The Human Chronicles Saga Box Set 5

by T. R. Harris

  Gendius surveyed her guests. “The females appear to be of the same race, yet oddly different. The pink creature could be related. Yet you, Panur, you appear to be unique and of indeterminant heritage.”

  “I am not of the ancient Klin universe. I, too, traveled there from another dimension.”

  This caught Gendius by surprise. “Is inter-dimensional travel commonplace now in the birth universe?”

  “It is known, but not widespread.”

  “Do our ancient Klin relatives participate? Since I do not see any among your delegation, my concern is raised.”

  “It is a complicated issue, Leadin Valin.”

  Gendius looked to the other three Klin at the table before returning her attention to Panur. “Perhaps you should inform us of what you know. I understand much time has passed, so only the highlights would be acceptable at this point. Yet before we go further, it is important you tell us. The split came suddenly and without warning—a time we call the Darkness. So, please, we are anxious to learn of our lost history.”

  Panur began. It wasn’t hard to read the body language of the Klin, especially when the story began with the destruction of their homeworld—along with the near genocide of the race. What followed was a brief synopsis of four thousand years of tragedy and disappointment. The wondrous Klin race had not gone on to forge a magnificent galactic empire, as they had done in the new universe. Instead, their ancestors had been hunted down and killed, although Panur did try to temper the story by leaving out the more graphic parts. Even still, there was no happy ending for the Klin, no glorious resurrection of their race. For all intents and purposes, the Klin of the Milky Way were extinct. All that survived of their bloodline was what existed in this second universe, and only that which had grown over the past four thousand years.

  At the end of Panur’s abbreviated history was a look of shock on the faces of the Klin.

  “I am sure there are more details you have spared,” Gendius said, her voice tense yet controlled. Adam could tell she was fighting her emotions, her mind a confused mess regarding her next actions. Should she reveal this information to her race? How would the population react to the news? She didn’t get a chance to ponder more questions before a tone sounded. She didn’t reach for an answering device nor was she interrupted by a messenger entering the room. Instead, she and the others appeared to be listening, either in their minds or in their ears.

  “More invaders have entered through the portal,” she announced, locking her steely gaze upon Panur. “In light of the information you have just revealed, I must assume this new force is not coming to help us reestablish peaceful relations with the birth universe. Are we Klin to be treated as our ancestors? Are you the vanguard for this larger force, serving as scouts and spies?”

  “They are not our allies,” Panur answered. “They are a race called the Olypon. They built the trans-dimensional array using ancient Klin designs and now they come here seeking something of unknown identity. I was brought in to make their device work properly and to link to your universe.”

  “Then you led them here—these Olypon? You admit to making our universe accessible to them?”

  “We did not know their intensions at the time—even now we do not know what they intend to do with their fleet. At first we were told it was to be a rescue mission of a small expedition of their kind who came through the portal earlier. We now believe this to be untrue. But what we do know, they had four-thousand-year-old directions to this world. What is it here that they could be looking for?”

  Gendius looked to her associates at the table, panic on her silver face. “They seek the Source,” she stated with shock.

  “The Source?” Adam asked. Mentally he capitalized the word, feeling that was how Gendius referred to it. “So, there is a new power source you’ve discovered?”

  The Klin leader glared at him. “How can you know of this?” she asked. “There have been no communications between our universes since the Darkness. And before that, only a few were aware.”

  “Aware of what?” Lila asked.

  Gendius stared at the mutant, her eyes wide with anger…and something else. Fear?

  A twitch of her head and a shimmering blue screen enveloped Adam’s side of the table. All four of the Milky Way delegation became rigid where they sat, including the all-powerful mutants. Adam’s mind was numb, his vision restricted. But even through the haze, the sensation was familiar. He’d been trapped by a field such as this before. A long time ago, and on Formil.

  It was when the Aris kidnapped Lila.

