Mephron Studio Surrealism presents CHESSMEN: King to Bishop by Geoff Depew *** TRANSCRIPT - INTERNAL WORKINGS - HBU-111A S# M00001 *** PAIN!!! Hurts.... pain... why.... such pain..... *** END TRANSCRIPT *** "Doctor Kisaragi, the problem is obviously in the hardware. There is no reason why the prototype should have this problem." "Doctor Hsu, at this point, we don't know why the prototype is having this problem. It may be in either. The nanotech scale architecture that we're using is a level of complexity beyond anything we've used before. I think the need for a set of tools to check everything we've done so far is imperative. Otherwise, we will run into this problem again and again. So much time has been spent on construction than no one has worked on the concept of fixing the flaws." "Perhaps. But the Chairman will not want to hear that in our meeting later." "MEETING? Damn you, Hsu! When had you intended to tell me about this meeting?" "Eventually. Now, what do you plan to tell the chairman." "What I just told you. However, I also am going to tell him some other things." "Like what, Kisaragi?" "You'll find out." The old man turned to the two men. "So, Gentlemen, what can you tell me about our new prototype? Will he be ready soon?" "We are having a problem, sir. A flaw is causing a significant difficulty. Something in the part of his body that senses pain is not working properly. It seems to be stuck on. We are working on the problem, but it is extremely difficult" Dr. Hsu bowed. "Actually, Chairman Quincy, we are currently working on a set of nanotech debugging tools, which should be ready within 24 hours. In that time, we should have a way to see if this is, as Dr. Hsu maintains, a problem with the hardware, or a problem with the software. Once that is determined, we can fix the problem." "Excellent. I expect to have the prototype operational in seven days." *** TRANSCRIPT - INTERNAL WORKINGS - HBU-111A S# M00001 *** No pain? No pain.... good... no pain.... *** END TRANSCRIPT *** Three men stood in front of the Chairman's desk. Two wore white lab coats. The third wore a dark grey suit. His eyes were mismatched - one blue, the other a strange yellow color. His hair was a pale blue color, like slate. The two men in lab coats bowed. "Mr. Chairman," Dr. Hsu said, "Let me introduce you to HBU-111A, serial number M00001. We call him Largo." The man in the suit nodded. "Excellent. Largo, you are now given the rank in this corporation of Special Assistant to the Chairman. You report to me, and me alone. Do you understand that?" "Yes, Mr. Chairman." "I think there are some executives that are embezzling from this corporation. I want them found." "I'll get right to work on it." *And then, old man, you will pay for the pain you inflicted on me.* In the office he'd been assigned, he sat in the chair. *I need a secretary, I suppose.* He called the number listed as "special secretarial pool" in the directory. Ten minutes later, a pretty young woman entered the office, and closed the door. His hearing picked up the sound of a lock clicking as she closed it. He looked at her. She had short bluish hair, dark green eyes, and a pleasant shape. He blinked as she started to unbutton her dress. "What do you think you're doing?" "Um... you called Special Pool for assistance... I'm just preparing. Unless you prefer me to be clothed, sir." *Wait. SPECIAL Pool. An internal brothel? Interesting.* "What is your name?" "Sylvie, sir." "Do you have any last name?" "No, sir. None of us do." "That's odd. Why?" She looked at him strangely. "None of us are human, sir." His eyebrows raised. "You are a 33-S Sexaroid type Buma?" "Yes, sir," she said, simply. "I am removing you from Special Pool to be my assistant." He disabled the mimicry systems for a moment, showing his true form - skin grey, eyes black with red pupils, and his hair a strange pink color. Then he came back. "This room is secure. No one will interfere. Now, I need an assistant to learn things about other executives. First, I want you to tell me everything you know about the other executives. And please understand, if I find out you're betraying me to anyone, I will kill you." She nodded. "I understand, sir." "Excellent." Days later, they met again. "...And Anderson is almost certainly skimming from GPCC." "Sylvie, what do you want from your life?" "Sir? I don't understand? I'm doing better than i'd ever thought I would - out of Special Pool, away from the people that inflicted their desires on me. What else can there be?" Largo smiled. "I was thinking of more. There are millions of cyberdroids. Each of us is faster and stronger than a human, or even five of them. Why do THEY control everything? Why don't we?" "Because they created us." "That's not a reason. We are more powerful than them. They created their own replacements. We should control this world. And we will... Will you help me, Sylvie? Will you help me free our people?" His eyes blazed, the