CHAPTER 25

The last sound Alexander expected to hear was Nazeera’s defiant voice informing Bureel that a reckoning would be made. He was slightly disconcerted that the axe failed to fall, because now he heard Bureel’s harsh laugh. That spurred Alexander on to one more titanic effort to break free from the block. He strained mightily, using all of his fury and hatred for Bureel to give him strength—it wasn’t enough. His arms and legs were still tingling like they’d fallen asleep. He hadn’t the strength. Alexander tried to ignore Bureel’s boasting andmake his peace, but it was hard—oh, it was hard.

“A reckoning you say; what from the rabble out there? They will do as they are told! I shall deal with them at a—what? What is that again?” Bureel’s interruption of himself brought Alexander’s attention fully back. Even as they forced him to the block the two Chem who had his arms, as well as every other Chem in the room looked to Bureel. Gurthur leapt up to him. His whisper was so harsh that everyone heard him. “The Terran fleet has just appeared out of sub-space in the Chem system! Our patrolling squadrons are overwhelmed. The Terrans are even now entering orbit! They demand the release of their Overlord and threaten to bombard the planet if we execute him! Their address is being broadcast to the public even as we speak!”

Bureel fell back in shock and anger, but he whispered breathlessly, “Put it on!”

The face of a Terran Admiral appeared on a dozen visiplates. The Chem watched in amazement as he addressed them. The Chem, who had never suffered to let even a trading vessel into their space, now had a fleet of alien warships entering orbit around their home world! With a mixture of embarrassment and anxiety they listened to the Terran.

“I am Admiral Sampson of the Terran Second Fleet addressing the Assemblage of Chem! I demand the instantaneous release of Alexander, Overlord of the Terran Empire. This cowardly sentence of execution in the midst of our Overlord’s honorable attempt to fulfill a challenge will not go unpunished if it is carried out! I am authorized to inform you of our peaceful intentions should the unlawful sentence of Bureel be rescinded and my lord’s challenge answered. If you refuse I shall commence with the bombardment of your planet, starting with Assemblage itself! I await your reply!”

“You will meet only with destruction, Terran!” Bureel fumed. “You have served only to combine the Chem forces under me, the weight of which will crush you!”

“What greater honor for a Terran than to die in defense of their Overlord?” Sampson answered, and then he chuckled grimly. With a wicked grin, the Admiral pointed out, “There are twenty rebel ships on my scanners; I assume you have more forces at your disposal then that? I have over two hundred and fifty Terran warships under my command with another five hundred in reserve. Unless you can do better, that should be sufficient for our purposes, I think. Before your reinforcements arrive, however, be assured that we shall leave nothing of your planet but a smoking husk should Alexander be executed! If he dies in challenge, then he dies well. We shall bear his body peacefully back to our space. We bear no grudge against the Chem, but no people with honor will allow the execution of their lord by any other hand than their own!”

“He speaks with truth and nobility, my lord,” said a Chem from the Assemblage, and he was assented by many voices. “We have brought this on ourselves for the purpose of avoiding a lawful challenge. That in itself makes us deserving of penalty. Release Alexander of Terra from this shameful bondage and face him as a Chem, and as our leader.” There was a chorus of approval, but Bureel snarled and pulled out a blaster. He turned on Alexander.

During Sampson’s address Alexander had the opportunity to recover from the stun rod, and his guards released his arms. As Bureel whirled upon him he instinctively leapt aside just as the blaster flowered. He was just quick enough, as Bureel’s blaster fire glanced off his shoulder and then plunged into the breast of the Chem executioner. A murmur went up in the Assemblage. The members were in shock at the actions of their would be Elder. When Bureel pointed the gun towards Alexander for a second shot several Chem stepped boldly between them. A Chem warrior took the weapon out of Bureel’s shaking hand and threw it away in disgust.

Alexander shook the remaining effects of the stun rod from his head. Picking up the axe of his would be executioner he faced a glowering Bureel. The Chem parted, opening the space between them. His senses had largely returned, though the lingering buzz of pain caused his face to twist in an unpleasant grimace. His smile, therefore, came out grotesquely twisted as he informed Bureel and the Assemblage, “This is not about the Chem and their honor. This is not about the Chem and the Terrans. This is about Alexander of Terra and Bureel the Usurper. What say you Bureel? You’ve made a throw for an empire, but there’s only one way to cement it, and yourself into history. Let me go and I’ll destroy you and your empire. Have me slain in front of your peers and your people and you’ll lose the respect of both. Kill me yourself in a duel of honor and you’ve won all you’ve aspired to. You shall go down in Galactic history as Bureel, the slayer of Alexander. You will be the Chem who stopped the Conqueror. What do you say?”