  When Adam came to, he was in another room and surrounded by his team, all except the mutants. Everyone was dazed, coming out of the stupor at the same time. The Klin allowed this to happen, releasing the influence of the blue suppressor field when they deemed appropriate.

  One of the silver beings was standing near the door to the room, appearing calm and unafraid.

  “Your true identities have become known,” said the being. “You will now be taken to the others, where answers will be provided. Come with me and provide no resistance. You will be returned to a holding state if you do.”

  Adam’s stomach grumbled and he desperately had to take a piss. But he held both urges, while hoping the next big reveal wouldn’t last too long. He was sure the others were in a similar state.

  Is everyone okay? he asked through his ATD.

  Return thoughts came his way from Sherri, Copernicus, Arieel and Riyad, confirming their status. They were groggy, but otherwise unharmed. He looked at the ATD-less Juirean. He appeared defiant against their solitary Klin guide. Word of his people’s betrayal of the ancient Klin hadn’t filtered through to the general population, at least not yet. Once it did, Adam had no idea what they would do to him, but already the alien was preparing himself for the inevitable.

  Make sure Tidus doesn’t do anything stupid, Adam cautioned. We’re in enough trouble as it is.

  But why? Sherri asked. We haven’t done anything wrong.

  Adam shrugged as he followed the Klin down a series of hallways and into another silent elevator.

  Lila…can you hear me?

  I hear you, came the mental answer, shared with the rest of the team. They were relieved. Although we are incapacitated. We appear to have happened upon a hornet’s nest of unknowns, although the picture is becoming clearer.

  The Aris, Adam stated.

  Apparently. How extensive is their involvement with these Klin remains to be seen? We are being taken to another location at the moment.

  So are we. Hopefully we will meet up.

  That appears to be a forgone conclusion. Strive to keep our mental communications a secret. It appears the Klin cannot detect this.

  You got it. We seem to have very little going for us at the moment. That’s our only ace-in-the-hole.

  Adam looked at Arieel and winked, cryptically thanking her people for the gift of the artificial telepathy devices. From the confused look on Arieel’s gorgeous face, he could tell she didn’t get the meaning.

  102

  Both segments of the team met up in a cavernous chamber, ornate and decorated in a regal manner. The ceiling soared several hundred feet above, and polished stone floors were inlayed with interesting designs of gold and silver. Columns lined the outer walls, there for decoration rather than support, while fountains of misty water flowed from narrow waterfalls between the pilasters. Brilliant drapes hung down from the distant ceiling in places, pulled to the side by cords securing the billowing sails to the floor. It was quite impressive, yet there appeared to be no purpose for the room except as the resting place for a single block structure at the center. It rose on staggered steps about ten feet above the floor and appeared to be a marble sarcophagus. Yet on the object were electronics, various panels which glowed from a soft internal blue light.

  Gendius and another Klin appeared from the other side of the monument…and along with them, two Olypon. The outsiders wore the high-necked silver uniforms of their milit
ary division, looking like imitations of Klin dress. They also had amused grins on their plump faces, appearing confident in their status with the Klin. Lila and Panur were there as well, yet standing to the side, still encased in the light blue suppressor field, one for each. Adam remembered the Aris referred to it as an interphase effect.

  Gendius walked up to Adam, instinctively identifying him as the leader when it wasn’t the mutants. “I believe you know each other,” she said, indicating the Olypon officers.

  “I know of them, although I have not met this particular pair.”

  The Olypon with the most silver on his uniform stepped forward. “I am First-Sentry Harkor Pen Lo Bin, along with my second Calsis Indi So Mor. We command the Olypon First Expeditionary Force.”

  Adam nodded, but then turned his attention back to Gendius. “What is this all about? We didn’t come as enemies. What we have told you is the truth. It was the Olypon who used lies to get us to work for them.”

  “So we have been told,” Gendius admitted. She looked at Panur and Lila. “And yet you bring such dangerous beings to our world, and in a quest for wealth.”

  “That’s what we were told we would find. We had no idea this was a Klin universe, or that we’d find such an advanced society.”