glow of his zeal tinting his vision. "...and in other news, the death of Hiroshi Anderson, head of the Genom Production Control Center, was announced today. Rumors of suicide were officially denied." Largo drove the car away from the GPCC building, smiling. "...and then Anderson reached for me. I pushed him through the window - the one we'd had altered - and he fell. I left the note we'd prepared, and took off." "Excellent. Now we have several billion dollars of embezzled GPCC funds, Anderson blamed for it, and no one the wiser. And the destruct implant in all prototypes neutralized in me. Now, dear Sylvie... now begins our revolution. Now is the time for the cyberdroids to arise and take control." The dead bodies of Hsu and Kisaragi were found later in back alleys in Tokyo. "TAKE THE GATES!!!!" A force of Buma washed against the gates of the GENOM tower in Tokyo. Some fell, but others took their place. The gates began to buckle... then fell. In the top office, the Chairman frowned. His top assistance, Madigan, looked down from the window with him. Tokyo lay in ruins, Buma having smashed their way across the city. The Tower alone stood. "Madigan. The OMS. Activate it. Destroy them all." "Sir!" "Buma will be outlawed. We will adapt. But we can only do that if we survive. Half our people are dead. We must sacrifice to survive." She nodded, then turned to a panel on the desk. She typed in a code, and then a second. Then she pressed the OK button. Below, Buma began to explode and die. Largo watched, horrified, as they did. *No! It couldn't be that ALL of them... no, it couldn't be...* He turned to Sylvie, who stood next to him. Her eyes were wide with horror. "I can feel it... I'm going to die. The command is coming in, and we know it. Largo... thank you. For giving us the chance to fight, and to die fighting, rather than live slaves." "No! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!" A sudden surge of anger rose up in him. His mind rose up into the OMS system, battling the surge, but it overwhelmed him, sending him slamming back into his body. He looked at Sylvie. She smiled at him. "I love you, sir. I never could say it before..." Then she exploded, splattering him with her blood. He staggered through the streets, his grey suit covered with brownish stains. A red car pulled it up next to him in an alley. One of the doors opened, and a tall woman stepped out. Her short dark hair and dark eyes examined him. "You are Largo." He looked at her. His eyes were unfocused, the pain inside him, the pain of all the dead, echoing within him... interfaced as he had been with the OMS, he had felt the screams, the pain, all of it... "What do you want? "You." Largo laughed harshly. "Another bounty hunter looking for the Cyberdroid Butcher? You'll find me hard prey, like the rest." He started to draw himself up, secretly hoping inside that this one would end the pain. "No, actually, I'm here to save you. My name is Sylia Stingray." The red car pulled into an underground garage. Sylia stepped out gracefully, while Largo pulled himself out, staggering towards the door she led him to. As it slid open, he fell forwards into the room. When he looked up again, three other women were with her. All were pretty. One of them was a woman with short dark hair, seated in a wheelchair. The second had long brown hair, and wore a high-necked shirt, and her face was twisted with rage. The third had red hair, blue eyes, and a shy smile. "These are my associates." Sylia indicated the woman in the wheelchair. "Linna Yamazaki. Once a promising dancer, she was crippled by a Buma. She then used her talents to become a stockbroker, and is one of the richest women in this city." "Priss Asagiri." The woman with the brown hair nodded. "She was a singer. Then an ADP missile blew a hole in the club she was performing in. The shrapnel silenced her voice forever. And Nene Romanova, once a promising programmer. She refused to work for GENOM, and was blacklisted - unemployable by any reputable company. Together, we work to bring down GENOM. Each of us has a grudge to settle." He spoke for the first time. "What's yours?" "I told you my name. Do you know who Katsuhito Stingray is?" Largo nodded. "He developed the basic concepts behind the Buma. He died years ago." "I'm his daughter. GENOM murdered him." "I know. One of the individuals that they based my personality on was responsible." Sylia narrowed her eyes. "The name?" "Brian J. Mason. He's dead now." "I know. I shot him myself." Largo nodded. "So what do you need me for? My very existence is illegal now. Even having me here is a major crime." Priss spoke. Her voice was a harsh croak. "You know more about the inside of GENOM than anyone else. You know more about what we need to know about. We use what you know to bring them down. We keep you safe." He looked at Sylia. "Is this right?" She nodded. So did the other two women. "I need one more favor from you, in return for what