by T. R. Harris
Again, the alien shrugged. “That is not our decision.” He looked over at Pannel. “You are now in the hands of the Cartel. All we wanted to do was stop the rebellion and capture Sirous. We have done that.”
Adam looked at Pannel and grinned, keeping his mouth closed as he did. At this crucial juncture, he didn’t want to antagonize the Cartel boss.
“We have no instructions regarding your welfare other than that dictated by Sirous. That contract has now been voided.” He stepped in closer to Adam—a good head taller than the shorter Human—and glared down. “Personally, I want revenge. However, if the roles were reversed, I would have reacted the same as you. You, Adam Cain—and the others—are free to go.”
Jay took Riyad and Sherri by the arm. “You don’t have to ask us twice. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Sherri and Riyad pulled their arms away.
“That’s it?” Sherri asked. “After shooting up our business, terrorizing us, and with us losing a perfectly good freighter, we’re just supposed to walk away as if nothing happened?”
“The Cartel was not responsible for … for most of that,” Pannel replied. “You should be content that I am setting you free. In my mind, I know this to be a mistake. Eventually, our paths will cross again, and I fear for the outcome. It would be easier for me to deny you the opportunity to interfere again in the affairs of the Gradis.”
“C’mon, Sherri,” Adam said. “Let’s call it a day. We have a lot of clean up to do once we get back.”
With a last show of defiance, the four beaten, exhausted, and defeated Humans made their way back to the escape tunnel. At the entrance, Adam turned to the skinny alien tagging along.
“Shoo! You’re not coming with us.”
The alien hesitated until Riyad took a step toward him and flashed his brilliant white smile. The creature’s eyes grew wide before he turned and scurried off into the cavern, terrified of Riyad’s death challenge.
33
Fortunately for everyone, the trip back to Liave-3 from L-7 was a short one; otherwise, the tension aboard the Tirrell Joyner would have been unbearable.
Riyad avoided Sherri and Adam, guilt-ridden and frustrated, while Jay hung out in the cargo hold away from everyone out of an instinctive desire for self-preservation.
In the end, the universal sentiment was depression and disillusionment. There was no fantastic salvage worth multi-millions of Juirean credits waiting for them, or even compensation for the damage done to the outfitting business. They’d lost their best freighter, and Jay’s speeder was also gone. And to top it off, each of them was suffering from a variety of injuries, inflicted either by an assortment of aliens or by each other, as in the case of Jay and Riyad. All in all, it had been a pretty shitty couple of weeks.
Adam guided the Tirrell Joyner to the Kanac Spaceport, obeying the quasi-landing instructions issued from the surface by the semi-trained tower crew. Basically, they were directed to the northwest quadrant and told not to land on any other vessel in port. That was the extent of most landing instructions.
When the exhaust smoke cleared, Adam remained in his seat for a full minute, the motivation to continue his day absorbed by his melancholy.
“C’mon, Adam,” Sherri prodded. “Things won’t get better on their own.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
A couple of minutes later, the hatch opened, and the four Humans reluctantly exited the vessel. Jay hung back a distance; Adam could tell he was afraid of him. The kid isn’t as dumb as he looks. Adam blamed Jay for most of what happened recently. A reckoning was due at some point. Fortunately for Jay, it would wait until Adam was feeling better.
And then, just as if Adam’s day couldn’t get any worse, it did.
A large black transport pulled up to the side of the Tirrell Joyner, and the rotund form of Dal Divisen climbed out the back, accompanied by a set of long-tusked and hulking bodyguards. His amused grin only made Adam angrier, along with the fact that the gangster knew his schedule down to the minute. Did he have a tracker on the TJ? Adam wouldn’t put it past him.
“What the hell do you want?” Adam said as he approached the alien.
Dal raised his hands in mock defense. “Calm yourself, Adam Cain. I come in peace.”
“I’ve heard aliens say that before.”
Dal frowned, missing the obscure reference.
“Truly, I have not come to upset.”
“Then to gloat? I know you have the weapons. You cleaned out your little hideaway before anyone got there, making us all look like fools. And of course, I didn’t see you on the ground fighting beside your pitiful pirates. You prefer to sit back and let others get their hands dirty for you.”
