by T. R. Harris
“But the point is,” Ambassador Euker spoke up, “the Juireans helped conspire to kill one of their most influential citizens. When Counselor Dansee learned of Loncet’s collusion, he contacted me. Unfortunately, he was already under surveillance, and when we met outside my ship to discuss the situation, we were captured and brought here.” She looked at Overlord Loncet. “I suppose you have plans for us, as well?”
“Of course. As it will be related, you and Dansee have been working with the assassins to maneuver Quanin into the killing zone. Then Hannon and his fellow Human associates completed the assignment and all in an effort to start a war with the Expansion. It is all so conspiratorial. In truth, it was I who arranged for the Annadin incident as a way to bring the Quid-Elder to the Dead Zone. I even suggested the peace talks take place on Liave-3 and be held at Cain’s. The more Humans I could involve, the more convincing the ruse.”
“Why do you want a war?” Adam asked. “No one truly wins a war. We just got rid of Kracion, and now you do this.”
“You are mistaken in your assumptions, Adam Cain.”
Adam pursed his lips. “I seem to be doing that a lot recently.”
“Once the propaganda becomes circulated, the members of your Union will ask whether or not the Dead Worlds are worth fighting a galactic war over, especially when the war is a contrivance of factions engaged in a fruitless political assassination. My Afinn associates will get what they want: protection for their homeworlds against the corporate invaders. And the Expansion will get control of the Dead Worlds without having to go to war. The truth is, I did this to prevent a war, not start one. And now that I can include Ambassador Euker as part of the cabal, the outcome is virtually guaranteed. Pragmatic voices will say that control of the Zone is not worth the lives of trillions of innocent beings, brought about by the sly machinations of sinister forces who want to incite another war with the Expansion. It is a logical progression. All that remains is the prevention of any counterarguments from being made in an open forum, which would dispute the facts as we relate them. Therefore, you must all die. The reports will show how, in a desperate final standoff, all the conspirators died while attempting to escape the planet. It is a story which all will believe.”
Adam looked at Sherri, watching as she directed his attention to the back of the building with her eyes. Then she began slowly blinking. A countdown? Was something about to happen? It had better; they didn’t have much time. Adam hoped Jym realized that, too—if he was even here.
Having been left unshackled, Adam placed his hands on his waist, in a show of defiance. It also moved his hand closer to the MK-17 he had hidden in his waistband.
“It sounds as if you have it all worked out,” he said to Loncet. “Too bad you’re wrong about people believing you. You see, this entire conversation has been recorded and broadcast to the galaxy. Your game is over, Loncet.”
There was silence in the room for several seconds until the Overlord laughed. “Are you insane? There are no recording devices present. You say such simply in an attempt to distract. For what, I do not know.”
And that’s when the lights went out.
It wasn’t much of a distraction, but considering the time of day and the fact that the room had only a couple of small windows, it was enough to cause a moment of confusion.
Sherri grabbed Kaylor by the arm and pulled him toward her. Together, they crashed into Euker and Dansee, sending all of them tumbling to the floor. Adam’s MK was out and blasting away at the closest Juirean Guards. Only a second later, he heard the loud report of Mike’s Glock-19 going off, a testament to his quick reactions.
Now it was a race to the front door. Adam and Mike laid down covering fire as Sherri and her group regained their footing and sprinted for the door. The Juireans and two Afinn aliens were diving for cover between the momentary flashes from Adam’s MK. The fight took less than ten seconds, and they were out into the open and rushing to the graveyard of derelict starships for cover.
Adam hadn’t planned on using the MK when they entered the building, secure in the superior utility of the super rifle. Because of that, he hadn’t placed a fresh battery pack in the weapon. The current pack drained in five shots. He snapped in one of his three spares as he ran.