  “You were hoping for something more primitive, more easily subdued?”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “I know what you meant,” said Gendius. “But what I believe you fail to realize is that the Olypon came to us following an ancient map left before the time when our people were so savagely attacked and then pursued.” She focused on Tidus. “And you have even allied with one of these treacherous creatures—the Jeanians, I believe they are called.”

  “Juireans…and that was a long time ago,” Adam corrected.

  “Not according to the Olypon. They have brought records from your universe, records which detail the systematic extermination of our Klin brothers and sisters by all the races you have brought, including you, Adam Cain. I was surprised to learn how you—a single being—have played a significant role in the tragedy to befall the surviving Klin within the home universe, being responsible for their final demise. And now you dare come here, seeking the Source, wishing to take him from us.”

  Adam wobbled his head, confused. “What are you talking about? The Olypon said we would find a new source of power here, one based on dark matter. We didn’t come here seeking a him.”

  “That matters not,” Gendius said. “You are here now, and the truth of what you have done to the original Klin is known. The Olypon have come offering us their union and support, as well as a means to return to the home universe. They come with ancient documents, with full knowledge of what they seek.”

  “The Aris?” Adam said.

  A hush fell over the room—even the trickling of the waterfalls seemed to go silent for a moment. Gendius stepped forward and laid an open hand slap across Adam’s face. It didn’t hurt, but he reacted as though it did. It wouldn’t pay to let the Klin know how weak they were in comparison to a Human.

  “You dare not speak the name…a name you should have no knowledge of. The fact that you do only proves your motives are other than simply as wealth-seekers. You have come for the Source. You are as the Olypon have said, a parasite on our universe, and yours.”

  “I’ve met the Aris; most of us here have,” said Adam quickly, fully expecting another slap from the Klin leader. But she refrained. “We were instrumental in helping them achieve their goal of immortality.”

  Gendius staggered back, supported by the nameless Klin behind her. “You will cease such blasphemy. You cannot have met the Aris. There is but one…and he is here.”

  “That’s not true; there are others.”

  “Stop!” Gendius yelled. “Step back! Back!”

  Adam and the others obliged, as did the Olypon. There was an odd expression on the faces of the aliens. They stared at the marble monument as Gendius climbed the first level of steps and began to work the controls.

  “My Leadin,” said the other Klin. “Is this wise?”

  “Silence! We are at a crossroads, Jenlin. The Source must be revived to provide us guidance.”

  Adam watched the ceremony with dawning awareness. The Klin obviously had an Aris in the chamber, and only one. But who was he? When Adam and Panur traveled to the artificial world of the Aris several years ago to rescue Lila, there were only eighteen of them left. At that time, they wanted the product of their three-billion-year-long experiment—Lila—to provide them with the means for immortality. Fortunately, J’nae, Panur’s immortal creation, volunteered instead, sparing Adam’s daughter. At the time, the Aris had been thankful. J’nae allowed a little part of her to be merged with each of the surviving Aris, transferring her immortality to them. And then they’d moved on, not to be heard from since.

  Yet this was something different. If there was an Aris in the crypt, then he had been there for four thousand years, long before Adam’s encounter with the Milky Way Aris. Who was he, and how did he figure into the whole scheme of things?

  Fortunately—or not—Adam was about to find out.

  Before their immortality, the Aris survived the billions of years in advanced hibernation units, maintained throughout the eons by an army of self-replicating robots and service modules. Could this be one of the units, but maintained by the Klin instead? The device was coming alive, filling the room with a soft hum and the sound of sliding parts. Could the alien come out of his prolonged sleep so quickly, and fully awake? Adam didn’t know, but this is the Aris. They had been a million-year-old race at the time they began their experiments on hundreds of primitive worlds that would eventually lead to Lila. That experiment took three billion years to complete, but even before then, the Aris were the most-advanced race in the galaxy. Could they have spread to other universes? It was obvious one of them had.

