by T. R. Harris
Sharp laughed. “Okay, Adam, I’ll see what I can find out,” he said, much to Adam and Sherri’s relief. “And this better not be a joke.”
“It’s no joke, Paul. And hurry. We don’t have much time.”
Adam saw that the link was beginning to fade, a consequence of the natural movement of the galaxy. CW links could only be maintained for an hour or so. There wasn’t much more Adam could say anyway. General Paul Sharp would have to make up his own mind whether to believe him or not.
Then he grimaced. If it was this hard convincing the always suspicious Humans, what did Arieel have in store for her when she contacted Formil? She was next in line at the comm station.
Formil had a governing council made up of politicians, industrialists and a few priests from the Temple. In the recent past, the council had been comprised mostly of the First Corasent and the Speaker, along with the senior officials from the religious order. But that had changed, both as a result of the scandal involving the brain-interface device—commonly referred to as The Gift—as well as from the planet assuming the reigns of the Expansion during Lila’s brief stint as the leader of the galaxy. Since then, the council had become diverse, more secular…and more political. This often put them in direct opposition to the Temple and the Speaker, although Arieel was still the official head of the government. But like most figureheads in an overly politicized environment, she only had the power the council granted her.
Now she sat pale and wide-eyed, shocked by the conversation she just had with members of the council.
“They cannot do this!” she said finally. “I am the Speaker.”
The team had listened in on the conversation, and they, too, were stunned.
“It’s a coup, plain and simple,” Copernicus stated. “They’re using your absence to reshape the government.”
“They tried this once before, and it succeeded for a brief time,” Arieel said. “But things have changed; I am back in power. How can they do this without the consent of the people?”
“They said the resolutions have been drafted. A vote is coming up,” Sherri added. “You can’t let them do this. You still have time to fight this.”
“And they wouldn’t even listen to your warnings about Kracion,” Adam said.
Arieel’s breath came in fits, panic in her dark eyes. “I…I cannot deal with this, not with Lila’s life at stake, as well as the fate of the galaxy. And now this. What do I do first?”
Adam was thinking the same thing. He had to find the Aris world before Kracion, and Arieel was the key to convincing the Expansion of the impending threat. He looked to the Juirean Tidus, who was seated at the other end of the long, curving control console of the Klin KFV. The alien knew what Adam was thinking.
“I cannot help,” he volunteered. “I have no favor with the Juirean Authority. They will not listen to me.”
“Well, shit!”
“We have to get Arieel back to Formil,” Sherri stated. “She needs to defend her throne. If she can, then she can mobilize the Formilians against Kracion. That’ll get the ball rolling in the Expansion.”
“But Formil is on the other side of the Core from here,” Riyad pointed out. “And according to Adam, the Aris world is in the opposite direction, somewhere at the far edge of the Kidis Frontier. We don’t have time to take her back before heading for the Kidis. The portal could be repaired at any time. We don’t know how badly its damaged.”
He was right; how could the team be in two places at the same time? Adam needed time to think, to plan. And time was something he didn’t have a lot of at the moment.
110
The planet Vadon was only six hours from their current location at max drive. The Davion had already burned through its existing fuel mod and was halfway through one of the two Arieel brought with her. They would need a backup pretty soon, whether they went to Formil or to the Frontier.
Just as they entered the system, a link came through from General Sharp. Adam was encouraged by the quick turn-around. It was obvious the officer hadn’t wasted any time following up on the first conversation.
This time the message came through as a video, signifying that Sharp was speaking from a secure comm center at Phoenix Command. There was an admiral and a civilian in the room with him.
“I checked out your Aris creatures,” he began abruptly. “I had to get downright belligerent to get my point across, but finally someone gave the authorization to open the files. Damn…you were right.”
“I’m glad you believe me now.”
“I believe you about the Aris being almost god-like creatures who have been around for a very long time, but your report said only eighteen survived and they’re now immortal…which is really hard to grasp.”
“We found out there are others, the worker-class. They were responsible for watching over the experiments. Kracion was one of them.”
“Where are they now?”
Adam shook his head. “I don’t know. The elite class never spoke about them. I get the feeling they weren’t kept at the space station.”
“And speaking of that, you said it was a planet-size artificial construct.”
“More like a planetoid, maybe a third the size of the moon. But it had gravity like a planet.”
“And you know where it is? The report was vague on that.”
“I do.”
“Okay, now about these Olypon and the trans-dimensional portal.”
The civilian stepped in front of the camera.
“Captain Cain, I’m Assistant Defense Minister Gavin Kavanaugh. We were able to link with the authorities on Olypon to ask about your claims—”
“You did what?”
“We had to verify your story. Olypon is a sovereign world. We can’t go around launching preemptive strikes on facilities owned by Expansion members, not without evidence.”
“And of course, they admitted to everything. You just tipped our hand, Mr. Kavanaugh. Now they’ll be expecting us.”
“You can’t say that, captain,” Kavanaugh said in his defense. “We made no indication that striking them was our intention. We simply inquired about the rumors that they had linked to another universe.”
“And what did they say?”
