“Yes, they were,” he agreed. “It made it quite easy to blame the Ganymedeans, and rally Earth to war.”
“You killed us all,” Rhea said. “When we were the ones who tried to save Earth. From you.”
She was aghast at what this man had done, and knew there could be no mercy, not for him.
“I wasn’t expecting the war to decimate our forces so severely,” Khrusos said. “I was hopeful the moon, and its water, would be mine. But those damned Europans had to go and ruin everything. When it became obvious we’d lost the moon to them, I had my scientists begin developing the digitization tech that would save humanity. Thankfully, we’d bought ourselves thirty more years by halving the population, which is another reason I did it, by the way. To save the world, I had to destroy it.
“You might be wondering why the nano machines we used in the Great Calming didn’t destroy the entire Earth… that’s because the scientists programmed them to self-destruct after expanding to a certain radius. This meant that there would be remnants of the cities left behind… the ruins that exist today. A reminder of what the Ganymedeans had done.”
“What you had done,” Rhea growled.
He ignored her. “After the war, I had the scientists destroy the lab samples used in the creation of these machines. I also pushed the High Council to sign an agreement with the governments of the solar system, outlawing the use of nano machines in all fields, from warfare to medicine. They are too dangerous in the wrong hands.”
“Such as yours?” Rhea said.
He nodded in apparent appreciation of the jab. “But back to my point. Not only have you trespassed in the shared residence of myself and the Paramount Leader, unlawfully hacked and killed our robots, and employed forbidden weapons, but your body itself is highly illegal. You are in possession of dangerous, world-destroying technology. By law, it is my right to confiscate it from you, as it is the right of any citizen of Mars. Do you give up this body willingly?”
“What do you think?” she asked.
He smiled widely. “I was hoping you’d resist.”
“Oh, I’m going to do more than resist, a-hole.” She stepped forward and, scarcely able to see for the blind rage she felt, she swung her Ban’Shar sword in a wide arc that cut off his head.
It flew from the throne and bounced three times before coming to rest on the platform. Its movements had seemed a little too heavy for the lighter Martian gravity, as if it was made entirely of metal.
“Now do him, next,” Will said, nodding at Miles.
“No.” Miles raised his palms defensively. “I didn’t know.” He nodded at Rhea. “I thought she caused the Great Calming. I’m sorry.”
Khrusos’ laugh abruptly filled the chamber. “You really think I’d be foolish enough to expose my brain to you?”
The floor began shaking. Rhea and Will backed away, climbing off the platform and down the steps. Miles did the same, though he kept his distance from Rhea, as if afraid she would strike him down next.
The throne began unfolding. The platform and the stairs next to it pulled inward, toward the metal box, and long, spiderish legs emerged, followed by a metal thorax, and a head lined with mechanical tentacles.
The platform and stairs continued to turn themselves inside out, emerging from that box, feeding the growing form, until the transformation was complete and a gargantuan, tentacled metal cyborg loomed before Rhea. It was like a giant spider with the head of a squid pasted on top.
Meanwhile, nothing remained of the former stairs, platform and throne.
“Are you impressed with my size?” the monster, Khrusos, boomed. “Why do you think I moved to Mars? The lower gravity can support a much larger body frame. And I do like so very much to be big, in all senses of the word!”
The colossal form of Khrusos approached. Those thin feet slammed into the marble floor, sending cracks spidering outward.
“Get back, Will!” she shouted over her shoulder.
Get back.
This was a battle only she could fight.
Khrusos would pay for what he had done to Ganymede, to Earth, and to her.
17
Rhea continued to back away. She was careful not to retreat toward Min, Burhawk and Horatio, as it would be all too easy for the three to suffer collateral damage in the fight. Miles and Will were keeping well back, hugging the far walls. Meanwhile, her other companions were protecting the entrance.
Khrusos swung three tentacles at her.
Rhea instinctively leaped backward, but not far enough, and one of the tentacles clipped her leg, sending her spinning away. She deactivated the Ban’Shar so she wouldn’t hurt herself.
When she landed, she instantly clambered to her feet and slammed her hands together. She activated both of the Ban’Shar, and formed a single, extended blade. She held it menacingly before her.
Should have done this at the beginning. I’m not the seasoned warrior I once was.
Meanwhile Will and Horatio were shooting their pistols, striking Khrusos in the flanks. The big, tentacled cyborg ignored then: the blasts didn’t seem to be causing damage anyway.
Khrusos swung a tentative tentacle at her.
Rhea sidestepped, cutting off the limb.
It fell away, clattering harmlessly to the floor.
To her horror, the tentacle reformed a moment later.
“You cannot kill me, Dagger,” Khrusos said.
Two more tentacles came in, and she dodged them acrobatically, slicing at the same time. The appendages dropped away, but once again, reformed.
“Don’t you understand?” Khrusos said. “My scientists have had thirty years to study your Ganymedean technology. Thirty years to incorporate it into ours. I’ve saved the most valuable discoveries for myself, of course.”
He lunged for her as he spoke those latter words, and two thin legs came stabbing down at her.
Rhea leaped backward, and swept her blade wide, slicing off the bottom portion of those limbs.
Khrusos tilted forward,