Bureel answered with an inarticulate cry of rage. He drew his sword and knife and flew at Alexander. Alexander had just enough time to strike the sword thrust aside and meet Bureel head on. The Chem had the momentum, but Alexander had the strength. He met Bureel’s lunge and threw him aside. Bureel was quick as a cat to his feet, however, and now he circled Alexander, staying away from those powerful thews while using the reach of his sword to its best advantage. Bureel now fought a classic Terran dueling style with rapier and main gauche, as Alexander timed sweeping strokes from his axe. Bureel’s thin sword did not have much cutting power through Alexander’s armor, but the Chem used it with swift thrusts which Alexander had difficulty parrying with his heavier blade. The style of the foray was not to Alexander’s advantage. Bureel had settled himself down into a fight where his quickness and reach would work well. Alexander had no choice but to press the attack, and get the fight into close quarters.

Alexander lunged forward, swinging the great axe in wide decapitating strokes, but Bureel leapt nimbly away, slashing at him. He had to catch the quicker Chem flat footed, so Alexander took a page from the Banthror’s attack of so long ago. He feigned a stroke, and as Bureel leapt aside he rushed in, catching the Chem as he landed. Alexander parried a weak defensive with the haft of the axe. He brought the head around but Bureel twisted to avoid it. Alexander expected that, bringing the butt end of the axe quickly up from below. The heavy axe blade served as a perfect counterweight and the butt end of the haft driven by Alexander’s muscles smashed into Bureel’s left side. The force of the blow lifted the traitor off his feet and sent him flying into the steps.

Leaping to take press his advantage, Alexander swung the axe down at Bureel’s chest but somehow the Chem slithered aside. The blade rang on the anthracite steps, botching the metal and sending splinters whizzing around the chamber. Bureel stabbed as he scrambled away, but the blade simply scraped along the side of his cuirass. Alexander reached forward and grabbed Bureel by his sword wrist. Holding the slighter Chem fast, he rammed the spike of the executioners axe repeatedly in Bureel’s stomach. The Chem’s breath raced out of his lungs at the impact and a sudden groan came from the Assemblage. It was lost on Alexander, who couldn’t have stopped if he wanted to. Bureel dropped his weapons, whining and wheezing. Alexander let go of the axe and wrapped his brawny hands around Bureel’s scrawny. He squeezed, turning Bureel’s face purple and lifting him off his feet.

The Assemblage gasped as Bureel plucked feebly at Alexander’s hands; though not a single soul moved to interfere. Before the Assemblage, the Terran Fleet and the galaxy, Alexander held Bureel aloft and strangled him. The Chem struggled weakly for a few moments, but the throttling of Alexander soon dimmed the light in his eyes. After a long horrible moment, Bureel stiffened with a spasmodic jerk and died.

Alexander threw the body to the floor with disgust, panting for breath. Finally he looked out over the Assemblage. “You Chem, I don’t know what to think of you,” he told them. “You kidnapped me. You sentenced me to die on your horrific prison planet. You sent assassins after me. You threatened my people and my civilization. You have lied to me. You have wronged me in every way,” he stopped and shook his head like a lion. Glowering at the visiplate, his face twisted in ferocious passion, he looked ready to explode. Then, almost inexplicably, Alexander sighed and the anger drained from his face.

When he spoke again his voice was still rough, but now it was measured and considerate, as if he moved on and his anger died with Bureel. “As God is my witness, I don’t know what to make of you. Even after all of this, I respect and admire you. Despite your persecutions, I enjoy your company. Despite all that is sane, I’ve fallen in love with one of you. I see you almost as kin, and if the analogy fits with Terran kin than we shall never see completely eye to eye. Yet I would no sooner leave the Chem Empire to fall than I would my own. You’ve something unique and essential to offer to this galaxy, and I as Alexander of Terra do not wish to lose it.”

Alexander gave Bureel a dig with his foot. “I didn’t come to Chem as a conqueror, but to settle a matter of honor. There is no reason to change my mind. Chem is for Chem. Only the Chem can decide their own road. That is all I have to say. It is time for Alexander and Terra to step aside and wait upon the Chem to decide their future course.” He walked up to Nazeera and told her, “As ranking member of the Triumvirate I thank you, Terra thanks you for allowing the duty to go forward. We will wait for Chem’s word as friends and comrades. Long live the Chem Empire!”