“They said the facility is not a trans-dimensional portal, but rather a communication relay center for the nebula. They said with their unique location in the Dysion Void they need a particularly powerful array to link with outside worlds.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“Our signal was routed through the facility, according to the techs,” the politician pointed out.
“We didn’t travel between dimensions using a comm station, Mr. Kavanaugh. That’s not how it works.”
It was obvious the life-long diplomat didn’t like being talked down to. His face was growing redder as he spoke. “The Olypon laughed off your accusations, Captain Cain. They asked where would they get the expertise to build TD arrays? And according to what we know about the race, they have a valid point.”
“They got it from the Klin,” Adam countered. “The Klin have had TD technology for thousands of years. Kracion gave it to them, along with the gravity-drive and more.”
“You didn’t tell me that,” General Sharp said. “Are you sure?”
“That’s why there’s a colony of Klin in the other universe. They’ve been there for four thousand years…and multiplying. There has to be billions of them by now and they all worship this Aris dude.”
The admiral now stepped to center-screen.
“I’m Admiral James Warner, captain, assistant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I’m here because we are taking your warnings seriously; however, it’s hard to initiate a major operation without concrete proof, especially outside Union territory. If we launch a strike into the Juddle Nebula without cause, it could start a shitstorm with the Expansion, both diplomatically and militarily.”
“Admiral, we don’t have time to play these games. I’m trying to tell you that we have a narrow wind
ow of opportunity to stop Kracion from entering the Milky Way.”
“How long do you think it will be before the array is repaired, if it really is a TD portal?”
“As I said, I don’t know for sure. We don’t know the extent of the damage we caused. It could be a week, or six months. And we also don’t know the abilities of the Olypon when it comes to repairing the damage.”
“This primitive race who until now have never exhibited any exceptional technological abilities,” said Kavanaugh sarcastically, “yet who can now build trans-dimensional portals for fun and profit?”
Fortunately, Admiral Warner spoke before Adam had a chance to tear into the politician, dressed as he was in his immaculately tailored light gray suit. “As it is, we will send a force to investigate. It won’t be large and it will not be coming to initiate any sort of military operation, just to check out your story.”
“How soon?” Adam asked anxiously.
“It could be at the Juddle in nineteen days—”
“That’s not soon enough!”
Now it was Warner’s turned to show his irritation at being interrupted. “It’s the best we can do, captain. Even if it was a strike force, that’s the soonest we could get any forces to the area. The nebula is pretty deep into Expansion territory.”
Adam looked at the faces of his team, now clustered on the small bridge dome of the Klin KFV. He could see the fiery determination in their eyes.
“All right, admiral, if that’s the best you can do.”
General Sharp spoke next. “Even if we had all the evidence in the world, it takes time and considerable effort to mobilize for such a mission. In truth, this is an Expansion problem, and the Juireans have more assets in the region. Have you contacted them?”
“We’re working on it,” Adam admitted. He didn’t feel this was the time to tell Sharp about the attempted coup taking place on Formil.
“That sounds like a more realistic answer to your problem, captain,” said Kavanaugh. “Olypon is one of their member worlds. Let the Juireans take the lead on this one.”
“I’m sorry, Adam,” said General Sharp. “Nineteen days is the best we can do, and that’s assuming we don’t run into any diplomatic resistance from the Juireans. If I were you, I’d go the Expansion route in the interim.”
“You’re right, general,” Adam said. “Thank you for your prompt response. We’ll keep you informed. Cain out.”
As soon as the link was cut, Tidus lifted up from his seat and moved behind the others at the control console. “We will have to do this ourselves,” he stated to no one’s surprise. They had each come to the same conclusion during the link.
“We’ll need help,” Riyad said. “Anything you can do, Tidus?”
“Possibly,” the alien answered. “Priority Acquisitions does have mercenaries on retainer.”
“How do we pay for them?” Adam asked. “We have six bricks of gold from Worak-nin onboard, and another forty-thousand JCs in cash, which we’ll need for new fuel modules and other supplies. Then we’ll need a way back into the Void, and the Davion isn’t exactly a stealth vessel.”
Tidus didn’t look happy; in fact, he looked downright morose. “This is not something I propose lightly, but I do have certain assets—not many—but enough to fund a small operation such as this. My resources will be depleted afterwards. Yet I realize I have little option. It is a forgone conclusion your forces will not get here in time. And even if they did, they will not be coming to destroy the portal array. And knowing how the Expansion operates, if would be like attempting to change the course of a comet to get them to act in a timely manner. Regrettably, no one will commit a major force allocation without a real enemy at their gates.”
“Eloquent as ever, Tidus,” Adam complimented. “Can you round up this squad of mercenaries in time, and for the right price?”
“Unknown, yet when we get to Vadon, I will inquire as to local assets. PA is galaxy-wide, so I am sure there will be some available, yet I will not vouch for their quality.”
“And starships?” Riyad asked. “Something a little less obvious than the Davion. We don’t have time to make the big loop to come into the Void through the front door. We’ll need to make another pass through the Shield, and in that case, smaller is better.”
“Yes, that is another consideration,” said Tidus. “Yet the operation need not be large, just enough to get in and destroy the array, and more thoroughly this time.”
