by T. R. Harris
As mentioned before, starships seldom shared the same time schedule as the planets they landed on. However, this one had been on L-3 for ten days, with the conference being held within a prescribed time each day and tied to Liave time. This meant the crew was in the process of acclimating to local time, which was around two in the morning. Very few of the crew were wandering the corridors at this time of night.
This allowed Adam to make it nearly to the quarterdeck before encountering any of the crew, and when he did, it was another non-Juirean. The tall, four-armed creature was only half awake at the time, probably on his way to watch shift, having just woke up. He slipped past the three terrified med techs, not even noticing their expressions. Then he passed Adam, who strategically placed his pair of weapons under the sheet on the gurney. It worked to a point until the sleepy alien was a couple of steps past the Human, and his mind registered what he just saw. He stopped and turned and caught the barrel of an MK-17 in his face. Adam was so hyped up at the moment that he used more force than was necessary. The face of the alien caved in and the body collapsed to the deck.
Adam whipped his weapons around toward the three med techs. As expected, they were waiting for an opportunity to run. Adam stopped them with a word.
“Don’t!”
They froze.
“Put him on the gurney,” Adam ordered. The aliens looked at him with confusion and panic. “The cart. Put him on the cart.”
Once the body was on the gurney, Adam covered the crushed and bloody face with the sheet. Unfortunately, the sheet was white and the blood that soaked into it was bright red, creating quite the contrast.
The tiny caravan moved on. Adam was almost to the quarterdeck and a way off the ship. Juirean Guards would be there, along with a security detail on the ground outside. There would also be security cameras watching the station 24/7. He would have to act fast. There would be nothing subtle or slick about his escape at that time. People were going to die. Alien people.
The corridor opened into a larger area near an airlock. The interior door was open, but the outer door was closed, as per in-port regulations. Another guard station was outside, covered by a small, portable canopy. Guard pairs patrolled the area around the huge starship, making their rounds continuously while the ship was in port.
Adam coaxed the three alien med techs into the lobby and up to the reception desk. Two bored-looking Juirean Guards sat leaning back in their chairs behind the counter, watching their monitors and paying little attention to the smaller crewmembers.
Using the techs to shield his approach, Adam lurched forward, swiping the barrel of one of the MK-17s across the face of one Juirean before bringing the butt of the same weapon down on the shoulder of the next. The first Guard was down, but the second one was only stunned. Adam backhanded him with his right hand, and the alien was down for the count.
Turning once again to his still-living captives, he moved them into the airlock and clustered them at the outer door. He made a quick scan of the outside security monitors, orienting himself to the opposition. Then he fingered the door controls, just as alarms began to blare.
The door cycled open, letting in the cold air of late night on Liave-3.
“Run!” Adam shouted, before lighting off an MK bolt in the airlock. The med techs didn’t have to be told twice. They sprinted into the night, running off in different directions as the Guards outside fought to identify them. This wasn’t an assault on the ship. The runners came from inside. It was enough for the Guards to pause a moment before taking up the chase at the fleeing aliens.
Adam fired again into the air, the brilliant flash temporarily blinding anyone looking in this direction. There were ample lights on across the spaceport, but nothing like a plasma bolt shooting into the sky.
Adam slipped out of the ship and hugged the hull, moving behind the outer security station, now empty as the Guards raced after the med techs. Bolts lit off and Adam noticed one of the techs fall to the ground. The others regained their senses and stopped running, allowing themselves to be tackled by the Juirean Guards.
Adam picked up the pace. The Kanac Spaceport was a busy place these days, be it day or night. However, with the lockdown of the planet by order of the Juireans, no ships were arriving or leaving at the time. Still, there were plenty of them resting on the dirt of the landing field; Liave-3 was too poor to have a concrete-covered spaceport. Because of the number of ships in port, there was still a lot of activity and vehicles moving about, loading and unloading cargo, anticipating a lifting of the embargo very soon.
Adam found a patch of dark between floodlights and sprinted away at Human speed, reaching the closest cargo ship a few seconds later. Although there was a security buffer around the Class-3, the field was cluttered now more than ever thanks to the moratorium on flights in and out of the facility. Crouching in the shadow under a freighter, Adam scanned the field. Off to his left was a Bainbridge-Class destroyer, the ship where the Human negotiating team was staying. All other vessels—both Human and Juirean—had left the port minutes after Quanin’s assassination, a precaution against getting trapped on the surface. But not the two ships carrying the delegations. Ambassador Euker was aboard the destroyer. Adam thought for a second about seeking asylum aboard the ship but thought better of it. There was a good chance he would be denied entry. Euker wasn’t about to harbor anyone who looked even marginally guilty of killing the next Elder of the Juirean race.
There were several transports nearby, some occupied, some not; however, they were not those made for commuters, but rather for cargo and other materials. Any of them would get Adam past the terminal and outside the fence surrounding the spaceport.
He jumped aboard an open-cab transport with a long flatbed and pressed the accelerator. He shot off, half expecting someone to yell at him. No one did. He glanced back at the looming mass of the Juirean warship, still able to hear the alarms sounding outside the ship. Dozens of aliens were spreading out around the ship, with flickering shafts of searchlights dancing everywhere. The search was expanding, as the word was out that the infamous Adam Cain had escaped the ship.