By the time they skidded to a stop behind a rusting hulk of a broken-down starship, Mike’s Glock had fallen silent, the fifteen-round magazine now empty. That left only Adam’s MK, and against a small army of Juirean Guards. They’d killed four or five of the aliens inside the building but encountered another four outside. All the aliens had Xan-fi rifles and MK handguns, and Adam prayed they didn’t realize what they had with the two superweapons they’d taken from them earlier. Then he laughed. What difference would it make even if they did? He was down to about to his last 30 shots. The Juireans could wait them out, drawing occasional fire until the MK was empty.
Sherri had her arms draped over Kaylor, Euker and Dansee, keeping them low behind a jagged piece of orange metal. He looked into Sherri’s eyes; she could see the concern in his.
“We’re pretty well screwed, aren’t we?” she said.
“About the same as inside the building,” Adam answered. “But this way we get to die with a view.” The shimmering blue ocean was visible across the street from the compound.
Then something caught Adam’s attention.
The sounds of ballistic rounds going off are distinctive. When he heard them, he first thought the Juireans were using the super rifles, which had a ballistic component. But this was different. This was something he recognized. It was the sound of an M2 assault rifle, which didn’t necessarily change his mood. Copernicus could have had a few of the weapons hidden in the building and the maneheads found them. But why were the sounds coming from different directions?
Adam chanced a look around the side of the broken-down starship. In the light of dawn, he saw several of the green-skinned aliens fall to the ground. The ones who weren’t already dead ran into the open, away from the building and the southern wall of the compound. That’s when Adam saw Riyad hurdle a section of the wall and sprint for the cover of the speeder. Peanut was on his six, and soon, they had the remaining Juireans in a crossfire with Tim Robertson and Toby Wills. The firefight didn’t last long, not against heavily armed ex-Navy SEALs and a former Islamic terrorist space pirate.
Adam watched as Loncet and the two flamboyantly dressed alien refugees ducked back into the building, seeking what cover they could find.
“Hoorah!” Adam yelled into the sudden quiet in the aftermath of the firefight. He stepped out into the open and joined the SEALs and Riyad as they closed on the door to the building. They didn’t hesitate. It was best to make an entry before the people inside could organize a proper defense. Peanut was through first, followed by Adam.
25
As when Adam first entered the room, he stopped, sighed and lowered his weapon.
But this time it was because Jym had the three enemy aliens held at gunpoint, a satisfied grin displayed on his short, bear-like snout.
A moment later, everyone was back in the building, with Loncet and the two Afinn aliens sitting in chairs with Robertson and Wills guarding them.
“Well, that was a quick turn of events,” Adam said. “Where’d you guys come from?” Adam asked Peanut.
“We were almost back to the planet when we got word from Jym that you were in trouble. I figured I owed you one after what happened in the Kush. We set down not far from here. Lucky for you, Hannon had a small arms cache in his starship.”
Years before, Peanut and Adam had been on a covert mission in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan. That was when the Klin abducted Adam, a fateful event that set the whole series in motion. At the time, Peanut felt responsible for Adam’s disappearance. Today, he got a small dose of redemption.
Adam suddenly panicked. He looked around the room, not seeing him. Where was Hannon?
Just then, a thunderous roar sounded outside, and hot, pungent lifting gas
filtered into the building.
“Keep an eye on them!” Adam yelled to the SEALs, pointing at their prisoners. He rushed outside, waving the hot exhaust cloud away as the tiny speeder rose into the sky. The hull reflected the first light of day as it rose into the heavens. The ship angled up, and a moment later, the gas and fiery exhaust vanished as the craft engaged the single gravity generator. The ship was gone a second later.
Dejected, Adam returned to the building.
“It appears as though your evidence has departed,” said Overlord Loncet, smirking in an alien way. “Now, there is only my word against yours. And there is no question that a Human killed the Quid-Elder. No one will believe I had anything to do with his killing.”