Adam looked hard at the Juirean. “This isn’t like you, Tidus. It’s almost as if you’re doing this out of some altruistic calling.”
“I do this reluctantly,” the alien replied. “Yet I have witnessed firsthand the threat we face. I know it to be real and widespread. I may not come out of this with the wealth and power I desire—as was the goal of our last mission. But I prefer to come out of it alive, or at least having contributed to the salvation of my home galaxy.”
“And what about Arieel?” Sherri asked. “We can’t let her lose her crown while we go out playing Rambo.”
“What is a Rambo?” Arieel asked.
“A fictional superhero stud from Earth,” Sherri answered with a grin.
“Like our Adam Cain?” Arieel said with a seductive smile of her own. “Except for the fictional reference, of course.”
“And without all the muscles,” Sherri added.
Adam was embarrassed. “Okay, enough of that,” he said. “When we get to Vadon, Sherri will take Arieel back to Formil in the Davion while the rest of us use some of Tidus’s merc ships to reenter the Void—”
“No way!” Sherri exclaimed. “You’re not going to start killing aliens without me.”
“Someone has to pilot the ship.”
“Why don’t you go?”
“Because after this mission, we’re heading straight for the Aris station. Listen, Sherri, it’s important that you and Arieel get the Expansion motivated. You know what we’re facing if Kracion makes it over to the Milky Way. Arieel and Formil are the key. This is important. And I’ll give you the coordinates to the station. Get the Colony Ship and as many Formilian warships as you can and meet us there. You’ll be the backup if anything goes wrong.”
Sherri looked at the other people on the bridge, hoping someone would side with her. But no one did.
“Dammit, this is just a way to protect the fragile women while the men go off to fight. It’s all bullshit.”
Adam snorted. “If there was a way to have you man a weapon at my side, you know I’d do it. We’ve been through too much for you not to know that’s true.”
“You are a real asshole, Adam Cain.” Then she looked at the sheepish expressions on the faces of Copernicus and Riyad. “And you spineless bastards, what can I say? Fine…I’ll do it. What the hell, Arieel and I can trade recipes on the way to Formil, maybe catch up on our knitting.”
“That a girl, get something constructive done during the trip. And I could use a new Afghan for Christmas.” Adam wrinkled his nose the moment he spoke the words. They didn’t go over well, not at all.
Vadon was primarily a jungle planet, with two vast oceans and very few mountain peaks above five thousand feet. There was a thick cloud cover over the equatorial region, evidence of an immense rainforest shrouded in white. A quick Library search told the team that the planet was sparsely populated—about a million inhabitants total—although unlike most worlds within the galaxy, three distinct indigenous species vied for dominance over the surface area. This probably came about because of the difficulty in migrating across the planet, allowing divergent bloodlines to develop independently.
There was also a fair representation of Expansion members on the planet, drawn there by the world’s proximity to the huge Juddle Nebula. Most of the aliens were clustered in a dozen small settlements cut out of the verdant jungle, and mostly along stretches of sandy coastline. Gravity was rated J+, at about point-eight of Earth’s.
“The mercenary pickings could be sparse here,” Copernicus Smith com
mented as the Davion landed at a narrow, beach-front spaceport south of one of the larger alien settlements with a local Priority Acquisitions office. The natives and off-worlders didn’t mix well, so they stayed more-or-less segregated. The town even had a modest wall surrounding it, although no guards were stationed on the ramparts.
“We only need a handful, just enough to fill out a strike force,” Adam pointed out. “I just hope we can find some ships for the trip into the nebula. From the look of the spaceport, there aren’t a lot of candidates to choose from.”
With Sherri and Arieel about to take the Davion to Formil, Adam was desperate to find a way to speed up the process. An idea came to him and he contacted Kaylor and Jym back at the Klin Colony Ship in the Formilian system. On a number of occasions over the past twenty years, the Klin had used secret navigation charts to move fleets through the turbulent Core of the galaxy, rather than transit the major gravity lanes above the ecliptic. This cut down on travel time moving from one side of the galaxy to the other. He was hoping Kaylor and Jym could find some of these navigation charts in the ship’s computer system, allowing Sherri and Arieel to cut their travel time to Formil by half. If not, then they would have a forty-two-day journey ahead of them. By then, the fate of the team and the TD array would have long been settled, for better or worse.
When the hatch cracked on the Davion and the team stepped out onto the surface of Vadon, they were hit with blasts of hot, sticky air. They were anticipating this; thick jungles didn’t exist without a lot of heat and humidity. Still, it took some getting used to. Now, while Sherri and Arieel remained inside the ship, the rest of the team took an open-air transport into the town to shop for mercenaries and starships. They were soaking wet when they arrived.
111
The town was called Rosnor-Unikor, and there were about forty-five thousand people in the area, mostly aliens. Adam had trouble deciding which were alien and which were natives, since none seemed more prevalent than the other. According to the Library, mostly miners lived here, flitting back and forth between Vadon and the nebula, scooping up floating debris and gases which were then sold to merchants and energy companies. The inhabitants were a hardy and tough group, and most knew the Juddle like the back of their hand, paw, or tentacle.