Dal shook his head. “I am confused as to what you are implying, my friend. Are you saying you suspect me of having some influence over the actions of the raiders?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“That is preposterous. I would not dream of such! My businesses are all legitimate, and sponsoring the actions of criminals would be detrimental to my interests. And now you accuse me of gunrunning, as well. Surely such activity would attract the attention of both the Union and the Expansion. I would not be that foolish.”
“Says you.”
“Please, Adam Cain, let us not squabble.” Dal took in the four very angry and frustrated Humans, obviously unaware of the danger he faced. Adam was only a few seconds away from hauling off and flooring the obnoxious alien. One hit; one kill. That was his motto. He looked at the bodyguards, itching for the chance. Beating up on aliens was once a hobby of his. And there was no denying Adam his favorite pastime.
“I did not come here to fight,” Dal continued. “As fact, I have something to show you. Please, look into the sky.”
Everyone was distracted by a deep rumbling coming from above. They gazed into the glare of midday, squinting as an object appeared at nearly the same point in the sky as the star Liave. It competed against the blinding light before descending further on a cushion of flaming landing jets. It was large, oblong, and with a bulbous tail end; a form that was imminently familiar to them all.
A moment later, the Ed Gibson landed a hundred yards away, the hot grey exhaust reaching the dumbfounded observers a second later.
Once the choking and coughing passed, Adam was even more upset.
“I knew it, you rotten bastard! That’s our ship! What are you trying to do, rub it in?”
“Rub what, in what?”
“That you stole our ship.”
“I assure you I have not stolen anything. I purchased the freighter according to all accepted standards. I have all the documentation to prove it.”
Adam was a second away from losing it when Jay stepped up.
“But it was contaminated; too hot for normal operation.”
“Yes, it was, young Human. And that is why I was able to acquire the vessel for a very reasonable price. It has since been cleaned and is ready for operation once again.”
“That’s our ship, and you know it,” Sherri scolded, also taking a step toward the alien. His bodyguards began to move in; Dal stopped them with a gesture.
“And that is the reason I am giving it to you as a gift.”
Adam saw red. This was the last straw. “I’m going to tear you a new one—wait, what?”
“I am gifting you the vessel,” Dal said, his amused grin having returned. “And as a bonus, within the hold is a small transit speeder, which I believe was once owned by your associate, Jay Williford. Do with it as you wish.”
Jay’s face was animated, grinning from ear to ear.
“He is not an associate of ours,” Riyad corrected, glaring at the young man.
Jay’s smile vanished. He took a step away from his former friend, moving out of range.
“I don’t understand,” Sherri said. “Why are you doing this?”
Dal gathered his thoughts before speaking. Then he focused his attention on Adam once again. “When I firs
t learned that you and your friends had come to L-3, I suspected you were here on some notorious mission to spy on my operations. I have since come to dismiss that thought. I see now that you are here for your stated purpose, to make a life on Liave-3, such as I. This means we are to be neighbors for the foreseeable future. In addition, I have witnessed the perseverance and awesome power Humans are capable of, verifying many of the stories I have heard of your race, and of you, in particular, Adam Cain. As you are well aware, times are changing on Liave-3. It cannot sustain its current posture. Eventually, civilization must come to the planet, including laws and government. I accept this; in fact, I encourage it. Outside forces are moving in which threaten both our interests. Without reliable laws and structure, all could be lost.” Dal grinned fully, exposing his teeth, knowing that Humans did not subscribe to the standard meaning of the expression. “And in all honesty, when the time comes for this transition I would prefer to have you as my friend, rather than my enemy.”
“Friend?” Adam questioned. “That’s pushing it.”
“I do not understand. Pushing what?”
“Never mind; it’s just a saying.”
Dal shook his head. “You Humans have such an odd way of expressing yourself. But as I was saying, I no longer want conflict between us. So, consider the return of your ship a demonstration of goodwill. As I stated to you once before, all I seek is harmony.”
“And compliance, if I’m not mistaken.”
Dal nodded. “Yes, compliance, as well. However, at the moment, I will settle for harmony. Compliance will come later.”