Adam was about to wipe the satisfied smirk off the alien’s face but figured that in his mood, he would rip his head off his shoulders. The Overlord was right. He’d set the Humans up to take the fall, and without any hard evidence to counter the story, they were still guilty by association. Also, Adam and the other Humans had just killed several Juireans at the shipyard, not counting those he’d killed at the Class-3 starship. All of that wouldn’t go over well with the Juirean Authority. Counselor Dansee would give his testimony, but supposedly he was part of the conspiracy. His word wouldn’t carry very much weight.
What Adam needed was Hannon’s hard evidence, including data files of his contract with the refugees, along with payment records. That still wouldn’t implicate the Juireans, but it would the Afinn Alliance, proving they hired a Human to do their dirty work. The question was how many Humans did they hire?
He let out a deep breath, staring at the smug blue-haired Juirean. Of course, Adam could blow his head off, along with the Afinn, as one last show of defiance. It may not exonerate them, but it sure would feel good.
“We do not need any more evidence,” Jym said into the silence.
Adam turned to him. “What do you mean?”
“We have the confession. Not only us, but so does Juir and Earth by now.”
“What are you talking about? What confession?”
“The recording made of the prior conversation.”
Adam shook his head and waved him off. “I wasn’t serious about that. I was making it up to scare Loncet.”
“That may be so; however, I recorded the conversation, complete with the Overlord’s confession of his complicity in Quanin’s assassination. It is all there. Then I used the CW comm link in Copernicus’s hidden chamber to send it to both Juir and Earth. Afterward, I turned out the lights.”
Adam was stunned. “You mean there really is a recording?”
“That is what I just said. Are you suffering from some battlefield injury so you cannot comprehend what I say?”
“No,” Kaylor said, stepping up to his tiny alien buddy and placing a hand on his hairy shoulder. “He is just being Adam Cain.”
26
The old shipyard was a beehive of activity. Two hours after the revelation of the hidden recording, a small Juirean frigate landed in the field adjacent to the facility, and a fresh crop of Guards and Overlords swarmed over the grounds, this time under friendly command. They recovered the dead and moved the three prisoners aboard the ship for transport to the fleet waiting in orbit. Counselor Dansee assumed control of the Juirean forces on and around Liave-3. He sent other troops to arrest the crew of Loncet’s Class-3. They were the Overlord’s hand-picked crew and were complicit in the scheme from the beginning.
“So, you’re not holding me responsible for the killings on the ship?” Adam asked Dansee.
“That is true. In my opinion, they were enemy combatants, just as was Loncet. You did us a service. However, the destruction you wrought in Kanac will have to be adjudicated by local authorities.”
Adam laughed. “In that case, I have nothing to worry about. There are no local authorities on Liave-3.”
Dansee frowned. “That sounds … unsettling. How can you exist without law and order?”
Adam shrugged.
“What about Hannon,” he asked the Juirean. “Any trace of him?”
“None. We had multiple vessels in the vicinity, and he still managed to escape detection. We are continuing the search. Although he was only part of a much larger conspiracy, he is still a guilty party.”
“If you need any help finding him, I happen to know a pretty good bounty-hunting team. They could find him—for a price.”
Dansee nodded. “I appreciate the gesture, Adam Cain, but we Juireans are fully capable of finding a single fugitive. Even a Human fugitive.”
Adam smiled, but he had his doubts. Mike Hannon was Delta Force. He also had at least some of the money the Afinn Alliance paid him for the assassination. If he didn’t want to be found, he wouldn’t, that was Adam’s belief. But he would let the Juirean believe what he wanted.
Adam dismissed himself with a bow and went to join Sherri with the others.
“Another last-minute rescue,” said Riyad while flashing is trademark white smile. “I believe next time, it’s your turn to save me.”
“That’s not fair; you had help.” Adam looked at his SEAL friends, Gill Norris, Tim Robertson and Toby Wills. Although he hadn’t spent much time with them since they arrived on Liave-3, he still sensed the camaraderie that came from working within a team. And there was no closer bond than the one between SEAL team members. “So, what’s next for you guys?”