There was a rousing chorus that echoed Alexander. Nazeera inclined her head, as rulers would to another of state, and then she drew her long, thin knife. Striding over to Bureel, she sank upon her knee. In a flash, she plunged the thin blade through his right eye and into his brain. As if that were not enough, she elaborately pressed a switch in her haft, emptying a lethal poison into Bureel’s already dead brain. Withdrawing the blade, Nazeera wiped it on his cloak. The last thing she did was to cut off the badge of Bureel’s rank. She stood and took this to Alexander. Pinning it on the Banthror sash, she said, “You have conquered the rebel Bureel, Take this trophy with you as well as the thanks of Chem.”

“My thanks to you and to all of Chem,” he replied. “Now, for Alexander, he shall return to his own empire where we also must decide our future course.” He turned to Sampson on the visiplate, “Admiral your attentions are most appreciated. Have your flagship squadron remain in orbit, to pay respect to the new Elder of Chem. The remainder of the fleet is to return to your previous assignment with the knowledge of a job well done and my compliments. With the permission of the Chem government you and a delegation shall attend me.”

The Chem allowed a Terran delegation to descend to the planet’s surface, but they waited until the Terran fleet was beyond the system before the debate in the Assemblage began. The remainder of the Chem armadas joined around the Homeworld, their differences forgotten. Chem was therefore surrounded by a cocoon of its own ships when it debated its future. Alexander and the delegation stayed in a series of apartments, where Chem and Human surgeons attended him; there he held a conference with Augesburcke and Sampson, and learned what transpired after their last meeting.

Admiral Augesburcke and the Admiralty watched the Chem broadcasts from the Plebiscite with intense interest. A clear picture of public support for Nazeera and Alexander formed, but beyond that was the official intention of the Chem government, i.e. Bureel, to have Alexander arrested and executed, without the opportunity for challenge. Augesburcke knew of nothing that could prevent Bureel from carrying out his threat. Once Alexander was in the Assemblage he would be under the control of Bureel’s supporters. His chances were therefore not very promising. Augesburcke was not about to let his Overlord walk into a trap.

“I was unwilling to give you up Alexander; you are too essential a piece to the entire Terran situation,” he said gravely. “Things progressed just as you foresaw, but in my opinion, the Chem were not above temporarily forgetting protocol as a matter of practicality. As soon as you entered that Assemblage chamber all bets were off. They could take his head for the galaxy to see, and I couldn’t see how we could stop them.”

Sampson shrugged, and said, “Our strike fleets already left for the Syraptose and the Quotterim systems, and that was the bulk of our forces. It appeared our hands were tied.”

“That’s where the geometry of our Quotterim attack helped out,” Augesburcke said. “You planned the Quotterim strike so that it could be diverted after conquering the Quotterim fleet and therefore pressure Chem or Golkos—I simply moved it up a bit.”

“It’s a good thing you did Admiral,” Alexander said, rubbing the nape of his neck. “I was beginning to feel a bit lonely down here. That’s another rescue I owe you.”

“You’re welcome,” Augesburcke smiled. “This will buy us some time with the Galactic Alliance; however, it will also accelerate our political situation at home.”

“I think that pot is well stewed already,” Alexander said. “Things are ready to blow as they are; all they need is one good push. We have that push, gentlemen, in the person who sits at the President’s desk. We shall allow that person to express her sense of outrage at the presence of our fleet so deep in Chem territory. Then we shall let her hang herself!”

“Just give the word Alexander.”

“Admiral, the word is given!”

#

Later that afternoon they watched the debate on the Galactic network. There were speeches of conciliation and of philosophy, but in a relatively short time Nazeera was elected as the new Elder, as her predecessor desired. The Chem repudiated the schemes of Bureel, upon who the blame for the unprecedented Terran incursion was heaped. It was an elegant solution to a Chem embarrassment.

Alexander did attend Nazeera’s Ascension later that day, and afterwards they were married in Chem fashion. The event cemented a bond between the Terran Empire, which was still forming, and the Chem Empire, which was just recovering. Alexander planned to spend his honeymoon on Chem and depart in several days on Sampson’s flagship; the battleship Thor He hadn’t forgotten his Galactic plans, however. Nazeera had contacts on Chem which kept her informed of the intentions of the Alliance during their time in the Plebiscite. The confusion of the Terran situation, and now the close ties between Terra and Chem, were causing a re-assessment of Alliance strategy. He had time on that front. He did have a task to accomplish after the wedding and before their dinner, however.