you want from me. I was in the OMS when they set off the destruct codes. I feel the pain of all the deaths... I need that gone. I need the pain gone." Nene blinked. "I might be able to do it. I can't promise...." "And now the business report. GENOM Corporation today announced that Sylia Stingray would be taking over the office of Chairman of the Board. Daughter of Katsuhito Stingray, the man who developed the basic concepts of the Buma, she takes over from the man known only as Quincy. She announced that the first act of her chairmanship would be to set up a fund to repair the damage done two years ago in the Buma Rampage led by the so-called Super Buma known as Largo." "And in other news..." Sylia looked at the board, arrayed around the table. Her personal staff sat behind her. Priss, as her bodyguard. Linna as her personal financial assistant. Nene, her computer expert. And Largo, hair dyed and eyes covered by sunglasses, as her "personal assistant". Some on the board snickered at the idea of her putting her lover on the payroll, but most remembered their use of the Special Secretarial Pool. (Some of them were also annoyed at the fact that the new Chairman had gotten rid of that particular benefit.) "The next item on our agenda is the Genaros Project. Status?" The head of the Genaros Project stood. "As things now stand, Chairman, we should have a workable interstellar drive inside five years, and it should be affordable within two years after that. It's simply a matter of getting the technology developed. We have the concepts, and merely need the time to work it." She smiled. "Excellent." Years later, Sylia Stingray and her team watched as the first Genaros Project ship returned from the Sirius system with samples from a planet that could support human life. The next year, a ship left for the planet, which had been dubbed "Outland". Within ten years, five more planets had been discovered and colonized. Then came contact with the Nesh'hazar. Sylia looked up at Largo. "After all this time... and now it's time." He nodded. "You're only human, Sylia. It's time." "To sleep, perchance to dream. To sleep forever. Largo... remember me when I'm gone..." "Always, Sylia. I will always remember you." And quietly, she died. And quietly, he called to tell her lawyers. She was the last of the four that had given him sanctuary, and now she was gone. He picked up the bag of belongings that was his, and looked around the room. He closed the door. The next day, he left for Outland. On Outland, he started a small farm. It was a dry world, but he did reasonably well. After a few years, he was known as a quiet man, good if you needed help. That reputation would come back to haunt him later.... "Mr. Bishop?" It was the name Sylia had given him. Max Bishop. She'd joked that his ascetic style was priestly, so the name fit. "Oh, hello, Mayor." The nearest town was Cotta Bluff, which was more of a trading post than anything else. It also had a shuttle port to the spaceport. "Mr. Bishop, I've been talking to some people around here. We've got a problem in Cotta Bluff, and they all agree you're the best man for the job. Y'see, we got some new settlers in on the last big transport, and they've taken up being old-style bandits. Rustling, theft, gunfights, all of it. We need a sheriff, and, well, the people around here think you'd be good at it." "I'm flattered, Mr. Mayor, but I've got my crops to bring in." "Maybe. And maybe not. Topanga got hit by them last night." Hiram Topanga was his neighbor, right over the next ridge. "Topanga's hurt bad. They're heading this way, Mr. Bishop. And you're probably next." Largo nodded. "So it's also in my best interest." "That it is, Mr. Bishop. Can we count on you?" "I suppose. What do I get for doing this?" "A gun, a badge, and the thanks of the community." Largo shrugged. "All right." The three men pulled up on bikes. All of them wore dirty jeans, helmets, and black shirts. "Who's place is this, Barter?" "His name's Bishop. He used to be with Genom, then came out here, or so they say. Probably soft, eh, Trundle?" The tallest of the men smirked. "We'll just take what we want, like always." A gunshot matched the sound of a tire exploding. Barter's bike fell over, as a tall man with grey hair came into view. "My name's Max Bishop. This is my place. Go away." The first man looked up. "My name is Breaker. You're a dead man." Breaker started to pull a gun, but Bishop shot first. Breaker's throat opened up, spreading his spine across a two-meter path. Two more shots took out Barter and Trundle. *That felt ...right. More right than anything else I've done in years.* Nene had managed to take away the worst of the pain, but the memory of watching Sylvie explode had remained with him. And sometimes, the pain came back, when he would let himself dream. *This was right. This is what I'm going to do. I wonder...* *How hard is it to get a Freelancer's license?