It was Adam’s turn to grin, displaying a full set of white Human teeth. In this case, the meaning of the expression was two-fold.
“I wouldn’t count on that. If you hadn’t noticed, Humans ain’t the complyin’ type.”
The End
With more great adventures to come…
Author Notes
So, this is it, the first book in the revamped Human Chronicles Saga, now titled The Adam Cain Chronicles.
Still set in the expansive universe of The Human Chronicles, I continue to follow the adventures of our heroes Adam Cain, Riyad Tarazi and Sherri Valentine, but now it’s back to the basics. Just a trio of ordinary Humans doing superhuman things in an alien universe.
From the very beginning, I wanted to make ordinary Humans into Supermen (and women), blessed with natural abilities that set all of us above the alien population in the galaxy. I was tired of all the stories where we get our asses kicked by every blob, spore or tentacled thing that comes to Earth or that we meet among the stars.
I wanted Humans to be the thing everyone feared.
Hence, The Human Chronicles Saga, all 29 books in the series.
And now the adventure continues with The Adam Cain Chronicles (soon to be a Saga all its own).
This first book—The Dead Worlds—sets the stage for further novels, introducing people, places and things that will be constants throughout the series. However, a key feature of this new series is that every book should be able to be read as a standalone, without having to read all those before it. (For those first being introduced to the characters and concepts, you have the entire Human Chronicles Saga to read if you need context. And for my loyal fans, it’s more of what you’ve come to expect from Adam and his friends.)
In other news…
I’m working on book #5 in The REV Warriors Series—REV: Retribution—which is due out on Dec. 20, 2019. (Available for pre-order). I’m also hoping to get more Adam Cain novels out on a regular basis, shifting between REV and Adam Cain every month or so.
I’m also developing several new series and spinoffs. In fact, it’s hard to go a week without coming up with a new story idea! That’s just the life of a writer; there’s always another book to write.
Anyway, that’s it for now. Be sure to check your email for updates, features and release notices (For those of you who have signed up on my list, or course. If you haven’t, then shame on you! Do it now by clicking here: Subscribe to My Email List.)
I hope you enjoyed The Dead Worlds. It’s fun and light space opera entertainment … and there’s a lot more to come!
T.R. (Tom) Harris
October 2019
P.S. October 2019, marks the eight-year anniversary of the publication of my first novel, The Fringe Worlds, way back on Oct. 12, 2011. It’s been an incredible ride, fulfilling a life-time ambition of mine to be a full-time—and successful—author. For this I thank every one of you. Without readers to buy and read my stories I would still be just a dreamer. Don’t get me wrong; I still am a dreamer. Only now I get paid for it.
Thanks again for your loyal support throughout the years.
-T.R. Harris
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Novels by T.R. Harris
The Adam Cain Chronicles
The Dead Worlds
The Human Chronicles Saga
The Fringe Worlds
Alien Assassin
The War of Pawns
The Tactics of Revenge
The Legend of Earth
Cain’s Crusaders
The Apex Predator
A Galaxy to Conquer
The Masters of War
Prelude to War
The Unreachable Stars
When Earth Reigned Supreme
A Clash of Aliens
Battlelines
The Copernicus Deception
Scorched Earth
Alien Games
The Cain Legacy
The Andromeda Mission
Last Species Standing
Invasion Force
Force of Gravity
Mission Critical
The Lost Universe
The Immortal War
Destroyer of Worlds
Phantoms
Terminus Rising
The Last Aris
The Human Chronicles Box Set Series
Box Set #1 – Books 1-5 in the series
Box Set #2 – Books 6-10 in the series
Box Set #3 – Books 11-15 in the series
Box Set #4 – Books 16-20 in the series
REV Warriors Series
REV
REV: Renegades
REV: Rebirth
REV: Revolution
REV: Retribution (Dec. 2019)
The REV Warriors Series 3-Book Box Set
Jason King – Agent to the Stars Series
The Enclaves of Sylox
Treasure of the Galactic Lights
The Drone Wars Series
Day of the Drone
In collaboration with George Wier…
The Liberation Series
Captains Malicious
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