CHAPTER ONE #2
Hammers were the elite warriors of the Erzton who got their name from the lunarium war hammers they wielded, and they were just as deadly as their reputation suggested.
“Is that why there are so many cameras?” Vesper pointed at the ceiling. “So the Hammers from the other Houses can record their training sessions?”
Several wires dangled from the domed ceiling, and each one held a black camera that looked like an oversize, rotund spider. Long seams of black solar wiring studded with bulbs also dangled from the ceiling, but there were far more cameras than lights hanging over the maze.
Asterin nodded. “Yes. All the Hammers from the Erzton Houses, including House Collier, train here several times a year. The technicians are always working on new tricks, traps, and biodomes, and they make the obstacles and the environments as challenging as possible.”
In other words, the maze was far more dangerous than the pretty, placid garden it appeared to be. Wonderful.
I stopped pacing and eyed the closest camera, which was focused on the three of us.
Two red dots on the front burned bright and steady, making the camera look even more like a spider.
My lips curled back with disgust. As a Regal lord, I’d been a target of the Imperium gossipcasts for years, and I despised being filmed, even for something as helpful as training.
The cameras might ostensibly be here so that the Hammers could record and review their training, but I was betting the House Battis leaders also got a copy of the footage.
A clever way to spy on your enemies and make sure you knew exactly how capable they were, along with their tactics, tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses.
All those cameras would soon be trained on Vesper and me, which filled me with unease.
Asterin had assured us that we were safe on Sygnustern, and her stepfather and mother, Lord Aldrich and Lady Verona Collier, had given us their protection as the leaders of House Collier.
But thanks to the Erzton gossipcasts, Callus Holloway had to know Vesper and I were on Sygnustern.
I wouldn’t put it past Holloway to get one of his spies in the Erzton to send him the footage of our training session so he could figure out the best way to capture and contain us.
“This is a bad idea,” I grumbled again, still eyeing the cameras.
“It will be good for us to do a different kind of training,” Vesper said, stepping over to me. “Stretch our horizons, make us think outside the box, and all that other fun stuff.”
I gently brushed Vesper’s dark brown hair back over her left shoulder, and the russet highlights in her locks shimmered in the soft golden glow cast by the overhead bulbs.
Then I skimmed my fingertips along her collarbone, enjoying the warmth of her skin through her tempered-silk clothes, which automatically adjusted to her body heat, along with the surrounding environment.
Vesper was wearing a dark blue jacket, a tactical shirt, and cargo pants with knee-high black boots, just like I was, and the Arrow uniform hugged her curves in all the right places.
I would much rather do some private training with you. Just like we did in the shower this morning. I think we both proved how flexible we are.
I sent the telepathic thought to Vesper, who shivered and leaned into my touch. A blush pinkened her pale cheeks, and the silver flecks in her dark blue eyes glimmered with desire. The same emotion rippled along the velvety ribbon of her in my mind, and my inner monster rumbled with satisfaction.
Look on the bright side, Vesper replied. It’s a huge maze, which means we could always find a quiet spot for your private training.
It’s a date.
The blush on her cheeks intensified, and her soft laughter rang through my mind.
Asterin snorted and rolled her silver eyes.
Then she shook her head, making her long black ponytail slap against her shoulders.
“I might not be able to hear your telepathic conversation, but I know exactly what you’re talking about.
The two of you are here to improve your truebond connection.
Not to fool around in the maze. Got it?”
Vesper and I looked at each other, then shrugged in unison.
Asterin slapped her hands on her hips, wrinkling her dark gray coveralls. “You two are impossible,” she muttered. “It’s like dealing with two lovestruck teenagers. Follow me. If you can keep your hands off each other long enough.”
She narrowed her eyes at us, then spun around and stalked away.
Vesper and I looked at each other again. I waggled my eyebrows in a suggestive manner, and peals of laughter erupted from her lips. Answering chuckles rumbled out of my own throat.
Together we trailed after Asterin, still laughing as we moved deeper into the facility.
Asterin led us along the walkway, which circled the entire maze. I glanced over the railing, but I didn’t see any steps leading down to the ground level.