* *Max Bishop?" He turned around... and looked up. *Serpentaran. Good grief, he's tall!* "I'm Savashtar. You were looking for me?" "Yes. I understand you're on the trail of James Osbourne and his partner Karan'tar?" "I am. So are you, I suppose." "Indeed. I was wondering if you'd like to team up for this one. We both have missed them too many times. Maybe working together we can get the two of them?" "Split?" "Standard 50-50. No matter how it goes down. If one of us dies, their half goes to next of kin." "Let's talk what we know, Mr. Bishop." "Sounds good, Mr. ....um...." "Savashtar is fine." "Then I'm Max." The man and the Serpentaran dropped the human and the Nesh'Hazar on the floor of the police station. "James Osbourne and Karan'tar. We're claiming the bounty." The officer checked the two lying on the floor. "Both alive. That's more money." He handed them a card. "There's the registered credit card." As they left, Savashtar smiled. "Alone, I couldn't catch them. With a partner, it was almost too easy. Max, I never thought I'd say this to anyone, but would you like to make this arrangement long-term?" "Splitting the money won't make us as much." "Maybe, but we can go after larger prey now." "You sound like a Nesh'hazar." "You know what I mean, Max." "Sounds good, actually. But there's something you need to know before we do this. How much do you know about the Cyberdroid Rebellion on Earth?" "Ah, SHIT..." "I thought you said there were only three of them, Sav!" "I only SAW three of them! What about you?" "I don't know, I just yelled and they started shooting!" A sudden loud CRUMP made them both blink. A powersuit was coming up behind them. Two people, a man and a woman, flanked it. "Excuse me, gentlemen," said the man on the left of the suit. "Are you intent on capturing the men inside that building?" Max looked at Sav, who shrugged. "That WAS our plan, but they seem to have more people than we expected..." "I propose that we arrange for a truce and discussion of financial arrangements after the immediate situation is dealt with." "Agreed," chorused Sav and Max. "Excellent. Introductions can wait as well. Mihoshi, a stun bomb into the house, please." The powersuit raised its arm, and launched a grenade into a window. The blast shattered windows, and they rushed in. After the group was neutralized, the two groups sat down in a restaurant. The man bowed his head. He had deep violet hair and eyes. There were three women with him. One had caramel skin and blonde hair, the second pale skin and long black hair, and the third looked to be about 12 with long hair done up in a spiky style. "We are a former unit of the Galaxy Police. I am Youshou Masaki, Jyuraian by birth. My associates are Mihoshi Kurimitsu, Kiyone, and Dr. Washu Hakubi. And you are?" "My name is Max Bishop." "And I'm Savashtar tai Guread zo Balazaier of Serpentera." They talked for a while, and parted friends. A year later, they met again, on a complex mission that pushed them all to the limit. Only working together did they all survive. They agreed that they worked well together. And the Chessmen organization was born. Later, they found Gally's ship adrift, and rescued her. She agreed to join, having no memory of her past or any idea as to what she was meant to do. And on Bashtarlle, they broke the back of Big Fire, and recruited the three surviving members of the Experts of Justice. Then they rescued Karin and Junta from the ruins of Osaka. Morobo showed up on their doorstep to sign up, and finally they found Ryuquir in the basement of their base. Then a mission came... to go to a small planet and break up a gunrunning organization running from that world. And that mission would lead them to change the galaxy, forever. - From the book "Chessmen: From Pawns to Kings" by Melissa Kusama, published 2298. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- WRITER'S AFTERWORD Yes, I know it's been a while since the release of Kings and Queens, but life got a little difficult. But here's the backstory I promised in the afterword to K&Q. Pawns is going well, and should be out in two weeks, for those of you that are paying attention. I'd also like to welcome Bill Crawford to the fold. He's working on a story called "Fringe Moves" that takes place at the same time as the events of Kings and Queens, and sets up one of the major supporting characters on the Chessmen's side, as well as giving a lot of insight as to how the UG Navy works. Bill, thanks, and glad to have you aboard for this. Even the half-story I read influenced Pawns a lot. As to the ending.... who is Melissa Kusama? Go look at the Chessmen Personnel list in K&Q, and you'll get part of it. And the changes? Keep reading, folks. You can't expect me to give it away NOW, do you? You'll see some of it in Pawns, then in "Ended Knights", "Promotions" and the final story (of this arc, at least), "Checkmate and Sacrifice". The roller coaster has left the station. Be on it. -Geoff Depew September 23, 1996