He was through a gate and racing along a frontage road toward Kanac before the search reached the perimeter of the spaceport. Even so, he couldn’t outrun radio communications. He steered the truck into the jungle foliage on the right until it was well off the road. He’d hoof it from here, using his Human speed and endurance to his advantage. This was where his habit of keeping the internal gravity generator below his apartment running every night as he slept came in handy. It helped maintain his Earthly badassness if that was even a word.
18
It was colder than normal this night; even then, the jungle was covered in moisture, with droplets falling from the leaves above enough to make Adam believe it was raining. It wasn’t, but after only a hundred meters, he was soaked to the skin and shivering. Fortunately, it wasn’t far to the edge of the city from here. Kanac was growing at a fever pace and would soon overtake the surrounding jungle from the Foothills to the sea. But for now, there was still a strip of jungle a couple of miles wide between western Kanac and the spaceport.
He made it to the city without incident; most of the indigenous dinosaur species had already moved to more fertile grounds, knowing their habitat was about to disappear. Many of the structures on this side of town were newer, as most of the urban sprawl was in this direction. However, being this close to the spaceport and the constant noise of take-offs and landings, meant this wasn’t the best part of town. Most of the buildings were multi-unit dwellings with windows dark as their residents slept. That didn’t hold for the streets, however. There was always someone staggering back to their homes or hanging out on corners, looking for people to rob. That was the way of the lawless planet of Liave-3. Adam wouldn’t be surprised if the murder rate in Kanac was around thirty percent or more. And it would be higher if it wasn’t for the fact that everyone wore guns. They were necessities for self-defense since that was the on
ly kind of defense available.
Adam spotted a group of three younger aliens under a dim lamppost a block down the road. He wasn’t looking for trouble, but what he was looking for were fresh energy weapons and a communicator. He had to call Sherri.
He tucked the two MK-17s he had into his back waistline and confidently strode up to the small gang of thugs.
“Does any of you have a communicator? I need to make a link,” he said unabashedly. His lack of fear caught the aliens off guard.
A horned creature with a prominent bony brow stepped forward. “You can make a link, but there is a cost.”
“How much?” Adam asked, wide-eyed and innocent.
“Your life, you scab!”
“That seems rather expensive,” Adam said with sincerity. “Perhaps we can negotiate … like I take your communicators and weapons, and I let you live.”
The three aliens were taller than Adam, much taller. But in his experience, the taller the alien, the weaker they were, thanks to the effects of low gravity on evolving species. Even so, by towering over the much smaller Human, the aliens had unfounded confidence. They stepped forward, encircling Adam, hands now on the butts of their cheap MK-17s.
Adam was in a hurry, so he stepped forward with faster-than-expected reactions and planted a fist into the side of a blubbery green-skinned alien. This creature was by far the biggest and most imposing of the trio and Adam had a moment of doubt as his fist sank deep into the blubber before hitting anything substantial. But the hit had the desired effect. The creature let out a gush of foul-smelling air and bent sideways, buckling from the blow.
Next, Adam spun, using the back of his right hand like a club, catching the second—and not so tall—alien in the lower chin. The jaw slid sideways, followed by a prominent snap. Adam was onto Horn-Face before either of his first victims reached the ground.
He clamped his left fist around the neck of the ugly alien, unable to reach his head with his fist without having to jump. He released him immediately, as the pain from a dozen tiny needles stuck Adam’s hand.
He stepped back, able to now see in the dim light that the alien had hundreds of tiny horns covering his skin. They were everywhere Adam saw on the exposed flesh, all except his palms. Adam had never seen anything like him. The alien’s MK was out of the holster and pointing at him.
Not wanting to get stuck again, Adam reached for the barrel of the weapon rather than a body part, gripping it and twisting it up and over until it pointed at the chest of the alien. Horn-Face tried to hold on but couldn’t. With the MK now firmly in his grip, Adam used it to club the chin of the young alien thug. A moment later, all three were on the ground, two unconscious, with the third gripping his side and moaning.
Afraid of getting poked again, Adam left Horn-Face alone and rifled through the pockets of the other dead or unconscious aliens. He found a communicator and two spare battery packs for the MK. Another battery was in the pocket of the big blubbery creature.
With his tiny treasure trove, Adam continued along the street, leaving his victims behind. He activated the communicator as he walked and dialed the number of Sherri’s comm unit.
She came on the screen after the first buzz.
“You’re out!” she exclaimed. “How?”
“Not important,” he said. “Where are you?”
“I’m in Balamar, winding through some of the back roads. I was being followed, and I had to lose them before heading for the shipyard. And you?”
“I just got to Kanac. So, just to make sure, Hannon is supposed to be at the 22nd Bridge.”
“That’s what he said. He doesn’t know a lot of landmarks in town, but that one he does. And Adam, I went to Divisen.”
“Will he help?”
“He said no, but then he gave me an address. It could either be a place to hide or where you’ll find weapons.”
