“Sergeant, secure the prisoner.”
“Yes, sir.”
The two soldiers with Daooth placed a binder around his hands and a hood over his head. They didn’t want him to recognize the layout of the holding facility in case he tried to escape. The two soldiers flanked Kale then they led him to the detention facility. Daooth fell in behind them with the Barudii blade in his hand. The soldiers fell in close behind him with their pulse rifles ready. It wasn’t everyday they arrested a Barudii warrior. It wasn’t everyday someone saw one.
Kale couldn’t resist considering how he might escape. As a Barudii warrior it was only natural for him to gauge his situation. He sensed the soldiers around him with his mental power. He perceived the layout of the building even though they had deprived him of his sight with the hood. It seemed kind of funny in a way, how easy it would be. Of course he wouldn’t attempt it. That would only make everything worse than it already was.
Daooth and the soldiers led him to a holding cell deep within the complex. The square chamber was approximately ten feet wide by ten feet deep. It was heavily armored on every side except the open front entrance. The soldiers placed him inside and walked back beyond the entrance.
A charged field was activated to seal him in. Someone he could not see tapped a keypad which caused the binder around his hands to release.
With his hands free, Kale removed his own hood and surveyed his surroundings. There were ten guards still in the room outside his cell. They were heavily armed, watching him like hawks. He had the feeling that they understood the damage a Barudii warrior could do-had they really known, they would have left a lot more men.
Kale was tired. He stretched out on the padded bed-the only furniture in the cell. Surely Tiet would be down to confront him soon. He thought it was very strange his brother had not met him on the tarmac. But he would be here. Now all Kale had to do was to wait.
HORVA
The laser fire came fast and furious from the towers along the length of the compounds perimeter shield. Tiet ran hard toward it, dodging along the way. By his mental power he could sense the laser fire coming in at him as he ran the open space before the shield wall.
He came within range of one of the towers then ran right to it and up its length as though he were running upon the ground. The guard in the tower tried to fire at him from close range.
Tiet pulled his blade as he passed the gun turret. The barrel and chassis of the gun fell away as his weapon kissed it. He went on, never pausing, never killing any of his attackers. When he reached the top of the tower, Tiet leaped away from it, somersaulting down back to the ground.
He hit the ground still running. More shots came at him from soldiers on the ground. Warriors from all directions seemed to be closing in on him. Tiet ducked and rolled fast across the ground to dodge more laser fire then rolled out, back to his feet running. He hit the main gate and drove his blade deep into it, cutting a portal as laser fire raged upon the wall and ground around him.
He dove through, finding a great hall beyond. Many Horva were already there. Tiet heard hundreds of weapons-their firing bolts locked, energy cells humming. Tiet stopped dead in his tracks. He stood ready with his blade and E.M. shield charged. Mere seconds seemed like an eternity. Then a voice shouted over the silence.
“You will go no further, Barudii!”
“My business is with General Grod,” Tiet said. “Why is it that with so many brave warriors he will not face me?”
“He will face you,” replied the voice again as warriors parted before the man. From among them, Grod came forth. He was easy to distinguish as Tiet had guessed. The Horva leader was an imposing person-a good foot taller than himself and of a regal stature. No wonder they had chosen to follow him. Grod was in imposing specimen.
“Why did you come here, Barudii? Do you mean to assassinate me?” Grod asked, laughing.
“No, I’ve come to propose peace between our people. Surely you must know the Baruk are coming to destroy us all.”
“I have no use for your peace. You are a fool to come here. Your folly has caught up with you.”
Grod drew a large broad sword. Tiet recognized an adomen blade.
“We’ve discovered something of your people’s weapons on our explorations through your cities,” Grod said.
Grod smiled then charged him. There was a quick exchange of sword strikes between the two. One of Tiet’s strikes divided the sword just behind the cross-guard as planned. However, with his weapon destroyed, Grod did something unexpected. He moved in fast, grabbing Tiet’s sword arm. He had expected the Horva to back away, but the fearless dark-skinned warrior had surprised him.
Grod held Tiet’s right arm with one hand preventing any further attack while delivering his own crushing blow to Tiet’s face. He was stunned and almost staggered, but Grod still had his sword arm. It was all very fast.
Grod pummeled his forearm. Tiet felt his right arm break from the Horva’s powerful blow. His hand went limp and the blade fell to the ground. Grod did not even go for the weapon. He meant to kill Tiet with his bare hands.
Tiet heard the crowd of Horva warriors cheering Grod on as the Barudii blade fell to the ground. Grod left off Tiet’s arm, grabbing the young man’s throat while pulling a dagger from his side. Tiet’s vision was spinning, but he resorted to the Way for help. Grod’s knife stopped in midair as he tried desperately to deliver the killing stroke. Tiet stared into his eyes, “Killing me will not be that easy, General.”
Grod grunted to bring the blade down, no good then tried to crush the young man’s throat, but he could not. He realized that he could not move his body in any way.
“Look down, General,” Tiet said. “Your life is in my hands more than you realize.”
Grod looked down to find the Barudii holding a short rod between them with the business-end near his belly. He had seen the weapon before. The Barudii had used the same thing to kill the Teragore in the dome.
“Kill me then, if that’s why you came here.”
“I told you already. I want peace between our people. I know of your struggle against the oppression of the Vorn military, but the civilian populace had nothing to do with that. I proposed this alliance to them and those people have sent me with the same hope of peace.
“Our peoples need peace. We’ll already have enough of a fight on our hands when the Baruk come. And they are already on their way. Join us. Let’s fight them together and live to have peace on our planet.”
Grod looked at him, listening and studying the young man. His dagger was still frozen above Tiet’s chest, held by the Barudii’s mental power. Finally, after a long silence between them, Grod spoke. “And if I refuse your peace?”
“Then I came prepared to kill you. I do not intend to fight a war on two fronts between you and the Baruk.”
“Then kill me. I don’t care about peace with you, or the Vorn.”
Grod stood stone-faced looking into his eyes, waiting for him to do it. Instead, Tiet pushed him away, releasing Grod from his mental grip. Grod looked surprised by his reaction.
“I don’t want to kill you,” Tiet said. “Believe it or not, I respect you and your desire to be independent of those who enslaved the Horva. I still think it’s a shame, though. I may have to face you on a battlefield some day instead of around a peaceful table breaking bread as friends, but that’s your choice. At least I tried to talk sense to you.”
Tiet brought his broken arm up to his torso. It throbbed terribly. He heard the room full of warriors raising their weapons again, bringing them to bear on him. Grod raised his hand quickly to halt them.
“As you said, Barudii, we may see one another on the battlefield someday, but this is not your day to die. Take your peace and go in it.”