was really in control of the Sky Angel?

A thin line of turquoise light suddenly appeared between one of the Lord Pangloth’s thrusters and an unseen point above the Sky Angel’s control room. The metal casing of the thruster began to blacken and curl. More beams of light appeared. Other thrusters on the Lord Pangloth began to shrivel, like pieces of fruit thrown on a fire.

The warlord gave a scream of rage.

The Lord Pangloth began to go out of control. Neither its helmsmen nor computer could compensate for the sudden loss of so many thrusters along the port side. It went into a tight turn, while at the same time losing altitude.

The Sky Angel, manoeuvring with a speed and grace that the Sky Lords had lost centuries ago, followed the Lord Pangloth down. The turquoise lines continued to form in the air. More thrusters became twisted and dead.

“GIRL! GIRL!” bellowed the warlord. “I WILL TALK WITH YOU! CEASE YOUR FIRING. WE WILL BARGAIN TOGETHER! WHAT DO YOU WANT?”

“It’s too late for that now,” Jan told him coldly.

“That’s the lot,” Ashley informed her. “Every thruster is kaput. Now let’s take care of the rudders and elevators as well.”

Jan watched as the beams sliced through the Lord Pangloth ’s great tailplane and side fins like knives. When they were finished the Lord Pangloth was completely helpless. It was now at the mercy of the winds. Nose drooping, it drifted over the city. The huge painted eyes on it bow, which had once created so much fear in Jan, now looked almost comical to her.

“TALK TO ME, WOMAN! I WILL LISTEN TO YOUR DEMANDS!”

“How are we doing with the samurai?” Jan asked Ashley.

“The ones who got inside are dead,” said Ashley. “Some on the hull escaped in their gliders; those who didn’t are dead too.”