“What is it?”
“Thirty-one 48: 31st Street, building 48.”
Adam grimaced. “That’s on the other side of the bridge. We’ll have to go in the opposite direction from the coast after I find Hannon. I don’t know if we can do that.”
“That’s up to you, but I got the impression you’ll find help there, not direct help, but something you can use.”
“Okay, I’ll decide once I see what resistance we’re up against,” Adam said. He was nearing one of the main thoroughfares for Kanac, a street leading to the 22nd Street Bridge. “Just to be clear—because we weren’t before—Hannon has information that will clear us, right?”
“That’s what he says. He sounded sincere. We’d do the same thing if our employers were trying to kill us.”
“Yeah, as if that would ever happen.”
“Funny, dickhead,” Sherri smirked. “Be careful. Dal said a group called the Afinn Refugee Alliance is behind this. And they have money, lots of money. They could field an army if they want, especially in Kanac. And now you’ll have the Juireans looking for you, too. And watch the roads. It sucks that there’s only one road between Kanac and Balamar. That will be blocked. You’ll have to go cross-country.”
Adam smiled into the tiny screen. “I’d say something about this being a typical Tuesday, but Tuesday’s already been taken. Don’t worry about me. Just get to the shipyard and lay low. I’ll figure something out.”
“Keep that address in mind. I think Dal wanted to help; he just couldn’t come out and say it.”
“I will. I’ll keep the communicator with me. Wish me luck.”
19
Kracor Hafnin and his associate, Olis Sinifen, had their agent on a link, staring at him in disbelief.
“Dead? All dead?” said Kracor for verification. “But you sent eleven.”
“I did,” D’ness Acker confirmed.
“But he is a Human,” said Olis pointedly. “You should have sent more.”
“That is obvious now, but it does not help our situation. The assassin is loose and possessing information that could be detrimental to our cause.”
“It is worse than you think,” said another creature on a secondary monitor. “Adam Cain has escaped, and it is believed he is in Kanac to help your assassin.”
“Two Humans!” Kracor exclaimed. “How could this be so? Cain was aboard a Juirean warship.”
“As D’ness has stated, the how is not important, only our response to reality.”
“Hannon will attempt to get his information to the other Humans,” said Olis.
“That will be impossible,” said the person on the screen. The spaceport is under Juirean control, regardless of the Human protests. Soon, the Expansion fleet will be here, and it will secure the planet ensuring no one will leave. The information Hannon has will remain on Liave-3. After that, it will simply be a matter of killing everyone with knowledge of it.”
“Including the Human dignitary?”
“Her, too, in response to the horrific insult that has been perpetrated against the Juirean people. You want a war; you shall have one.”
“War is only an option. We prefer something quicker, less destructive,” said Olis.
“But we will take one if that is what results from our actions,” said Kracor. “In the meantime, I propose we start one of our own—in Kanac. The population there is desperate and comprised of savages who will do anything for credits. Let us mobilize as many as we can to stop Hannon—and Cain—from causing us more harm. We have the resources; put them to use.”
“I concur,” said the creature on the second screen. “I will do my part; you do yours. But remember, these are Humans we are hunting. It will not be easy.”
“Against an entire city?” asked Kracor with a thin, evil grin. “Even Adam Cain cannot stand against that.”
“Do not underestimate him, Kracor: Kill him instead.”
“That is the plan.”
“This is an act of war!” Ambassador Jeanne Euker said over the comm unit. “You cannot force us to remain here.”
“War?” said Overlord Loncet. “If that is the
case, then your Union is getting what it has desired all along. It is not the Expansion that has brought us to the brink. But at some point, we must defend ourselves. First Annadin, then Councilmember Quanin. And now your most savage operative, Adam Cain, has escaped from my ship after killing a number of my crew. He has been tracked to Kanac, where it has also been learned, the assassin Michael Hannon is in hiding. Yes, we know, Ambassador Euker.” Loncet referred to a datapad in front of him. “Michael Hannon: A Human of extraordinary skill at deceptive operations and an expert with the weapon we discovered in Balamar. He is the killer of our Quid-Elder. It is our belief he will meet up with Cain in an attempt to escape the planet. And Ambassador, if we had not found Cain’s transport outside the boundary of the spaceport, we would at the moment be looking for the fugitive aboard your vessel.”
“That would have been a mistake,” Euker scowled. “The war you say we want would have begun the moment you attempted entry to my ship.”
“That is why it is fortunate Cain is in Kanac. We are beginning an extensive search for him within the city. And since Liave-3 has no formal government of which to protest, we will use every means possible to locate him and Michael Hannon.”
“I understand, Overlord Loncet. You must do what is required. But I assure you, neither Hannon nor Cain have acted with authority from my government. If they are captured and found guilty of such crimes, you are welcome to them. My protest concerns your effort to keep my ship on Liave-3.”
“It is merely a precaution, Ambassador Euker—as well as a message. The Expansion will not bow to the aggression of the Union. I do not wish you harm; therefore, do nothing to antagonize me, and soon your ship will be released. But not before we capture or kill Adam Cain and Michael Hannon.”