  The top of the crypt now separated. A light poured out and shot to the high ceiling. Adam would have his answers soon. They wouldn’t all be standing around if the ancient being was about to stumble out of this coffin, groggy and senseless. Adam sighed. No, the super being would appear fully awake and ready for action, much to his chagrin.

  Oh well, Adam thought. Life was good while it lasted….

  As predicted, the Aris stood up with barely a wobble and surveyed the room. And he didn’t look happy. He glanced down at a series of controls along the top of the crypt.

  “Heici sin only pin,” the Aris said.

  Adam blinked. Of course, the translator wouldn’t have the ancient Aris language in its database. In fact, the Aris hadn’t used a spoken language when Adam was with them, the race having evolved beyond that.

  But then Adam sensed a presence in his mind. By their reactions, he knew everyone else in the room was experiencing the same thing.

  The reason for my awakening…it must be justified.

  This Adam could understand. So could Gendius. She looked up at the slender figure. Aris were of Prime form and figure. And why wouldn’t they be? They were the creators of nearly all life in the Milky Way.

  “Kracion, I am Gendius Valin, the current Leadin of the Klin. I revived you.”

  The Aris moved his thin lips. “Why? You know my time is precious…the most precious.” This time Adam heard the words in English, although he was sure the others in the room would hear them in their native language.

  “A link has been established with the home galaxy. Beings have arrived, some with evil intent, others with an offer of assistance.”

  The Aris named Kracion surveyed the room from his perch, taking time to study each face. He didn’t linger on any in particular until he came to the mutants, still wrapped in the shimmering blue cloak of the interphase beam. He seemed more curious about the special restraints applied to the pair rather than on them personally.

  “Indeed, events have unfolded which I find interesting. Very well, Gendius Valin. I accept your reason. Prepare an audience. Include the two in the be
am, plus this other menagerie of divergent species. Although I recognize many of them, I would be interested in learning of their development. Now bring my service modules. I require sustenance beyond my unit. I will signify when I am ready.”

  Kracion stepped down from his crypt through a series of steps on the opposite side of the monument from Adam. Two floating orbs appeared near him and hovered at his shoulders. He left the room a moment later.

  The chamber erupted in a flurry of activity. Klin swarmed in and herded the team away. The Olypon left as well, accompanied by Gendius. Adam didn’t like that. Already the Klin had taken sides.

  And then it hit him. Lila! Could she be in danger from this lone Aris? Would Kracion be able to tell who she was and what she represented?

  Calm yourself, father, Lila spoke in his head. I will be fine.

  Are you sure?

  No…but it seemed the appropriate thing to say at the time.

  103

  The team was shuffled down hallways and into rooms as it became apparent the Klin didn’t know what to do with them. The Aris wanted to see them, but the aliens didn’t know when or in what capacity until he told them. Until then, they didn’t know whether to send them back to their original security room—which was pretty far away—or keep them nearby. Eventually, they were moved into a fairly compact room with couches and chairs and told to wait. Lila and Panur were moved in as well, but this time held in even smaller interphase beams which allowed for limited movement but not much else. Adam couldn’t see where the beams originated but they seemed to be portable, following the mutants around the room but not allowing them to interact with the others on a physical level.

  Questions erupted the moment the Klin left the room, but were quickly silenced when the slender, pink Aris entered, without escort and wearing what looked to be a leather support brace around his thin torso. Although his face showed little emotion on the smooth skin, the eyes appeared clouded, as if he was in pain. Then Adam noticed one of the small service modules hovering behind him, with a thin line of white light feeding into the back of his neck. That made sense. The orbs provided the Aris with power, drawn from the pair of dark matter wafers inside the globes. The Aris had evolved to a point where it was more efficient to take in energy directly rather than through biological means. He was probably still in the process of recharging after such a long sleep. Even if that was true, it didn’t look as though his resurrection from the encasement chamber had been a smooth one. Adam didn’t know if this was common, or if something had gone wrong.