“You’re not going to get rid of us that easy, Captain Cain, sir,” said Toby Wills. “Hey, we’re family. Besides, there’s still a lot of treasure to siphon out of the Dead Worlds. What are we, about two million up? And now we have a ship, thanks to Mike Hannon.”
Adam looked at Riyad. “Two million credits, really?”
“Like taking candy from a baby. But I think I’ll leave the grunt work to the youngsters. It’s obvious I can’t leave you and Sherri alone for a minute without the two of you starting a galactic war. It’s better that I stick around here for a while.”
“And you, Captain Cain?” Tim asked. “What are you going to do now?”
The Liave sun was full in the sky by now, with the cool of the night only a distant memory. Adam looked down the hill at the shimmering blue sea half a mile away.
“I’ll tell you what. I’m going to grab my board and go surfing.” He raised his hand, displaying an extended index finger and little finger. He waved it at the others. “Cowabunga, dude!”
Epilogue – Six Months Later
On the third day after his arrival, he took a rented transport and traveled inland from Kanac one hundred kilometers. There were only a few roads in this direction beyond the city, and none were in very good condition. They led mainly to the mountains and the mining operations scaling up to help provide the raw materials for the new MK processing facilities. Liave-3 was growing, and it was time for the planet to stand on its own, rather than depend on expensive imports from other parts of the galaxy.
They’d picked up his trail coming to the planet, then lost him for a couple of days after his arrival. Then after spreading a few credits around the rental agencies, they got a hit. He left the city just after dark, which made following him harder. The road was narrow and often straight, allowing their headlights to be seen from miles away. And they couldn’t go far with them off. There were roving herds of dinosaurs in the surrounding jungle. Smashing into one of the huge beasts would leave them stranded and miles from the city, if not someone’s evening meal.
They pulled over on a long stretch of roadway and waited for him to return. There was only one road, and eventually, he would come back this way.
Four hours later, lights appeared on the road up the hill. It was the only transport they’d seen during that time. It had to be him returning.
“Gear up,” said Tidus Fe Nolan. “Summer, you and Monty take the north side of the road; I’ll take the south. Remember, shoot the tires. We can’t take a chance at killing Jroshin. He’s worth nothing to us dead.”
“And a million alive,” said the
diminutive Summer Rains. “That’s quite an incentive to aim straight. Don’t worry; we’ll be careful.”
The trio of galactic bounty hunters crouched at the side of the roadway. They were armed with small ballistic assault rifles, weapons better suited for shooting out rubber tires than flash weapons. Summer also had her ubiquitous compound bow strapped to her back, along with a quiver of blunt-tipped arrows—just in case.
The car was drawing close, moving along at a fairly good clip on the downhill slope from the mountain highlands. “Ten seconds out,” Tidus spoke through his open throat mic.
He considered their strategy. Grabbing Jroshin wouldn’t be a problem; he was not a soldier of any kind, but rather a government official from one of the Dead World. The problem would be getting past the tough-as-nails Rigorian guards. Fortunately, there was no bounty on them, so they were expendable. But to get to Jroshin, the aliens would have to be taken out. That’s where the possibility of accidentally killing their mark came from.
“Get set. Here he comes—”
Suddenly, another set of headlights blazed to life behind them, coming up the hill and straight for the oncoming vehicle. The second car just appeared, having approached in the dark before blinding everyone with its high beams. Jroshin’s car swerved to the left, crashing into the thick foliage before the driver gunned it and fishtailed back onto the road. The second car continued past them up the hill
Summer and Monty opened fire, shredding the tires of the second car with a thundering barrage of bullets. It wasn’t Jroshin’s car, but it had interfered in their plans for a very lucrative snatch. Anger and frustration got the better of them.
Tidus was out in the road, aiming his rifle at Jroshin’s rapidly fleeing car. It had spun around past the ambush and was speeding away downhill at full speed. Tidus didn’t have a shot.