“No stairs?” I called out.
Asterin shook her head, making her ponytail swish from side to side.
“Not from the walkway directly down to the maze. House Battis takes safety very seriously, and everyone must check in at the control room before they can access the ground level. That way, the technicians know exactly who is down there, and no one is entering the area by accident.”
“What about once you’re in the maze itself?” Vesper asked. “How do you get out?”
“The technicians monitor everyone through the cameras, just in case there’s an emergency, but in general, once you’re inside the maze, you must either figure out how to reach the center or fight your way there,” Asterin replied. “Or both, if you’re a Hammer and it’s a training exercise.”
Asterin left the walkway and strode down a wide, enclosed corridor.
Holoscreens embedded in the dark gray concrete walls flickered to life at our approach.
Some screens contained images that chronicled the construction of the dome, along with the maze, while others showed smiling people who had to be important members of House Battis, given the large black B sigils that adorned their dark red uniforms.
The three of us went to the end of the corridor, veered around a corner, and stepped into a long rectangular space.
Off to the right, a glass window revealed polyplastic benches squatting in front of gray metal lockers.
Steam also wisped through that area, indicating that the locker room also contained shower stalls.
Off to the left, another glass window showed a well-stocked armory. Blasters, hand cannons, swords, daggers, and war hammers hung in neat rows on the wall. Next door to the armory was an infirmary with a couple of medtables and cabinets that held injectors and other medical supplies.
Asterin moved past those areas and headed toward the back, where a waist-high permaglass wall cordoned off a large space. She pushed through a gate in the clear wall, and Vesper and I followed her.
A long metal control panel that sloped down like a keyboard stood at the front of the space. Green knobs, red buttons, and black levers jutted up from the panel’s surface, along with rows of colorful lights. I’d ridden on Imperium space cruisers that didn’t have such sophisticated controls.
Several small holoscreens were embedded in the panel, and a row of holograms flickered in the air. Each hologram showed a warrior in the maze, along with notes about their armor, weapons, and psionic abilities. Their heart rates, oxygen levels, and other vital signs were also displayed.
Monitors mounted to a nearby wall showed warriors clutching blasters, hand cannons, and war hammers and moving through the maze. Tables were scattered around the rest of the room where folks could watch the holograms and camera feeds.
Asterin headed over to a man wearing a red uniform standing at the center of the control panel. He was several inches shorter than me, with narrow shoulders and a thin body. He had light brown hair and eyes, and the panel’s flashing lights painted eerie glows on his pale skin.
“This is Jeffrey, the head technician,” Asterin said.
“He oversees and controls the maze, and his job is to throw as many challenges at the Hammers as possible. In addition to fighting each other, warriors must also deal with whatever physical obstacles and simulated holographic enemies Jeffrey activates. Some of the biodomes are also challenges in and of themselves, given their extreme environments and elements.”
Jeffrey gave us a distracted wave, his attention still on the holograms flickering in the air.
He frowned, then leaned forward. His long, slender fingers danced over the control panel, twisting knobs, hitting buttons, and pulling levers like he was playing a complicated concerto.
In response to his actions, fog rolled across the monitors, making the warriors stop.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
The muted sound of blaster fire erupted out of a monitor, and black Xs appeared on the holograms of two warriors, indicating that they had been mock-killed.
According to the info on the screen, the warriors were equipped with modified blasters that were set to stun instead of kill, although the weapons would still leave behind nasty bruises and minor burns to remind the fighters of their failures. A simple but effective training tool.
Jeffrey nodded with satisfaction, then spoke into a black microphone sticking up out of the panel. “Hammer One and Hammer Two, you’re done for the evening. Please return to the nearest exit.”
Static crackled out of the microphone. “Roger that,” a man replied in a sour tone.
Jeffrey hit more buttons. Asterin, Vesper, and I watched while one black X after another appeared on the remaining holograms. A single alpha warrior was swiftly navigating through the fog and eliminating the other fighters.
“It’s too bad Zane isn’t here,” I murmured. “He loves war games.”
A smile tugged at Vesper’s lips. “He messaged me earlier.”